Divorce in Rome 2BCE was as easy as 'tuas res tibi habeto'- (keep your property to yourself).
In Ancient Egypt marriage and divorce were seen as private contracts. Men and women had rights to dissolve the marriage and property and wealth were divided. You could cite dissatisfaction as a reason.
Random facts about divorce.
It is suggested in Genesis 21:14 that Abraham sent Hagar away - the scholars interpret this as divorce, but she was his handmaid and not his wife- does this count? (feel free to comment as I am not a religious scholar)
In Exodus 21:10-11 if a man is to take another wife, he must not deprive the first wife of her rights and if he does, she is free to go without any payment of money (her to him for her freedom)
It's written in Deuteronomy (24:1-4) as an existing practice, and what the procedure is and the limitations of remarriage.
"If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, and if after she leaves his house she becomes the wife of another man, and her second husband dislikes her and writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, or if he dies, then her first husband, who divorced her, is not allowed to marry her again after she has been defiled. That would be detestable in the eyes of the Lord."
- By the end of 2nd Century BCE, the Romans formalised divorce and it sounds like they simplified the process more than most. All the couple had to do was to declare their intention to divorce using the phrase;
"tuas res tibi habeto" ("keep your property to yourself").
- Divorce existed in Mesopotamia amongst the Sumerians and Babylonians under the Code of Hammurabi -the earliest known written Divorce Law, which allowed men to divorce their wives for various reasons. Women had fewer rights but were allowed to initiate divorce for adultery or abuse.
It is believed the first recorded divorce was in Mesopotamia.
- In Ancient Egypt marriage and divorce were seen as private contracts. Men and women had rights to dissolve the marriage and property and wealth were divided. You could cite dissatisfaction as a reason.
One of the earliest known marriage contracts with provisions for divorce dates to 365 BCE.
- Ancient Greece and Rome were similar in that divorce was legal, either could initiate the process, but men had more freedom to do so. It was a public declaration and sometimes required judicial approval.
The first recorded divorce in Rome is said to have occurred in 230 BCE when Spurius Carvilius Ruga divorced his wife for infertility.
- It appears Christianity led to the view that marriage is a sacred institution and made it exceptionally difficult to leave a marriage.
The Middle Ages in Europe saw a change in attitudes towards divorce with the rise of Christianity. With marriage as a holy sacrament, Catholics forbade divorce, but annulments were allowed for specific reasons like marrying a close relative or lack of consent.
This opens a can of worms for me, but until the Time Machine is built I can't question what consent meant for women.
Islam allows divorce, with specific guidelines and reasons, but the husband has an easier path to ending the marriage.
Are you noticing a pattern?
The Protestants during The Reformation in the 16th century changed the dynamics of divorce by arguing marriage was a civil institution rather than a religious sacrament making it more acceptable.
England had very strict divorce laws for centuries and required securing an Act of Parliament. We all know about Henry VIII's need to divorce leading to the outcome of the Church of England. The first divorce granted by an English court occurred in 1670 when John Manners, the 2nd Duke of Rutland, was allowed to divorce his wife, Lady Anne Pierrepont, for her infidelity.
The Matrimonial Causes Act of 1857 allowed ordinary people to divorce for the first time without requiring an Act of Parliament.
The United States initially mirrored England, and then Puritan beliefs after the American Revolution and legal reforms made divorce a more liberal process. In 1769, the first divorce in the American colonies was granted in Massachusetts.
1791, Vermont became the first State to allow a divorce on the grounds of adultery.
Some other random divorce facts from across the globe.
- China- The Tang Code of 653 CE outlined one of the earliest comprehensive divorce laws in Chinese history. (showing even back then, divorce can be complicated)
- Japan's Meiji Civil Code in 1898 is considered the first modern divorce law of Japan.
- The Soviet Union in 1917 introduced the first modern 'no-fault' divorce system in the world.
- Italy legalised divorce in 1970, with the first divorce granted in 1971.
- Ireland- Divorce wasn't allowed until 1995.
- Malta- legalised divorce in 2011.