From 380 A.D. to 1983 A.D., the
age of majority was 21 years old in the
Roman Catholic Church, which was adopted into
canon law from
Roman law. From 380 A.D. to 1971 A.D. the minimum
marriageable age was 12 years for females and 14 years for males in the Roman Catholic Church, which was adopted into canon law from Roman law. During the
Holy Roman Empire (9th–19th centuries), age of majority was 21 years old and minimum marriageable age was 12 years for females and 14 years for males. There were some fathers who arranged marriages for a son or a daughter before he or she reached the age of maturity.
Consummation would not take place until the age of maturity. Roman Catholic canon law defines a marriage as consummated when the "spouses have performed between themselves in a human fashion a conjugal act which is suitable in itself for the procreation of offspring, to which marriage is ordered by its nature and by which the spouses become one flesh." In
England and Wales, the
Marriage Act 1753 required a marriage to be covered by a license (requiring parental consent for those under 21) or the publication of banns (which parents of those under 21 could forbid). The
Church of England dictated that both the bride and groom must be at least 21 years of age to marry without the consent of their families; in the certificates, the most common age for the brides is 22 years. For the grooms 24 years was the most common age, with average ages of 24 years for the brides and 27 for the grooms. While European noblewomen often married early, they were a small minority of the population, and the marriage certificates from
Canterbury show that, in England, even among nobility it was very rare to marry women off at very early ages. The marriage was annulled in 1453. She was then married again at age 12 to
Edmund Tudor, age 25. •
Charlotte of Savoy (aged between 8 and 10) was married to
Louis, Dauphin of France (aged 27), in 1451. •
Elizabeth Woodville (aged about 14) was married to Sir
John Grey of Groby (aged about 20), in about 1452. Elizabeth would later become Queen consort of England as the wife of
Edward IV. Through her daughter
Elizabeth of York, she would eventually become the maternal grandmother of
Henry VIII. •
Margaret of Guelders (aged 17) was married to
Frederick, Count at Sponheim (aged 36) in August 1454. •
Elizabeth of Nevers (at most 15) was married to
John I, Duke of Cleves (aged 36), in April 1455. •
Joan of Portugal (aged 16) was married to
Henry IV of Castile (aged 30) in May 1455. •
Margaret of Brittany (aged about 12) was married to
Francis of Étampes (aged 22) in 1455. •
Margaret of Denmark (aged 13) was married to
James III of Scotland (aged about 17/18) in July 1469. •
Eleanor of Viseu (aged 11) was married to her first cousin
John, Prince of Portugal (aged 14) in January 1470. •
Anne of France (aged 12) was married to
Peter II, Duke of Bourbon (aged 36), 1473. •
Caterina Sforza was betrothed at age 10 to
Girolamo Riario (aged 29/30) in 1473. Some sources state that they married in that year, but that the marriage was not consummated until 1477, when Caterina turned 14, the legal age at the time. •
Joan of France, Duchess of Berry (age 12), was betrothed in a wedding contract at age 8-days-old, she was officially married at the age of twelve in 1476, to her cousin
Louis, Duke of Orléans (aged 14). •
Anne de Mowbray, 8th Countess of Norfolk (age 6), was married to
Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York (age 4), in 1477. She died at age 10 and he, as one of the
Princes in the Tower, is believed to have been murdered at age 10. •
Sophia of Poland (aged 14) was married to
Frederick I, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach (aged 18), in 1479. •
Clara Gonzaga (aged 17) was married to
Gilbert of Bourbon-Montpensier (aged 38/39) in 1482. •
Anne of Brittany (aged 13) was married by proxy to
Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (aged 31), in 1490. After
Charles VIII of France (aged 21) stormed the city where she was staying, she was married to him in 1491, at the age of 14; her marriage to Maximilian was annulled the following year. •
Margery Wentworth (aged about 16) was married to
John Seymour (aged about 20) in 1494. They became the parents of
Jane Seymour. •
Catherine of York (aged 16) was married to
William Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon (aged 19/20), in 1495. •
Joanna of Castile (aged 17) was married to
Philip of Flanders (aged 18) in October 1496. •
Beatrice de Frangepan (aged 15/16) was married to
John Corvinus (aged 22/23) in 1496. •
Margaret of Austria (aged 17) was married to
John, Prince of Asturias (aged 18), in April 1497. •
Louise de Bourbon (aged 16/17), was married to Andre III de Chauvigny in 1499. •
Philippa of England (aged 12), was married to
Eric of Pomerania in 1406.
