Look up Banns of Marriage, the English started requiring them in the early 13th century.
That’s all you got?
England also had serfs and peasants, by any other name, who could also be ordered to let the lord of their manor have his way with the bride on the wedding night. I vastly prefer to have marriage left to the churches, who will be most likely to PROPERLY define it as between a man and a woman.
Having government involvement for many centuries is NOT a recommendation that a practice continue.
Oh, and your troll-bait questions:
MARRIAGE is for anyone, homosexually—inclined or otherwise, AS LONG AS it’s understood to be between a MAN AND A WOMAN, not a man and a “half-a-man” or whatever.
I don’t care if homosexuals serve in the military. Many have served with honor. It’s just that we don’t really KNOW FOR SURE who they were, as their service was more important to them than their sexual identity... which is just as it SHOULD be. The ones now want to serve just to FLAUNT their sexual identity. THAT’S a BIG no-no.
Abortion is murder, period.