ABSTRACT
Hilde Sandvik A married couple consists of two persons, who have to interact with other people and institutions. This puts the issue of authority on the agenda. Who is authorised to decide on behalf of the couple? Who can sell its property, and who is liable to pay its debts? How does power feed into this process? These questions are particularly pertinent in societies, like early modern Norway, where most economic functions take place within the household. Such societies regulate the economy by regulating marriage. Therefore, legal norms and economic theory tell us about how marital authority was conceived by those who formulated rules and ideas. They also testify to the enormous importance attributed to marriage. In fact the old Norse word for marital economy, fe-lag, was the general Norse term for economic companies. My focus here is economic authority over the joint estate, but my starting point is a short overview of economic development in a comparative household perspective.
