Courtship and seduction in Spain in the seventeenth century quickly turned into the pursuit of sexual relations. In the courtship phase, men wrote letters of affection to the women they were courting as well as showering them with poetry, gifts such as jewelry or money, and public announcements of affection. Once the men had successfully passed this phase, the seduction began. The most common way men won women over was by promising marriage to them and by holding engagement parties for them.
The first phase, courtship, was important because without the constant adoration, presents of money, jewels, clothing and food, letters of undying love and poetry written specifically to them, the women would not be convinced that these men were in love with them or willing to marry them.
Once men had passed the courtship phase, the seduction could begin. Many times men seduced women with the promise of marriage, a promise that all women were intent on having before sexual relations began. Pre-marital sex was considered dishonorable because women were expected to remain pure until marriage, but if a promise of marriage was involved, women often engaged in intercourse. A promise of marriage was not just a promise, but also rather an oral commitment to marry the woman. A promise of marriage in the seventeenth century was equivalent to a wedding ring today.
Seed, Patricia. "Marriage Promises and the Value of a Woman's Testimony in Colonial Mexico." Signs 13(1988): 253-276.
The first phase, courtship, was important because without the constant adoration, presents of money, jewels, clothing and food, letters of undying love and poetry written specifically to them, the women would not be convinced that these men were in love with them or willing to marry them.
Once men had passed the courtship phase, the seduction could begin. Many times men seduced women with the promise of marriage, a promise that all women were intent on having before sexual relations began. Pre-marital sex was considered dishonorable because women were expected to remain pure until marriage, but if a promise of marriage was involved, women often engaged in intercourse. A promise of marriage was not just a promise, but also rather an oral commitment to marry the woman. A promise of marriage in the seventeenth century was equivalent to a wedding ring today.
Seed, Patricia. "Marriage Promises and the Value of a Woman's Testimony in Colonial Mexico." Signs 13(1988): 253-276.