The conditions regarding the validity of marriage in modern Transylvania
During the entire modern period, Transylvanian Romanians, irrespective of their confessions, in order to contract a valid marriage, had to respect several stages according to the legal church and laic stipulations but also according to the countless prejudices guiding the life of the community. Civil marriage law stipulated the conditions of validity of marriage, constraints that are mainly confounded with the canonical conditions. These could refer either to the capacity of the person or to the uninfluenced will. With a view of validating a marriage, several primary conditions were required, such as the age at the moment of marriage, the moral and social behavior of the youth, their economic status or the income necessary for support. Furthermore, there was a multitude of traditional prejudices, stereotypes and clichés which limited the possibilities of choosing a partner. These conditions proved to be vital on the legal plan: the failure to fulfill these conditions could deprive the act of marriage of its legal effect and thus render it void. On the other hand, this welter of restrictions and exclusions from marriage had a significant impact upon the individual and collective mentality.
Keywords: modern Transylvania, marriage, validity, primary conditions, civil law, canons, prejudices