Ah, the Renaissance. 'Twas a blossoming of many a new idea. The sculptors were sculpting, the thinkers were thinking, and the artists were arting. This period of European history was known for the rebirth of great ideas and creations after the wretched Dark Ages. Everything was bright and there was nary a cloudy day! (That was a bit of an exaggeration.) Despite the goodness of this era, however, there was still the occasional dark places. One of these was the tradition of arranged marriages. Parents of children would set their children up with other children around the same age as theirs. The betrothals were usually within social classes. For instance, a complete and total peasant would not be put into an arranged marriage with the princess of an empire. That simply would not be done. So here, dear reader, is an overview on the whole process of betrothals and arranged marriages so you can you can appreciate your life in the 21st century. You ungrateful youth.