Between the 18th and the end of the 19th century profound transformations affected the mechanisms of marital relations and the family all around Western Europe. The present volume focuses on fundamental aspects of marriage and family as they evolved during this time-frame, such as attitudes towards consanguinity, classification systems, the impact of migrations. It aims to demonstrate that the process that lead to the construction of the contemporary notion of family saw many changes and continuities, giving rise to unpredictable and unique outcomes, and partially shaping - although with different times and modalities - the modern world.