16th century •
Catherine of Aragon (aged 15), was married to
Arthur, Prince of Wales (aged 15), in 1501. She was widowed a few months later and eventually married Arthur's younger brother,
Henry, Duke of York (aged 17), a couple of weeks before his 18th birthday. •
Margaret Tudor (aged 13), elder sister of
Henry VIII, was married to
James IV of Scotland (aged 29) in 1503. •
Suzanne, Duchess of Bourbon (aged 14), was married to
Charles, Count of Montpensier (aged 15), in 1505. •
Anne de La Tour d'Auvergne (aged 8/9) was married to her first cousin
John Stewart, Duke of Albany (aged about 21 or 24), in July 1505. •
Barbara Zápolya (aged 17) was married to
Sigismund I of Poland (aged 45) in 1512. •
Isabella of Austria was
married by proxy to
Christian II of Denmark (aged 33) in 1514, a week before her 13th birthday. A year later, when Isabella was 14, she was brought to
Copenhagen, where the marriage was ratified. •
Diane de Poitiers (aged 15) was married to
Louis de Brézé (aged about 54) in 1515. •
Ursula Pole, Baroness Stafford (aged 15), daughter of
Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury, was married to
Henry Stafford, 1st Baron Stafford (aged 17) in February 1518/1519. •
Anne of Bohemia and Hungary (aged 17) was married to
Archduke Ferdinand of Austria (aged 18) in May 1521. •
Juliana of Stolberg (aged 16) was married to
Philipp II, Count of Hanau-Münzenberg (aged 22) in 1523. •
Hedwig of Münsterberg-Oels (aged 16) was married to
Georg, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach (aged 40), in 1525. •
Sibylle of Cleves (aged 15) was married to
John Frederick I, Elector of Saxony (aged 23) in February 1527. •
Jane Guildford (aged about 16) was married to
John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland (aged 21), in 1525. •
Lady Mary Brandon was at most 17-years-old when she was married to Thomas Stanley, 2nd Baron Monteagle, sometime before 1527. •
Renée of France (aged 17) was married to
Ercole II d'Este, Duke of Ferrara (aged 19/20), in 1528. •
Catherine de' Medici (aged 14) was married to
Henry, Duke of Orléans (aged 14), in 1533. •
Lady Frances Brandon (aged 15/16) was married to
Henry Grey, Marquess of Dorset (aged 15/16), in 1533. •
Catherine Willoughby, 12th Baroness Willoughby de Eresby (aged 14), was married to
Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk (aged about 49), in 1533. •
Emilie of Saxony (aged 17) was married to
George, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach (aged 49), in 1533. •
Catherine Carey (aged about 16), daughter of Anne Boleyn's sister
Mary, was married to
Sir Francis Knollys (aged about 29) in April 1540. •
Christina of Denmark (aged 11) was married by proxy to
Francis II, Duke of Milan (aged 38), in September 1533. They were married in person in May 1534, when she was 12 and he was 39. After her first husband's death in 1535, she was considered as a possible fourth wife for
Henry VIII, who at the time was 46, while she was only 16. However, the match was opposed by both Christina and her aunt
Mary of Hungary, and so it never materialized. Christina eventually married
Francis, Duke of Bar (aged 23), in July 1541, when she was 19. •
Dorothea of Denmark (aged 14) was married to
Frederick of the Palatinate (aged 52) in 1535. •
Lady Eleanor Brandon (aged 15/16) was married to
Henry Clifford (aged 17/18) in 1535. •
Margaret of Parma (aged 13/14), illegitimate daughter of
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, was married in 1536 to
Alessandro de' Medici, Duke of Florence (aged 25/26; nephew of
Pope Clement VII), to whom she had been engaged since she was 5-years-old. After Alessandro's assassination a year later, Margaret (now 15), married
Ottavio Farnese, Duke of Parma (aged 14), grandson of
Pope Paul III, in November 1538. •
Catherine Howard was about 17-years-old when she was married to
Henry VIII of England (aged 49) in 1540. •
Agnes of Hesse (aged 13) was married to
Maurice, Duke of Saxony (aged 19), in January 1541. •
Jeanne of Navarre (aged 12) was forced by her uncle
Francis I of France to marry
William, Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg (aged 24; brother of
Anne of Cleves, who was at the time
Queen consort of England as the fourth wife of Henry VIII), in 1541. The marriage was annulled in 1545. •
Maria Manuela, Princess of Portugal (aged 16), was married to her double first cousin
Philip, Prince of Asturias (aged 16; later Philip II of Spain), in 1543. •
Archduchess Maria of Austria (aged 15) was married to
William, Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg (aged 29), in 1546. •
Anna d'Este (aged 17) was married to
Francis, Duke of Aumale (aged 29), in 1548. •
Anne of Denmark (aged 15) married the future
Augustus, Elector of Saxony (aged 22) in October 1548. •
Joanna of Austria (aged 16) was married to her double first cousin
João Manuel, Prince of Portugal (aged 14), in 1552. •
Lady Jane Grey (aged about 16/17) was married to
Lord Guildford Dudley (aged 17/18) in 1553. •
Lady Katherine Grey (aged 12), younger sister of Lady Jane Grey, was married to
Henry, Lord Herbert, in 1553. Henry was at most 15-years-old. The marriage was annulled in 1554. •
Lady Margaret Clifford (aged 14/15) was married to
Henry Stanley, 4th Earl of Derby (aged 23), in 1555. •
Mary, Queen of Scots (aged 15/16), was married to
Francis, Dauphin of France (aged 13/14), in 1558. The pair had been betrothed since Mary was five and Francis was three. Mary had originally been betrothed when she was six months old to the future
Edward VI of England, whom she was supposed to marry at the age of ten. •
