Legal Definitions - duplex valor maritagii

Duplex valor maritagii is a historical legal term from medieval English law, meaning "double the value of a marriage." It refers to a specific penalty imposed on a minor heir, known as a "ward," who married without the required consent of their feudal lord or legal guardian. In such cases, the ward was compelled to pay their guardian a sum equivalent to twice the financial benefit or strategic advantage the guardian could have gained by arranging an approved marriage for the ward.

During this period, marriage was often a crucial tool for consolidating land, wealth, and political power. Guardians had significant control over their wards' marriages, as these unions directly impacted the guardian's own interests or the stability of the feudal system. If a ward defied this authority and married independently, they forfeited not just the potential value of the guardian's chosen match, but double that value as a punitive measure.

• Example 1: A Strategic Alliance Undermined
  Lady Isabella, a wealthy heiress and ward of the powerful Duke Robert, was intended by the Duke to marry the son of a neighboring baron. This marriage would have united their lands, creating a formidable military alliance for the Duke. However, Isabella secretly eloped with a landless knight, a match that offered no strategic benefit to Duke Robert. Under the principle of duplex valor maritagii, Isabella would be liable to pay Duke Robert a sum equal to double the estimated financial and strategic value of the advantageous marriage he had arranged, compensating him for the lost alliance and potential military strength.

• Example 2: Financial Loss to the Estate
  Young Lord Alaric, an orphaned baron, was under the guardianship of his uncle, Sir Kael. Sir Kael had negotiated a lucrative marriage for Alaric with the daughter of a wealthy merchant, which included a substantial dowry that would have significantly improved the family's struggling estates. Alaric, however, chose to marry a distant cousin of modest means, a union that brought no financial gain. Sir Kael could then invoke duplex valor maritagii, demanding double the dowry and other financial benefits he would have received from the merchant's daughter's marriage, as compensation for the lost economic opportunity.

• Example 3: Defiance of Royal Authority
  The young Earl of Wessex, a ward of the Crown due to his minority, was commanded by the King to marry a princess from a rival kingdom to secure a peace treaty. The King's advisors had carefully calculated the political and economic benefits of this union. Despite the royal decree, the Earl secretly married a local noblewoman, a match that offered no diplomatic advantage and, in fact, angered the rival kingdom. The King could then impose duplex valor maritagii, requiring the Earl to pay a penalty equivalent to double the value of the lost peace treaty and the strategic benefits that the royal marriage would have provided.