1. UNIT 22 Marriage

2. What is MARRIAGE?
The classic definition of marriage in English law was coined by Lord Penzance in
Hyde v Hyde [1986]:
“I conceive that marriage, as understood in Christendom, may be defined as the voluntary union for life of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others.”

3. The three main conditions for a valid English marriage
VOLUNTARY FOR LIFE of ONE MAN and
union ONE WOMAN
voluntary for life monogamous

4. JUDICIAL DIVORCE in England?
DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE ?
UNION FOR LIFE
the intention of the parties
(at the initiation of the marriage)
must be union for life

5. Regulations about starting a marriage
One of the easiest contracts to enter into but with far-reaching consequences for
A) the parties themselves
B) their children
C) the whole society

6. Who can marry? Two chief BARS to a valid English marriage
A) YOUTH – only a person of age has an
unfettered right to marry
B) CONSANGUINITY– blood relatives who have a
close blood relationship
cannot marry under any
circumstances

7. YOUTH
Marriage Act abolished marriage for those under 16 in England and Wales
Family Law Reform Act 1969 – lowered the age of majority to 18
If either party is under 16 – no marriage
If one of the parties is 16 or over, but under 18 – consent of both parents is required

8. VOID or VOIDABLE without due consent (eg. Intoxication or duress)
A marriage entered into
without due consent (eg. Intoxication or duress)
mistake as to identity
pregnancy by another man when entering into marriage
marriage wasn’t consumated (doesn’t apply to same-sex partners)
having a sexually transmitted disease when entering into marriage
ANNULMENT
if either party is under 16 – the ceremony is performed – marriage is not valid – void ab initio)
If the parties are close blood relatives
If one of the parties is already married or in a civil partnership
ANNULMENT

9. FRAUD
YES
- Deception as to identity NO
If a man deceives a woman as to his fortune or his status (misrepresentation)
If a woman deceives a man as to her virginity (misrepresentation)

10. Mental incapacity A marriage with a mentally incapacitated person
VOID VOIDABLE
before after 1959
Mental Health Act – swept away all
classification of the mentally ill lunatics
no longer exist.

11. Types of relationships in England and Wales today Wales
MARRIAGE (Marriage Act 2013 – “Marriage of same-sex couples is lawful”) CIVIL PARTNERSHIP (Civil Partnership Act 2004) LIVING TOGETHER (COHABITATION)
SCOTLAND – Marriage and Civil Partnership Act 2014 – Marriage of
same-seks partners i lawful
NORTHERN IRELAND – marriage of same-sex couples is recognised as
a civil partnership (marriageable age is

12. LIVING TOGETHER (COHABITATION)
a living together agreement or cohabitation contract
(eg. shared responsibility for children, ownership of property, ownership of jointly owned possessions)
= living together as a couple without having registered a civil partnership setting down legal rights in certain areas of the relationship
(applies to same-sex couples)

13. CIVIL PARTNERSHIP
-same rights and responsibilities as marriage; can be ended if one of the partners dies, or by applying to court to bring the partnership legally to an end (cannot be brought to an end if it has not lasted at least a year)
PRECONDITIONS
marriageable age 16 or over (youth)
neither of the partners can already be married or a civil partner
partners cannot be close blood relatives (consanguinity)
partners need to have lived in the same area in England or Wales for at least seven days
PARENTAL CONSENT – needed for those between 16 and 18
MARRIAGE ACT 2013 – civil partnership can be converted into marriage
=  a legal relationship which can be registered by two people of the same sex who are not related to each other

14. Essential expressions:
to contract
to celebrate
to solemnize marriage=sklopiti
to enter into brak
- binding for life = doživotno
obvezujući
the rules relating to
consanguinity = krvno srodstvo
affinity = srodstvo preko bračnog partnera (po tazbini)
consent of parents = suglasnost roditelja
misrepresentation = lažno prikazivanje činjenica
a void contract = ništav ugovor
a voidable contract = poništiv ugovor
dissolution of marriage = razvrgnuće braka
judicial divorce = sudski razvod
duress = prisila, prinutda
mental incapacity = duševna smetnja
to be of age / of legal age = punoljetan
legal age = punoljetnost
# to be underage / a minor = maloljetnost
to annul a marriage = poništiti brak
annulment = ništavost, poništenje
decree of nullity = rješenje o poništenju
register office = matični ured (a British government office where births, deaths and marriages are officially recorded and civil marriages take place)

15. UK marriage laws Study the marriage laws given below and attach each of them one of the following technical terms. There is one term you won’t need. DURESS CONSANGUINITY YOUTH VOID MONOGAMOUS VOIDABLE PARENTAL CONSENT
1. Both members of the couple must be aged 16 or over.
2. You can't already be married (see bigamy).
3. Can't be too closely related.
4. Under 18s must gain their parent's or guardian's consent,
otherwise it is a criminal offence, although the marriage would
still be valid.
5. Marriages involving under-16s are not recognized by law.
6. No one can be forced to marry against their wishes.

16. Explain the following terms:
a prenuptial agreement a minor a spouse
matrimony Minister of the Church
registrar dissolve
registryoOffice/register office bigamy monogamous
Contract mutual consent
to be of legal age

17. Compare the following articles from Croatian legal acts with English law and translate them into English.
I Crotian Constitution
Članak 62. stavak 2.
'Brak je životna zajednica žene i muškarca.‘
II Croatian Family Law Act
Članak 12.
Brak je zakonom uređena životna zajednica žene i muškarca.
Članak 13.
(1)Brak se sklapa suglasnom izjavom žene i muškarca u građanskom ili vjerskom obliku.
(2) Brak u građanskom obliku sklapa se pred matičarom.
(3) Brak se u vjerskom obliku s učincima građanskoga braka sklapa pred službenikom vjerske zajednice koja s Republikom Hrvatskom o tome ima uređene pravne odnose.

18. Compare the preconditions for a valid marriage as regulated by the Croatian Family Law Act with English law. What is the same, similar or different?
2. PRETPOSTAVKE ZA VALJANOST BRAKA
Punoljetnost
Članak 25. (1) Brak ne može sklopiti osoba koja nije navršila osamnaest godina života. (2) Iznimno od odredbe stavka 1. ovoga članka, sud može u izvanparničnom postupku dopustiti sklapanje braka osobi koja je navršila šesnaest godina života ako utvrdi da je mentalno i tjelesno zrela za brak te da je sklapanje braka u skladu s dobrobiti te osobe.
Poslovna sposobnost i sposobnost za rasuđivanje
Članak 26. (1) Brak ne može sklopiti osoba nesposobna za rasuđivanje. (2) Osoba lišena poslovne sposobnosti u davanju izjava koje se odnose na osobna stanja, brak može sklopiti uz odobrenje skrbnika. (3) Ako skrbnik iz stavka 2. ovoga članka odbije dati odobrenje za sklapanje braka, osoba lišena poslovne sposobnosti u davanju izjava koje se odnose na osobna stanja može sudu podnijeti prijedlog za odobrenje sklapanja braka u skladu s člankom 450. stavkom 1. ovoga Zakona.
Nepostojanje srodstva
Članak 27. (1) Brak ne mogu međusobno sklopiti krvni srodnici u ravnoj lozi, a u pobočnoj lozi sestra i brat, polusestra i polubrat, dijete sa sestrom ili polusestrom, ili bratom, ili polubratom svojega roditelja, djeca sestara i braće te polusestara i polubraće.
*  lineal consanguinity  = srodstvo u ravnoj lozi (one descends from another)
collateral consanguinity = srodstvo u pobočnoj lozi (descend from the same common ancestor)