Post by Admin on Aug 13, 2017 8:38:02 GMT -5
The Duchy of Seravino is steeped in tradition and conservatism. Since the region has had to move great distances in the past and has suffered a schism, the nobility of the region feel it necessary to do whatever is necessary to prevent such occurrences from happening again. However, thanks to the passage of several centuries since the cataclysm and the schism, the duchy is slowly growing more liberal in its ways. The key word, though, is slowly. Seravino is still a patriarchal society. This is reflected in the relations between men and women, the interactions within households, the arrangement of marriages and in the region’s inheritance laws.
The people of Seravino are naturally passionate, fiery and vivacious. It is not uncommon for conversations between people to become heated or excited without necessarily coming to blows. Interestingly enough, the innate passion this quality has led to Seravino being called one of the most romantic regions in the kingdom. Men and women will espouse their affections for each other in the most florid and creative of ways whether through acts of gallantry, poetry, song or some other art form. Sometimes these effusions lead to more physical expression. One of the great puzzles of the society is that sexual relationships are encouraged, regardless of gender, but virginity until marriage is highly valued. Most only pay lip service to this societal rule. Women, however, are expected to be more discreet about their personal affairs than men. In the past, women who were not virgins upon marriage were shunned, but this attitude has faded away in the last century.
In a typical household, the father is the head of the family and makes the final decisions in the vast majority of affairs. Whether the husband choses to accept input from his wife is up to him, though in more forward-thinking households, the husband does heed his wife’s counsel and allows her to make decisions for the benefit of the family. While this is especially true of matters pertaining to household management and child rearing, there is a growing trend of wives becoming involved in business decisions, marriage selections and the like. Some men are resistant to this.
As a general rule, Seravino follows primogeniture: the eldest male inherits. If a family has produced no male heirs, then the title and lands will pass on to the next eldest male cousin. The head of the family, however, has the right to name his own heir if circumstances permit it, such as incompetence of the current heir, illness, etc. Throughout the course of Seravino history, women have managed to inherit their father’s title but only after a lack of male heir has been established or the father deemed it so. If the father dies before the heir reaches the age of 15, then the appointed regent assumes the temporary mantle.
Upon reaching adulthood, men are generally free to do what they please but are expected still fall in line with family expectations. This expectation is strongly placed on women, who remain their family’s wards until they are married. If a woman does not get married during her life, she either joins the church or she remains with her family. Another slowly growing trend, however, is women seeking greater independence such as living on their own and supporting themselves, whether through a trade or business.
The people of Seravino are naturally passionate, fiery and vivacious. It is not uncommon for conversations between people to become heated or excited without necessarily coming to blows. Interestingly enough, the innate passion this quality has led to Seravino being called one of the most romantic regions in the kingdom. Men and women will espouse their affections for each other in the most florid and creative of ways whether through acts of gallantry, poetry, song or some other art form. Sometimes these effusions lead to more physical expression. One of the great puzzles of the society is that sexual relationships are encouraged, regardless of gender, but virginity until marriage is highly valued. Most only pay lip service to this societal rule. Women, however, are expected to be more discreet about their personal affairs than men. In the past, women who were not virgins upon marriage were shunned, but this attitude has faded away in the last century.
In a typical household, the father is the head of the family and makes the final decisions in the vast majority of affairs. Whether the husband choses to accept input from his wife is up to him, though in more forward-thinking households, the husband does heed his wife’s counsel and allows her to make decisions for the benefit of the family. While this is especially true of matters pertaining to household management and child rearing, there is a growing trend of wives becoming involved in business decisions, marriage selections and the like. Some men are resistant to this.
As a general rule, Seravino follows primogeniture: the eldest male inherits. If a family has produced no male heirs, then the title and lands will pass on to the next eldest male cousin. The head of the family, however, has the right to name his own heir if circumstances permit it, such as incompetence of the current heir, illness, etc. Throughout the course of Seravino history, women have managed to inherit their father’s title but only after a lack of male heir has been established or the father deemed it so. If the father dies before the heir reaches the age of 15, then the appointed regent assumes the temporary mantle.
Upon reaching adulthood, men are generally free to do what they please but are expected still fall in line with family expectations. This expectation is strongly placed on women, who remain their family’s wards until they are married. If a woman does not get married during her life, she either joins the church or she remains with her family. Another slowly growing trend, however, is women seeking greater independence such as living on their own and supporting themselves, whether through a trade or business.