Between Economy and Social Coercion: Nuptiality in Transition. The Case of the Don Army Territory (Southern Russia), 1867–1916

Abstract

The nuptiality transition in the Don Army Territory 1867–1916 depended on residence, economy, and religion. In rural areas, population growth and the scarcity of good land undermined the Orthodox tradition, though it was defended by the Church; rural Armenian-Gregorians persisted in early marriage, unlike Old Believers, Buddhists, and Lutherans. In cities, Armenian-Gregorians and Jews, unlike Catholics, adopted late marriage. Age at marriage among Orthodox was slightly later in cities and their hinterlands, against the tradition that Church conservatism favored. The different trajectories of nuptiality reveal a struggle between religion, economics, and urban life, making nuptiality a scene of contradictory influences.