Christian emperors' attitude towards concubinage

Abstract

Concubinage, as a form of a permanent, extramarital union between a man and a woman, was known and practiced in ancient Rome. We can distinguish three basic phases in the Christian emperors' legislative activities concerning concubinage: the first one - started by Constantine, the second one - being the work of emperor Justinian, and the third, final one - including the decisions of Leo VI the Philosopher. It is of course not possible to meet the period between the reign of Constantine and Justinian with silence as laws on concubinage were issued at that time, too. But they did not have such a principal character as those issued in the above mentioned phases. The Christian emperor's legislation regarding cuncubinage was mainly a reflection of opinions and ideas propagated by the Church. Some emperors directed their main attention at activities aimed at limiting a concubine's and her offspring's position, while others created conditions for the transformation of this extramarital relation into iustum matrimonium.