betrothal

Betrothal is a formal agreement between two people to marry in the future. Historically, it served as a social and legal contract that could bind families and communities as well as the couple, sometimes creating expectations about alliances, duties, and restitution if the pledge was broken.

In many cultures, betrothal was marked by a ceremony or ritual and could involve the exchange of gifts, dowries, or a written contract. Its status varied from a personal promise to a binding obligation enforceable by custom or law. Dissolution often required mutual consent or compensation, and breaking a betrothal could carry social repercussions for the individuals and their families.

In modern practice, betrothal is often used interchangeably with engagement, referring to a mutual promise to marry that is typically non-binding and revocable. Some religious or cultural communities, however, retain forms of betrothal that carry specific expectations, duties, or rites preceding the actual marriage, sometimes with parental involvement or community acknowledgment.

Betrothal remains a reflecting concept of how societies organize marriage, kinship, and intergenerational alliances. It intersects with issues of autonomy, consent, gender roles, and social status, and its significance varies widely across different legal systems and cultural traditions. See also engagement, arranged marriage, dowry, and marriage contract.