concubine

A concubine is a woman who lives with a man in a long-term relationship recognized in some societies as legitimate but who is not legally married to him. The term has historically referred to secondary partners within a dynastic, polygynous, or aristocratic household, where social and legal norms defined status and rights.

Legal and social status: A concubine typically had fewer rights than a wife and did not share the same formal authority over property or succession. Children born to a concubine might be legitimate heirs in some contexts and illegitimate in others, depending on local law and custom. In polygynous systems, a man could sustain multiple wives and concubines, while wives often held higher ceremonial rank and inheritance priority.

Cultural contexts: The practice appeared in various forms across the world. In imperial China, the emperor’s household included consorts and concubines arranged by rank, with titles and courtesies that reflected status and influence. In the Ottoman and other Muslim realms, concubines or slave mothers could rise in the household hierarchy and sometimes exercise political influence. In medieval Europe, noble families sometimes kept concubines or mistresses within legal gray areas, though such arrangements were generally discouraged by church law and could be regulated by custom.

Modern changes: With the spread of monogamous marriage codes, legal reforms, and changing norms, formal concubinage declined in most parts of the world. Today the term is mainly used in historical, literary, or anthropological discussions to describe past practices and the dynamics of kinship, inheritance, and royal succession.