>>509180530It's called a dowry and has been a thing since...Literally the beginning of civilization.
Yes, fathers used to pay young men to take their daughters. It made sense. You wanted to make sure your daughter lived long enough to have children, so you paid out enough to ensure she could pop at least one kid. So a dowry was usually the equivalent of 1-3 years of pay/resources but this varied based on culture and location.
The wealthier the family, the bigger the dowry that was expected. Honor culture demanded that there be a balance in what was offered based on status, so a high status person might offer the equivalent of a million daughters for his daughter because his rival did so last year.
If the bride was hot, there would be a Bride Price paid by the groom for her before he got his dowry. The delay in betrothal to marriage was there for a reason, usually for both families to pull funds and resources for the marriage itself. There were legal codes going back to the Sumerians (1750 BC) that defined the rules around Bride Prices. For example, if a wife died without any sons, the father of the girl was allowed to reclaim his dowry, minus the bride price. If a bride died before the marriage was consummated, the groom was entitled to a return of his bride price because he hadn't received the dowry yet.
Sometimes these rules were bent for political/arranged marriages, as there was more at stake than just having babies. A bride price could be waived out of expediency and a desire to make peace.
This is the practical reason why families were so protective of their daughters back then and why divorce was more difficult for women, as there was money, honor, and status tied up with it all.
Not saying it was better, just different. People worked their whole lives to be able to marry, as that was the primary driver for seeking wealth.
