Susanna Viljanen
Most sufficed with one (at time) and there were three reasons for it:

大多数人只满足于一个配偶,主要有三个原因:

1.The only known methods of contraception where the rhythm method and condoms. Without hormonal contraception, getting an unwanted pregnancy was simply too big a risk.

1. 当时唯一已知的避孕方法是节育法和避孕套。没有激素避孕药,怀上不想要的孩子是一个风险太大的问题。

2.There was no social security system for single parents. “Bastard” is a swear word for just this reason. Abortions could easily lead into death of the mother as well as the unborn child. Abortion was considered a murder.

2.没有单亲家庭的社会保障制度。“私生子”就是一个骂人的词,就是因为这个原因。堕胎很容易导致母亲和未出生儿童的死亡。墮胎被认为是一种谋杀。

Adultery was a crime, and in the Viking era Scandinavia it was a capital crime. Getting pregnant out of wedlock or as a result of adultery would mean death in the Viking society - and if a man was caught from fornication in flagranto delicti, he too would lose his head. The Christian society was more tolerant, but not much.

3.通奸是一种犯罪,在维京时代的斯堪的纳维亚,这是一种死罪。在维京人的社会里,未婚怀孕或因通奸而怀孕都意味着死亡—— 如果一个男人被抓到正在通奸,他也会被砍头。基督教社会更加宽容,但也不多。

On the other hand, people tended to marry young, everyone was supposed to marry, deaths and getting widowe[er]ed was commonplace, and widow[er]s would re-marry quickly. Divorces were rare, but did occur. Since family and extended family line had much stronger importance than it is today (your family was basically your only social security besides the Church), being single was ingredients for a catastrophe.

另一方面,人们倾向于年轻结婚,每个人都应该结婚,死亡和丧偶是司空见惯的,寡妇会很快再婚。离婚很少发生,但确实也会发生。由于家庭和家族关系比今天更加重要(在基督教会之外,你的家庭基本上是你唯一的社会保障),单身对于灾难是一个要素。

Brothels were common, and noblemen tended to have mistresses besides their wives. This was not as common amongst the bourgeoisie, where inheritance of property was an issue and one single illegitimate son could ruin everything. Rape was a capital crime, but armies tended to commit mass rapes while on campaign.

妓院很常见,贵族嫖娼除了妻子还经常养情妇。这在资产阶级中并不常见,那里财产继承是一个问题,一个非嫡出子可能会毁掉一切。强奸是一种死罪,但军队在战役中往往会实施大规模强奸。