Talk:Symone/@comment-208.54.38.176-20140807155303/@comment-23878607-20141027093511

Uh, well, no. The biggest killer of women in childbirth was a staph infection. They never knew that having scarlet fever in the nearest village or in the castle was almost a guaranteed death sentence for a woman in labor. The average family size, assuming one made it through the infection risks, was the same as third world countries today-- around 5 to 8 children. 1 in 5 birthed children did not survive their first birthday.

Most middle to lower class women didn't marry until their mid-20s due to economic reasons; only the elite married earlier and that was due to marriage being a common contractual method to cement long-term social/political alliances.