How Marriage Was Used as a Political Tool

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How Marriage was used as a Political Tool Back in medieval times people didn’t typically get married because as a result of their undying love for one other. Marriage often came with ulterior motives. One of the main reasons people got married was because they could use marriage as a political tool. There are many ways to do this. If one is in a position of power you could use marriage as bargaining chip. And if that same person is not in a position of power, marriage could still be used as a bargaining chip, but in a different way. In these times marriage was used as a political tool to gain power, prevent a war, or create a treaty and alliances. The first way one could use marriage as a political tool was to help gain power. Think about it: if someone were to marry into a family of a higher status than, that person would probably be promoted to that higher status. People back in the medieval ages used marriage as a way to get more powerful. If someone, as a king, were looking to gain control of a specific piece of land that belonged to a woman, one could simply marry her to solve your problems. This is a way that people became more powerful. A specific example of this would be when Eleanor of Aquitaine was married to Henry the second. Eleanor had succeeded her father at the age of fifteen, thus making her the most eligible bride in all of Europe. She had first married Louis VII, but that had quickly dissolved. Eleanor then married Henry, and on October 25, 1154 her husband ascended the throne of the Kingdom of England, making Eleanor Queen of the English. But there are still more reasons explaining how marriage was used as a political tool. The second way marriage was used as a political tool was to prevent a war. Back then, if someone were in a position where they knew a war was coming, they could propose a marriage and arrange a peace treaty of sorts.
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