There was the development of Feudalism, The Crusades, The Magna Carta, The Hundred Years' War, The Black Death, and the disagreements between Popes and Kings.
In 1753, however, the Marriage Act, promoted by the Lord Chancellor, Lord Hardwicke, declared that all marriage ceremonies must be conducted by a minister in a parish church or chapel of the Church of England to be legally binding.
The DEFENSE OF MARRIAGE ACT (DOMA) is a Federal law enacted on September 21, 1996 by then President Bill Clinton. The law essentially leaves it up to the States to decide whether to recognize a same-sex marriage performed in another State that permits such actions.