Off topic but wanted to post a historical incest factoid.
The medieval Catholic Church said that marrying anyone closer than your 6th cousin was incest, which was an issue for a huge majority of people since everyone lived in villages of like 100 people so everyone was at most 3rd cousins with everyone else. The way around it was to buy an indulgence or get the blessing of your parish priest.
The Church never changed it becuase it gave them a lot of power over people's lives, made people indebted to the church, and generated revenue by selling indulgences. This was also a common excuse for anulling marriages for lay people.
Looking at my notes from my lectures, they might actually have changed the law during the 4th Lateran council, shrinking the marriage limit from 7th cousin to 4th cousins removed.
Off topic but wanted to post a historical incest factoid.
The medieval Catholic Church said that marrying anyone closer than your 6th cousin was incest, which was an issue for a huge majority of people since everyone lived in villages of like 100 people so everyone was at most 3rd cousins with everyone else. The way around it was to buy an indulgence or get the blessing of your parish priest.
The Church never changed it becuase it gave them a lot of power over people's lives, made people indebted to the church, and generated revenue by selling indulgences. This was also a common excuse for anulling marriages for lay people.
I think Obama is my 6th cousin. : |
Incest tax
Looking at my notes from my lectures, they might actually have changed the law during the 4th Lateran council, shrinking the marriage limit from 7th cousin to 4th cousins removed.