This week's Claire Chats video talk has been inspired by an "on this day in Tudor history" event from this week and some comments and questions I received about it - the proxy wedding of Princess Mary Tudor, sister of King Henry VIII, and King Louis XII. I thought I'd explain what proxy weddings were/are, why they were needed, and share some examples of historical proxy weddings.
Here's a painting of the proxy wedding of Maria de' Medici and Henry IV of France by Peter Paul Rubens:
Notes and Sources
- No bride, no groom, I do: Montana’s proxy weddings on film - https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/mar/24/no-bride-no-groom-i-do-montanas-proxy-weddings-on-film
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proxy_marriage
- "The Wedding Night: A Popular History" by Jane Merrill and Chris Filstrup