Lucrezia de' Medici (aged 12) was married to
Alfonso II d'Este, Duke of Modena (aged 24), in 1558. As Alfonso was fighting in France at the time, she did not move to his home in Ferrara until two years later. She died at the age of 16, and is believed to have been poisoned by her husband. •
Countess Palatine Elisabeth of Simmern-Sponheim (aged 17) was married to
John Frederick II, Duke of Saxony (aged 29), in June 1558. •
Elisabeth of Valois (aged 13/14) was married to
Philip II of Spain (aged 31/32) in 1559. •
Claude of France (aged 11), daughter of
Henry II of France, was married to
Charles III, Duke of Lorraine (aged 15), in 1559. •
Lettice Knollys (aged 17), grandniece of Anne Boleyn and first cousin once-removed of
Elizabeth I, married
Walter Devereux, Viscount Hereford (aged 18/19), in 1560. •
Bianca Cappello (aged 15) fell in love with Pietro Bonaventuri and, in November 1563, eloped with him to Florence, where they were married. •
Elisabeth of Austria (aged 16) was married to
Charles IX of France (aged 20) in 1570. •
Anne Knollys (aged 16), younger sister of Lettice Knollys, was married to
Thomas West, 2nd Baron De La Warr (aged about 21), in November 1571. •
Anne Cecil (aged 15) was married to
Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford (aged 21), in December 1571. She had previously been engaged, in 1569, to marry
Sir Philip Sidney, who was two years her senior. •
Margherita Farnese (aged 13) was married to
Vincenzo Gonzaga (aged 18), the future Duke of Mantua, in March 1581. The marriage was annulled in May 1583 on grounds of non-consummation, Vincenzo claiming Margherita had been unable to do so due to a deformity and Margherita accusing Vincenzo of impotence. •
Anna Juliana Gonzaga (aged 15) was married to her uncle
Ferdinand II, Archduke of Austria (aged 52), in 1582. •
Frances Walsingham (aged 16) was married to
Sir Philip Sidney (aged 28/29) in 1583. •
Eleanor de' Medici (aged 17) was married to
Vincenzo I Gonzaga (aged 21) in April 1584. •
Gunilla Bielke (aged 16) married
John III of Sweden (aged 47) in February 1585. •
Catalina Micaela of Spain (aged 17) was married to
Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy (aged 23), in 1585. •
Virginia de' Medici (aged 17) was married to
Cesare d'Este, Duke of Modena (aged 23), in 1586. •
Agnes Hedwig of Anhalt (aged 13) married
Augustus, Elector of Saxony (aged 59) in January 1586. •
Anne of Denmark (aged 14) married
James VI and I (aged 23) in 1589. •
Lady Bridget de Vere (aged 15) was married to
Francis Norris (aged 19), in April 1599, a few weeks after her 15th birthday. •
Archduchess Margaret of Austria (aged 14) was married to
Philip III of Spain (aged 21), her first-cousin, once-removed, in April 1599.
17th century •
Lady Susan de Vere (aged 17) married
Sir Philip Herbert (aged 19) in June 1604. •
Alice Barnham (aged 13) married
Francis Bacon (aged 45) in May 1606. •
Margherita Gonzaga (aged 14) was married to
Henry II, Duke of Lorraine (aged 42), in April 1606. •
Isabella of Savoy (aged 16) was married to
Alfonso, Hereditary Prince of Modena (aged 16/17), in 1608. •
Françoise de Lorraine (aged 15/16) was married to
César, Duke of Vendôme (aged 14), in July 1608. •
Elizabeth Stuart (aged 16), eldest daughter of James VI and I and Anne of Denmark, married
Frederick V of the Palatinate (aged 16), in 1613. •
Lady Dorothy Percy (aged about 17) was married to
Robert Sidney (aged 19/20) in 1615. •
Anne of Austria (aged 14) was married to her second cousin
Louis XIII of France (aged 14) in November 1615. •
Christine of France (aged 13) was married to
Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy (aged 31), in 1619. •
Henrietta Maria of France (aged 15) married
Charles I of England (aged 24) in 1625. •
Sophia Eleonore of Saxony (aged 17) was married to
George II, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt (aged 21), in April 1627. • Lady Margaret Sackville (aged 14) was married to
John Tufton, 2nd Earl of Thanet (aged 20), in 1629. •
Magdalene Sibylle of Saxony (aged 16) married
Christian, Prince-Elect of Denmark (aged 30), in 1634. The couple were engaged in 1633, and the marriage had been discussed as early as 1630. •
Countess Sophie Elisabeth of Schleswig-Holstein (aged 15), daughter of King
Christian IV of Denmark and
Kirsten Munk, married (aged about 34) in 1634. •
Countess Leonora Christina of Schleswig-Holstein (aged 15), daughter of King Christian IV of Denmark and Kirsten Munk, married
Corfitz Ulfeldt (aged 30) in 1636. •
Countess Elisabeth Auguste of Schleswig-Holstein (aged 16), daughter of King Christian IV of Denmark and Kirsten Munk, married (aged 23) in 1639. •
Claudine Françoise Mignot (aged 16) was married to Pierre de Portes d'Ambérieux in July 1640. She later went on to marry
John II Casimir Vasa, former King of Poland. •
Mary, Princess Royal (aged 9), married the future
William II, Prince of Orange (aged 15), in 1641. The marriage was reported to not have been consummated for a number of years due to the bride's age. •
Countess Christiane of Schleswig-Holstein (aged 16), daughter of King Christian IV of Denmark and Kirsten Munk, married
Hannibal Sehested (aged 33) in 1642. •
Countess Hedwig of Schleswig-Holstein (aged 16), daughter of King Christian IV of Denmark and Kirsten Munk, married Ebbe Ulfeldt in 1642. •
Princess Luisa Cristina of Savoy (aged 13) was married to her paternal uncle
Prince Maurice of Savoy (aged 49) in 1642. •
Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg (aged 15) married the future
Frederick III of Denmark (aged 33) in 1643. •
