Age of marriage in 800 AD?

[ricki]

What was the average age of marriage in Europe around 700-800 AD? A link/reference would be great
I've looked but can't find..
Thanks

[jake-the-peg]

I'm not surprised you can't find much.

I think parish records in England only had to be kept by law from the 16th Century.

I'd imagine many of the common people did not even know how old they were 1200 years ago.

[jno]

there are no records (except possibly for a few kings, who are by definition not average people); churches weren't necessarily involved in marriages then anyway. And you can't tell this sort of thing from skeletons. I don't think you're going to get an answer to this one.

[jake-the-peg]

I don't know if it's any help but this site
http://web.nickshanks.com/history/roman-marria ge
quotes the average age of a bride in Roman marriage was 12 -13

I'd guess it wasn't much changed in the few hundred years after the Romans left.

[dot.hawkes]

http://www.celtarts.com/handfasting.htm

handfasting and infant betrothal was common

[Whickerman]

marriage as the legal situation we recognise didn't exist, and even in medieval times was only for the elite - common people handfasted