Alimony, maintenance or spousal support's an obligation established by divorce law in many countries that's based on the premise that both spouses have an absolute obligation to support each other during the marriage (or civil union) unless they're legally separated. In some instances, the obligation to support may continue after separation or divorce. History The earliest example of alimony's mentioned in the first recorded code of laws in the world; the code of Ur-Nammu. In it, a man who divo… (More on Alimony)