Sophia Eleonore of Hesse-Darmstadt (aged 16) was married to
William Christoph, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg (aged 24), in April 1650. •
Maria Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp (aged 16) married the future
Louis VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt (aged 20), in November 1650. •
Princess Henriette Adelaide of Savoy (aged 14) was married to the future
Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria (aged 14), in December 1650. •
Laura Mancini (aged 14), one of the
Mazarinettes, was married to
Louis, Duke of Vendôme (aged 48), in February 1651. •
Princess Augusta of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (aged 17), married her first cousin
Ernest Günther, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg (aged 43), in June 1651, twelve days shy of her 18th birthday. •
Françoise d'Aubigné (aged 16/17) was married to
Paul Scarron (aged 41/42) in 1652. She later went on to marry
Louis XIV of France. •
Lady Dorothy Spencer (aged 15/16) was married to
George Savile, 1st Viscount Halifax (aged 23), in 1656. •
Mary Scott, 3rd Countess of Buccleuch (aged 11), was married to
Walter Scott of Highchester (aged 14) in 1659. •
Jane Needham (aged about 14/15) was married to Charles Myddelton (aged 24/25) in 1660. •
Henrietta of England (aged 16) married
Philippe I, Duke of Orléans (aged 20), in 1661. •
Anne Scott, 1st Duchess of Buccleuch (aged 12), was married to
James Crofts, 1st Duke of Monmouth (aged 14), illegitimate son of
Charles II of England and his mistress
Lucy Walter, in April 1663. •
Anne Henriette of Bavaria (aged 15) was married to
Henri Jules, Duke of Enghien (aged 20), in December 1663. •
Frances Jennings (aged 16) was married to
George Hamilton in 1665. • Infanta
Margaret Theresa of Spain (aged 15) was married to
Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor (aged 26), who was her maternal uncle and paternal first cousin once removed, in December 1666. They had been betrothed since 1663. •
Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel (aged 17) married the future
Christian V of Denmark (aged 21) in 1667. •
Anna Isabella Gonzaga (aged 15/16) was married to
Ferdinando Carlo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua and Montferrat (aged 18/19), in 1671. •
Mary of Modena (aged 15) was married to
James II of England (aged 39). •
Christine Wilhelmine of Hesse-Homburg (aged 17) was married to
Frederick, Duke of Mecklenburg-Grabow (aged 33), in May 1671. •
Katherine FitzGerald, Viscountess Grandison (aged 12) was married to her cousin John Power (aged 7/8) in May 1673. The marriage was arranged by John's father
Richard, and it was annulled in 1677. Katherine then went on to marry
Edward Villiers that same year. •
Lady Anne FitzRoy (aged 13), eldest daughter of
Barbara Villiers,
mistress to
Charles II of England, was married to
Thomas Lennard, 15th Baron Dacre (aged 20), in 1674. In 1678, at the age of 17, she was abducted from a convent in
Paris and seduced by
Ralph Montagu. • The future
Mary II of England (aged 15), then known as The Lady Mary, married her first cousin
William, Prince of Orange (aged 27) in 1677. •
Lady Charlotte Fitzroy (aged 13) was married to
Sir Edward Lee (aged 14) in 1677. They had been betrothed since 1674, before Charlotte's tenth birthday. •
Sarah Jennings (aged 17) secretly married
John Churchill (aged 27) in the winter of 1677/78. •
Agafya Grushetskaya (aged 16/17) was married to
Feodor III of Russia (aged 19) in July 1680. • Princess
Ludwika Karolina Radziwiłł (aged 13) was married to Margrave Louis of Brandenburg in January 1681. •
Sophia Dorothea of Celle (aged 16) married her cousin
George Louis, Electoral Prince of Hanover (aged 22) in 1682. They divorced 1694; he later went on to become George I of Great Britain. •
Henrietta FitzJames (aged 15/16), married
Henry Waldegrave, 1st Baron Waldegrave (aged 21/22), in 1683. •
Louise Françoise de Bourbon (aged 11) was married to her distant cousin
Louis, Prince of Condé (aged 16), in 1685. •
Henrietta Howard (aged about 17) was married to Henry Horatio O'Brien, Lord Ibrackan, in June 1686. •
Lady Mary Tudor (aged 13), natural daughter of Charles II of England and
Moll Davis, was married to
Edward Radclyffe, 2nd Earl of Derwentwater (aged 31), in 1687. •
Honora Burke (aged about 14) was married to
Patrick Sarsfield (aged about 34) in 1689. •
Countess Palatine Hedwig Elisabeth of Neuburg (aged 17) was married to
James Louis Sobieski (aged 23) in February 1691. •
Françoise Marie de Bourbon (aged 14), legitimated daughter of
Louis XIV, was married to her first cousin
Philippe, Duke of Chartres (aged 17), in February 1692. •
Louise Bénédicte de Bourbon (aged 15) was married to
Louis Auguste, Duke of Maine (aged 21), in May 1692. •
Lady Diana de Vere (aged about 15) was married to
Charles Beauclerk, 1st Duke of St Albans (aged 23), illegitimate son of Charles II of England and his mistress
Nell Gwyn, in 1694. •
Henrietta Crofts (aged about 15) was married to
Charles Paulet, 2nd Duke of Bolton (aged about 36), in circa 1697. •
Johanna Elisabeth of Baden-Durlach (aged about 17) was married to
Eberhard Louis, Duke of Württemberg (aged about 21), in 1697. •
Marie Adélaïde of Savoy (aged 12) was married to
Louis, Duke of Burgundy (aged 15), in December 1697. •
Lady Henrietta Churchill (aged 16) was married to
Hon. Francis Godolphin (aged 19), in 1698. •
Princess Johanna Charlotte of Anhalt-Dessau (aged 16) was married to
Philip William, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt (aged 29), in January 1699.
