wardship and marriage

In British history, the right of the crown to supervise minors who were tenants-in-chief. Since those who held land of the crown did so as long as they performed military service, the king was entitled to control both minors and their land, as well as their choice of marriage partner. The tenants were considered to be minors until the age of 21 in case of boys and 14 for girls. The Magna Carta prohibited the despoiling of minors' estates, but wardships were frequently sold by monarchs, though often to relatives, and by the 16th and 17th centuries it was purely a financial expedient.