Christian Kings, Royals, and Nobles
The Christian royals were marrying girls as young as nine, according to an article written
by Professor Lynda Garland of the University of New England:
Child brides, whether Byzantines or foreign princesses, were the norm rather than
the exception, especially from the late twelfth century. Irene Ducaena, wife of
Alexius I Comnenus, was twelve at her marriage, and empress before she was
fifteen; the Byzantine princess Theodora, Manuel's niece, was in her thirteenth
year when she married Baldwin III of Jerusalem; and Margaret-Maria of Hungary
married Isaac II Angelus at the age of nine.
(Professor Lynda Garland of University of New England, http://www.romanemperors.
org/aggiefran.htm)
It should be noted that these Christian kings, royals, and nobles married with the blessing
and sanction of the Church. As such, the countless examples that we will provide serve
as a strong proof against the Christians and their insincere criticisms of Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him). In this article, we will only provide a few of the many
examples, as follows:
1. King Richard II, at the age of thirty, married a French princess named Isabella who
was only seven years old at the time.
2. Duchess of Milan, Bianca of Savoy, was married off at the age of thirteen.
3. Theodora Comnena was married off at the age of thirteen to King Baldwin III, who
was more than double her age.
4. King Adronikos I Komnenos, the valiant Christian leader of the Byzantine Empire,
married the twelve year old Agnes of France when he was sixty-four years old.
5. King Denis of Portugal married the twelve year old Saint Elizabeth of Portugal.
6. Girolamo Riario, Lord of Imola and Forli, married the nine year old Caterina
Sforza.
7. Jeanne III of Navarre was wed at the age of thirteen.
8. Giovanni Sforza married the thirteen year old Lucrezia Borgia.
9. King Haakon VI of Norway married the ten year old Queen Margaret.
10. Count Agness of Essex was betrothed at the age of only three years old and
married off at the age of twelve to a man who was almost fifty years of age.
11. Prince Edward of Wales married the French king’s daughter, Isabella, who was
only seven years old.
12. Romanos II married Bertha (renamed Eudokia), the daughter of the King of Italy,
when she was only four years old!
13. Stephen Milutin, the Kral of Serbia, married Simonis, the daughter of Emperor
Andronikos II, when she was only five years old. At the time of the marriage, Stephen
Milutin was fifty years old.
14. Edward I married the nine year old Eleanor of Castile.
15. Richard of Shrewsbury, King Edward IV’s son, married the five year old Anne
Mowbray of Norfolk.
16. Mary Stewart married Henry VIII when she was only six.
And there are many other examples…
Perhaps a Christian polemicist would argue that these Christian royals were individuals
and do not represent Christianity. Yet, this argument is weakened when we take into
account that no royal marriage was validated without the consent and approval of the
Christian Church! Papal consent was a prerequisite of the time. To illustrate this, we can
look at the example of the marriage of Prince Edward to the young Isabella:
Given that twelve was the canonical age for marriage, and that in 1298 the
Pope had stipulated that she should marry Prince Edward as soon as she
reached that age, these dates are viable. In the same document of June 1298, the
Pope describes Isabella as being 'under seven years', which places her birth at any
time from 1291 onwards. Furthermore, the Treaty of Montreuil (June 1299)
provided for Isabella's betrothal and marriage to take place when she reached the
respective canonical ages of seven and twelve. So she must have reached seven
before May 1303, and twelve before January 1308.
(Isabella,
http://bookshop.blackwell.co.uk/jsp/...es/choice/extr
act_isabella.jsp)
It is safe to say that if Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) had been Christian, then
the Church itself would have sanctioned his marriage to Aisha (peace be upon her)! But
because the Prophet (peace be upon him) is Muslim, the Church instead has levied
allegations of “pedophilia” against him! This is the two-faced nature of the Crusader
bigots.