Concubinage in Themiclesia

Concubinage in Themiclesia refers to the legal relationship between one male and female(s) other than his spouse. The practice is inherited from Menghean, though it Themiclesia it has also seen development. In modern Themiclesia, concubinage is no longer legal, formally abolished in 1962, though obsolete since the 19th century. Concubinage was subject to sumptuary restrictions according to the male's social standing. That of the monarchy grew into a sizeable harem and, having access to the monarch and possessing independent wealth, gave some women and their relatives political clout. In commoners, concubinage was heavily restrained by the wealth of the provider, usually the husband. Themiclesian law did not recognize legal relationships between women and men other than their husbands.

Origins

Themiclesian society in its earliest ages practiced strict exogamy, marriage with a relative, however remote, being illegal. Early Themiclesian settlements, often ruled by a single clan, were distributed at distance and amongst native societies, making travel hazardous. To forge alliances through marriage and to satisfy the exogamy rule, potential marriages were discussed by envoys, and the bride was conveyed at nighttime to avoid native hostility, which were more common at day. The ceremony of her departure with her husband was called the Rite at Dusk for this reason. While marriages were meant to be stable, alliances could fall apart if the bride died; thus, the bride's younger sisters or cousins would often accompany her to her new home, as a secondary wife. Normally, they would be her attendants and agents, but the husband's family could legally recognize the most senior second as spouse if she died or decided to leave, thus maintaining the alliance. This sort of secondary wife (媵) is one type of concubine became rare in all cases except royal marriages.

An entire different sort of concubine emerged from slavery, which was legal in Themiclesia until the 16th century. Female slaves were expected to provide sexual services to their owner when required. This was applicable to private chattel slaves, not slaves to the state. Through favours with their owners, such female slaves could acquire influence in the household and even supplant the role of the legal spouse, if the latter could not provide an heir. For some time, there was no legal distinction between female slaves and concubines, and it was forbidden to take commoners as concubines, as this would debase them to slavery. However, the law excepted nobles and high officials, and this gradually spread to the wealthy; by the 2nd century, it was common for wealthy commoners to take other commoners as concubines, though it still carried much social stigma to the concubine's original family. A commoner concubine was distinguished from a female slave as early as the mid-3rd century, though her right to claim some of a legal spouse's privileges in the latter's absence.