18th century •
Lady Anne Churchill (aged 16) was married to
Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland (aged 24), in 1700. •
Maria Luisa Gabriela of Savoy (aged 12) was married to
Philip V of Spain (aged 17) in September 1701, five days before her 13th birthday. •
Henrietta Hobart (aged 16/17) was married to
Hon. Charles Howard (aged 20/21) in March 1706. •
Christine Eleonore of Stolberg-Gedern (age 15) was married to Ernst Casimir of Isenburg-Büdingen (age 21), in August 1708. •
Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (aged 16) was married to the future
Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor (aged 22), in August 1708, a few weeks before her 17th birthday. •
Marie Louise Élisabeth d'Orléans (aged 14) married
Charles, Duke of Berry (aged 23), in 1710. •
Anna of Russia (aged 17) was married to
Frederick William, Duke of Courland (aged 18), in November 1710. •
Duchess Charlotte Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (aged 17) was married to
Alexei Petrovich, Tsarevich of Russia (aged 21), in October 1711. •
Princess Antoinette of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (aged 16) was married to her first cousin once removed the future
Ferdinand Albert II, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (aged 32), in October 1712. •
Anne Julie de Melun (aged 15/16) was married to
Jules, Prince of Soubise (aged 17), in September 1714. •
Frances Thynne (age 16) was married to
Algernon Seymour, Earl of Hertford (aged 30), in July 1715. •
Henriette Maria of Brandenburg-Schwedt (age 14) was married to
Friedrich Ludwig, Hereditary Prince of Württemberg, (age 17), in December 1716. •
Lady Henrietta Godolphin (aged 15/16) was married to
Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle (aged 23), in 1717. •
Maria Clementina Sobieska (aged 17) married
James Francis Edward Stuart (aged 31) in 1719. •
Sarah Cadogan (aged 14) was married to
Charles Lennox, Earl of March (aged 18), in December 1719. Lennox later succeeded as the Duke of Richmond, and the couple became the parents of the famous
Lennox sisters. •
Louise Élisabeth d'Orléans (aged 11) was married by proxy to
Louis, Prince of Asturias (aged 14), in November 1721. •
Grand Duchess Anna Petrovna of Russia (aged 17) was married to
Charles Frederick, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp (aged 25), in May 1725. •
Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp, mother of
Catherine the Great, was 15 when she married the 36-year-old
Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst, in 1727. •
Landgravine Caroline of Hesse-Rotenburg (aged 13) was married to
Louis Henri, Duke of Bourbon (aged 35), in 1728 • Infanta
Mariana Victoria of Spain (aged 10) was married to
José, Prince of Brazil (aged 14), in January 1729. She had previously been engaged at the age of 3 to her first cousin the 10-year-old
Louis XV of France. She was sent to France, where she remained until the age of 7, when Louis reached his majority and rejected her as a bride. •
Barbara of Portugal (aged 17) was married to the future
Ferdinand VI of Spain (aged 15), in January 1729. •
Princess Friederike Luise of Prussia (aged 14) was married to
Karl Wilhelm Friedrich, Margrave dari Brandenburg-Ansbach (aged 17), in May 1729. •
Louise Diane d'Orléans (aged 15) was married to
Louis François, Prince of Conti (aged 14), in January 1732. •
Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern (aged 17) was married to
Frederick, Crown Prince of Prussia (later Frederick the Great, aged 21), in June 1733. •
Princess Sophia Dorothea of Prussia (aged 15) was married to
Frederick William, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt (aged 33), in November 1734, a week before Frederick William's 34th birthday. •
Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha (aged 16) was married to
Frederick, Prince of Wales (aged 29), in 1736. They became the parents of
George III of the United Kingdom. •
Marie Louise de Rohan (aged 16) was married to
Gaston, Count of Marsan (aged 17), in June 1736. •
Princess Mary of Great Britain (aged 17) married
Landgrave Frederick of Hesse-Kassel (aged 19; later Frederick II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel) in 1740. •
Jemima Campbell (aged 16) was married to
Hon. Philip Yorke (aged 20) in 1740. •
Lady Mary Godolphin (aged 16/17) was married to
Thomas Osborne, 4th Duke of Leeds (aged 26), in June 1740. •
Maria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina, Duchess of Massa (aged 9), was married by proxy to
Prince Eugenio of Savoy, Count of Soissons (aged 20), in November 1734. However, since he died thirteen days later, they never met and the marriage was annulled on the grounds that it was never consummated. Some years later, in 1741, Maria Teresa, now 15/16-years-old, was married to
Ercole Rinaldo d'Este (aged 13/14). • Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst (later known as
Catherine the Great) was 16-years-old when she married her 17-year-old second cousin Peter of Holstein-Gottorp (later
Peter III of Russia) in 1745. •
Duchess Maria Josepha of Saxony (aged 15) was married to
Louis, Dauphin of France (aged 17), in February 1747. •
Lady Emily Lennox (aged 15) was married to
James FitzGerald, 20th Earl of Kildare (aged 24), in 1747. •
Lady Charlotte Boyle (aged 16) was married to
William Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington (aged 27), in March 1748. •
Barbara Herbert (aged 15) was married to
Henry Herbert, 1st Earl of Powis (aged about 47), in March 1751. •
Charlotte de Rohan (aged 15) was married to
Louis Joseph, Prince of Condé (aged 16), in 1753. •
Princess Friederike of Brandenburg-Schwedt (aged 16) was married to
Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg (aged 21) in November 1753. • Drude Cathrine Haar (aged 15) was married to
Ludvig Daae (aged 31) in June 1754. •
Lady Louisa Lennox (aged 15) was married to
Thomas Conolly (aged 19/20) in 1758. •
Princess Carolina of Orange-Nassau (aged 17) was married to
Charles Christian, Prince of Nassau-Weilburg (aged 25), in 1760. •
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (aged 17) was married to
George III of the United Kingdom (aged 23) in 1761. •
Lady Sarah Lennox (aged 17) was married to
Charles Bunbury (aged 22) in 1762. •
Theodosia Bartow (aged 17) married
Jacques Marcus Prevost (aged 27) in 1763. After her husband's death, Theodosia would marry future American Vice President
Aaron Burr. •
Princess Wilhelmina Caroline of Denmark (aged 17) married
Prince William of Hesse (aged 21; later William I, Elector of Hesse), in 1764. •
Letizia Ramolino (aged 13) was married to
Carlo Buonaparte (aged 17) in June 1764. • Princess
Caroline Matilda of Great Britain (aged 15) was married to
Christian VII of Denmark (aged 17) in 1766. •
Dorothy Bentinck, Duchess of Portland (aged 16) was married to
William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland (aged 28), in November 1766. •
Marie Thérèse Louise of Savoy (aged 17) was married to
Louis Alexandre, Prince of Lamballe (aged 19), in January 1767. •
Princess Wilhelmina of Prussia (aged 16) was married to
William V, Prince of Orange (aged 19), in 1767. •
Maria Carolina of Austria (aged 15) was married by proxy to
Ferdinand IV & III of Naples and Sicily (aged 17) in April 1768. •
Princess Friederike of Hesse-Darmstadt (aged 16) married to
Charles of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (aged 26) in September 1768. •
Louise Marie Adélaïde de Bourbon (aged 16) was married to
Louis Philippe d'Orléans, Duke of Chartres (aged 22), in 1769. •
Archduchess Maria Antonia of Austria (aged 14; later known as Marie Antoinette) was married to
Louis-Auguste, Dauphin of France (aged 15), in April 1770. •
Marie Joséphine of Savoy (aged 17) was married to Louis Stanilas, Count of Provence (the 15-year-old future King
Louis XVIII of France), in 1771. •
Charlotte Grenville (aged about 17) was married to
Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, 4th Baronet (aged 22), in December 1771. •
Marie-Anne Paulze Lavoisier (aged 13) married
Antoine Lavoisier (aged 28), on 16 December 1771. •
Princess Maria Theresa of Savoy (aged 17) was married to
Charles Philippe, Duke of Artois (the 16-year-old future Charles X of France), in 1773. •
Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp (aged 15) was married to her cousin Charles, Duke of Södermanland (the 25-year-old future
Charles XIII of Sweden), in 1774. •
Lady Georgiana Cavendish was married to
William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire (aged 25), in 1774, on her 17th birthday. •
Maria Anna of Savoy, Duchess of Chablais (aged 17) was married to her half-uncle
Prince Benedetto, Duke of Chablais (aged 33) in March 1775. •
Duchess Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg (aged 16) was married to the future
Paul I of Russia (aged 22) in 1776. •
Louise d'Aumont (aged 17) was married to
Honoré, Hereditary Prince of Monaco (aged 19), in July 1777. • Princess Christiane of Saxe-Hildburghausen (aged 17) was married to her uncle
Prince Eugene of Saxe-Hildburghausen (aged 47), in 1778. •
Princess Maria Carolina of Savoy (aged 17) was married to
Anthony, Electoral Prince of Saxony (aged 25), in 1781. •
Marie Thérèse de Choiseul (aged 14/15) was married to
Prince Joseph of Monaco (aged 18) in 1782. •
Infanta Mariana Vitória of Braganza (aged 16) was married to
Infante Gabriel of Spain (aged 32) in April 1785. •
Duchess Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (aged 15) was married to
Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg (aged 22), in September 1785. •
Elizabeth Fox (aged 14/15) married
Sir Godfrey Webster, 4th Baronet (aged 38/39), in 1786. •
Maria Stella Chiappini (aged 13) was married to
Thomas Wynn, 1st Baron Newborough (aged 49/50), in 1786. •
Maria Theresa of Austria-Este (aged 15) was married to
Victor Emmanuel, Duke of Aosta (aged 29), in April 1789. •
Duchess Therese of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (aged 16) was married to
Karl Alexander, Hereditary Prince of Thurn and Taxis (aged 18), in May 1789. •
Wilhelmine of Prussia (aged 16) was married to her cousin the future
William I of the Netherlands (aged 19) in 1791. •
Princess Louise of Baden (aged 14) married the future
Alexander I of Russia (aged 15) in 1793. •
Princess Amelia of Nassau-Weilburg (aged 17) was married to
Victor II, Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym (aged 25), in 1793. •
Duchess Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (aged 15) was married to
Prince Louis Charles of Prussia (aged 20) in December 1793. •
Princess Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (aged 14) was married to
Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich of Russia (aged 16) in February 1796. •
Princess Henriette of Nassau-Weilburg (aged 16) was married to
Duke Louis of Württemberg (aged 40) in January 1797. •
Pauline Bonaparte (aged 16) was married to
Charles Leclerc (aged 25) in June 1797. •
Frederica of Baden (aged 16) married King
Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden (aged 18) in 1797. •
Grand Duchess Alexandra Pavlovna of Russia (aged 16) married
Archduke Joseph, Palatine of Hungary (aged 23), in 1799. •
Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna of Russia (aged 14) was married to
Frederick Louis, Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (aged 21), in October 1799.
