Excerpted from the book Tying the Knot - A World History of Marriage by Amber J. Keyser
EXCERPT: OLD STYLE MATCH.COM
Between 1763 and 1944, European nobles looking for a marriage partner could consult a reference book called the Almanach de Gotha. Originated by a German chaplain in the city of Gotha, the book sorted and ranked all members of European noble families in great detail. Families used the book to determine which matches were acceptable. Specifically, marriage partners were supposed to be of the same rank - that is, a duke was supposed to marry the daughter of a duke, not the daughter of a man of lower rank. If a man did choose a lower-ranked wife, he entered into what was called a left hand marriage. During the wedding ceremony, he held the bride's right had with his left hand instead of the traditional right hand.
In 1998 a British company issued a new edition of the Almanach de Gotha, but critics noted that it was sloppily written. And even though some Europeans still inherit titles of nobility, these titles are mostly symbolic, For instance, the United Kingdom still has a queen, princes, dukes, earls, and other nobles, but they no longer run the country. Instead, citizens of the United Kingdom vote for their leaders. Since its no longer necessary to maintain power by marrying into another royal family, European noble no longer have reason to consult the Almanach de Gotha.
