ABSTRACT
In the parts of Europe where the nuclear family, comprising husband, wife and children, was the norm, marriage entailed the establishment of a new household, but in places where the wife found herself in a joint household, with an active mother-in-law, she might well be little more than a servant. The nuclear family was to be found in the later Middle Ages in the villages and towns of northern France, west Germany, the Low Countries and England, as well as in towns in parts of eastern Europe such as Bohemia. Women embarking on marriage found themselves in very different types of household and many had to develop everyday working relationships with marital kin as well as with their husbands. The main reason for marriage, as expressed by both the Church and lay society, was the procreation of children. The position of the widow depended on her social status and resources, and on local law and custom.
