Myths of Patriarchal Marriage: A Century-Long Study of the Spousal Age Gap in the Opotsky Pogost (1800–1899)

This data paper introduces a continuous, century-long dataset of 3,164 marriages recorded in the metrical books of the Opotsky Pogost parish (Porkhovsky Uezd, Pskov Guberniya) from 1800 to 1899. The study utilizes total sampling and statistical processing to conduct an empirical verification of ideological stereotypes regarding the strictly patriarchal, one-directional nature of spousal age gaps in traditional agrarian societies. The compiled dataset, spanning both pre-reform (serfdom) and post-reform eras, challenges dogmatic views by analyzing the exact age distribution of grooms and brides, seasonal marriage cycles, and mathematical age differences within couples, isolating rare anomalies (such as retired soldiers and widowers) from mass behavioral trends. The complete annual registry with archival shelfmarks (GAPO / FamilySearch DGS) is provided as a supplementary open-access dataset.