Legal Definitions - duplex valor maritagii

Duplex valor maritagii

Duplex valor maritagii is a legal term that means "double the value of a marriage." In the past, if a ward (a young person under the care of a guardian) got married without their guardian's permission, they would have to pay double the value of the marriage as a penalty.

For example, if a ward got married and the value of the marriage was $10,000, but they did not have their guardian's permission, they would have to pay $20,000 as a penalty. This was a way to discourage young people from getting married without their guardian's approval.

This law was considered very harsh because it meant that young people had to pay a lot of money if they wanted to marry someone their guardian did not approve of. It was also unfair because it only applied to wards and not to other people who got married without their parents' permission.