Remarriage and Stepfamilies in East Central Europe, 1600-1900

This book compares remarriage patterns and stepfamily life in East Central Europe and Northwestern Europe, focusing on the economic, military-political, legal, religious, and cultural factors that affected them. It also assesses the impact of stepparents on stepchildren's mortality and career prospects.

Format: Hardback
Length: 348 pages
Publication date: 27 January 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Due to the high adult mortality rate and the practice of remarriage, stepfamilies were a common occurrence in pre-industrial Europe. This book, focusing on East Central Europe, a neglected area of Western historiography, draws essential comparisons in terms of remarriage patterns and stepfamily life between East Central Europe and Northwestern Europe. How did the region's specific economic, military-political, legal, religious, and cultural profile affect remarriage patterns and stepfamily types? How did the greater propensity of widowed parents to remarry in some East Central European communities compared to Western ones shape the lives of children? And how did the routine divorce before Orthodox courts by ordinary men and women shape relationships among children and adults belonging to blended families?

By employing quantitative and qualitative approaches, the book offers a historical demographical narrative of the frequency of stepfamilies in a comparative framework, as well as assesses the impact of stepparents on the mortality and career prospects of their stepchildren. The ethnic and religious diversity of East Central Europe also allows for distinctions and comparisons to be made within the region.

Remarriage and Stepfamilies in East Central Europe, 1600-1900 will appeal to researchers and students interested in the history of family, marriage, and society in East Central Europe.

Weight: 680g
Dimension: 161 x 243 x 28 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032290843