19th century •
Caroline Bonaparte (aged 17) was married to
Joachim Murat (aged 32) in January 1800. •
Lady Georgiana Cavendish (aged 17) was married to
George Howard, Viscount Morpeth (aged 27), in 1801. •
María Isabella of Spain (aged 13) was married to
Francis I of the Two Sicilies (aged 25) in 1802. •
Princess Maria Antonia of Naples and Sicily (aged 17) was married to her first cousin
Ferdinand, Prince of Asturias (aged 17), in October 1802, about a week before Ferdinand's 18th birthday. •
Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (aged 17) was married in 1803 to
Emich Carl, 2nd Prince of Leiningen (aged 40), whose first wife had been Victoria's aunt. After Emich Carl's death, Victoria went on to marry
Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, and became the mother of
Queen Victoria. •
Princess Augusta of Bavaria (aged 17) was married to
Eugène de Beauharnais (aged 24) in 1806. • Harriet Westbrook (aged 16) married
Percy Bysshe Shelley (aged 19) in August 1811. •
Elizabeth Sackville (aged 17) was married to
George Sackville-West, 5th Earl De La Warr (aged 21), in 1813. •
Jane Cleveland (aged 15/16) married John Edward Johnson in 1814. •
Princess Henrietta of Nassau-Weilburg (aged 17) was married to
Archduke Charles of Austria (aged 44) in September 1815, about a month before her 18th birthday. •
Princess Marie-Caroline of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (aged 17) was married to
Charles Ferdinand, Duke of Berry (aged 38), in 1816. •
Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (aged 16) married
Ernst III, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (aged 33; later Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha), in 1817. They divorced in 1826 and were the parents of
Albert, Prince Consort. •
Princess Adelheid of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym (aged 17) married
Duke Paul Frederick Augustus of Oldenburg (aged 34) in July 1817. •
Duchess Amelia of Württemberg (aged 17) was married to
Joseph, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg (aged 27), in 1817. •
Princess Luisa Carlotta of the Two Sicilies (aged 14) was married to her maternal uncle
Infante Francisco de Paula of Spain (aged 25) in June 1819. •
Princess Maria Josepha Amalia of Saxony (aged 15) was married to
Ferdinand VII of Spain (aged 35) in October 1819. •
Josephine of Leuchtenberg (aged 16) was married to
Oscar, Crown Prince of Sweden (aged 23), in 1823. •
Eugénie de Beauharnais (aged 17) was married to
Constantine, Prince of Hohenzollern-Hechingen (aged 25), in 1826. •
Princess Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (aged 17) was married to
Prince William of Prussia (aged 32) to June 1829. •
Amélie of Leuchtenberg (aged 17) was married to
Pedro I of Brazil (aged 30) in 1829. •
Lady Blanche Howard (aged 17) was married to
William Cavendish, 2nd Earl of Burlington (aged 21), in August 1829. •
Susan May Williams (aged 17), an American heiress, was married to
Jérôme Napoléon Bonaparte (aged 24) in November 1829. •
Persida Nenadović (aged 17) was married to
Alexander Karađorđević (aged 23) in 1830. •
Elizabeth Medora Leigh was, as a young teenager, seduced by her brother-in-law, Henry Trevanion, by whom she fell pregnant twice. After the second pregnancy ended in a miscarriage, she eloped with him to France in 1831, at age 16/17. •
Maria II of Portugal (aged 15) was married to
Auguste, Duke of Leuchtenberg (aged 23), in 1834. He died two months after the wedding. About a year later, in 1836, Maria married
Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (aged 19), when she was 17. •
Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine (aged 16) married the future
Alexander II of Russia (aged 22) in 1841, the night before Alexander's 23rd birthday. •
Grand Duchess Elizabeth Mikhailovna of Russia (aged 17) was married to
Adolphe of Nassau, Duke of Nassau (aged 26), in January 1844. •
Lady Agnes Hay (aged 16) married
James Duff, 5th Earl Fife (aged 31), in 1846. •
Isabella II of Spain (aged 16) was married to her double first cousin
Francis, Duke of Cádiz (aged 24), in October 1846. The ceremony was held on Isabella's 16th birthday, and was a double wedding with Isabella's younger sister, Infanta Luisa Fernanda, marrying the Duke of Montpensier. •
Infanta Luisa Fernanda of Spain (aged 14) was married to her first cousin once removed
Antoine, Duke of Montpensier (aged 22), in October 1846. The ceremony was a double wedding with her elder sister, Isabella II of Spain, marrying the Duke of Cádiz. •
Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Altenburg (aged 17) married
Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich of Russia (aged 20) in 1848. •
