> Vatican City had a minimum age of 12 on the books until 2013.

I mean, are there any children who are citizens of the Vatican City, given its bizarre citizenship situation? (Citizenship is based, essentially, on _employment_, and lapses when employees retire; sole exception, AIUI, is retiring popes, who get a free pass.) I would suspect that this is a holdover from the Papal States (which bit the dust in 1870, when this sort of thing was more acceptable), which someone finally got around to cleaning up.

i don't think it had anything to do with lack of birthcontrol or fear of scandals, but rather with the religious definition of a marriageable age. there is also is also the biological definition which would make you marriageable as soon as you are able to conceive. but it is worth noting that apparently in the 19th century girls average age for puberty was 15 and for boys it was 17.

In California, around 9,000 a year according to the article

California had/has until jan 1 no minimum age. But it requires judicial approval.