What is Illegitimacy?
Illegitimacy may be obvious or very well concealed. The most obvious definition is that the mother and the father were not married at the time of the child’s birth. However, it can also mean that the entity or institution recording the birth did not recognize the marriage. One of the most common areas of dispute is between the civil authorities and the church. A couple may be married in the eyes of the church, but not in the eyes of the state, as in Italy from 1860 to 1929. Conversely, a couple may have had a civil marriage, but it was not recognized when it came to having the child baptized in a church. For many years in England, a Catholic or non-conformist marriage had no meaning. The couple also had to be married in the Anglican Church. Also, in England if a man married his deceased wife’s sister, the marriage was not considered valid and the children were illegitimate.