Princess Adelheid-Marie of Anhalt-Dessau (aged 17) was married to
Adolphe of Nassau, Duke of Nassau (aged 33) in April 1851. •
Empress Elisabeth of Austria (aged 16) married
Franz Joseph I of Austria (aged 23) in April 1854. •
Princess Maria Anna of Anhalt-Dessau (aged 17) was married to her second cousin
Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia (aged 26) in November 1854. •
Duchess Alexandra of Oldenburg (aged 17) was married to
Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich of Russia (aged 24) in February 1856. •
Princess Louise of Prussia (aged 17) was married to
Frederick I, Grand Duke of Baden (aged 30), in September 1856. •
Princess Margaretha of Saxony (aged 16) married her first cousin
Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria (aged 23) in November 1856. •
Princess Cecilie of Baden (aged 17) married
Grand Duke Michael Nikolaevich of Russia (aged 24) in 1857, about three weeks before her 18th birthday. • Princess
Charlotte of Belgium (aged 17, later known as Carlota of Mexico) married her 25-year-old second cousin
Archduke Maximilian of Austria in 1857. •
Victoria, Princess Royal (aged 17) married to
Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia (aged 27) in Jan 1858 •
Princess Maria Clotilde of Savoy (aged 15) was married to
Napoléon-Jérôme Bonaparte (aged 36) in January 1859. •
Infanta Maria Anna of Portugal (aged 15) was married to
Prince George of Saxony (aged 26) in 1859. •
Milena of Montenegro (aged 13) married the then prince
Nicholas I of Montenegro (aged 19) in November 1860. •
Infanta Antónia of Portugal (aged 16) was married to
Leopold, Hereditary Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (aged 25), in 1861, 10 days before Leopold's 26th birthday. •
Maria Pia of Savoy (aged 14) was married to
Luís I of Portugal (aged 23) in October 1862. •
Ellen Terry (aged 16) married
George Frederic Watts (aged 46) in February 1864. •
Princess Marie Isabelle of Orléans (aged 15) was married to her cousin
Prince Philippe, Count of Paris (aged 25), in May 1864. •
Princess Clotilde of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (aged 17) was married to
Archduke Joseph Karl of Austria (aged 31) in May 1864. •
Grand Duchess Olga Constantinovna of Russia (aged 16) was married to
George I of Greece (aged 21) in 1867. •
Infanta Isabella of Spain (aged 16) was married to
Prince Gaetan, Count of Girgenti (aged 22), in May 1868. •
Princess Maria Antonietta of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (aged 17) was married to
Prince Alfonso, Count of Caserta (age 27), in June 1868. •
Louise of Sweden (aged 17) was married to
Frederick, Crown Prince of Denmark (aged 26), in July 1869. •
Archduchess Gisela of Austria (aged 16) was married to
Prince Leopold of Bavaria (aged 27) in April 1873. •
Infanta Maria Theresa of Portugal (aged 17) was about a month shy of her 18th birthday when she married
Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria (aged 39) in July 1873. •
Princess Louise of Belgium (aged 16) was a few weeks short of her 17th birthday when she married
Prince Philipp of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (aged 30) in February 1875. •
Mercedes of Orléans (aged 17) was married to her first cousin
Alfonso XII of Spain (aged 20) in January 1878. •
Princess Charlotte of Prussia (aged 17) married her second cousin
Prince Bernhard of Saxe-Meiningen (aged 26) in February 1878, after a year-long engagement. •
Princess Stéphanie of Belgium (aged 16) was married to
Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria (aged 22), in May 1881, a little over a week before her 17th birthday. •
Kathleen Candy (aged 16/17) was married to
Henry Pelham-Clinton, 7th Duke of Newcastle (aged 24/25), in 1889. •
Princess Marie of Edinburgh (aged 17) was married to her distant cousin
Ferdinand, Crown Prince of Romania (aged 27), in 1893. •
Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (aged 17) was married to
Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine (aged 25), in April 1894. •
Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (aged 17) was married to
Ernst, Hereditary Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (aged 32), in 1896. •
Princess Dorothea of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (aged 17) was married to
Ernst Günther II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein (aged 34), in August 1898, a little over a week before his 35th birthday.
20th century •
Princess Sophie of Greece and Denmark (aged 16), sister of
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, married her second cousin once removed
Prince Christoph of Hesse (aged 29) in December 1930. •
Beverley Callard (aged 16) married Paul Atkinson in 1974. ==Middle East==