diff --git a/backend/src/main/java/org/raddatz/familienarchiv/person/relationship/RelationshipService.java b/backend/src/main/java/org/raddatz/familienarchiv/person/relationship/RelationshipService.java
index 545a1e78..94cff9b1 100644
--- a/backend/src/main/java/org/raddatz/familienarchiv/person/relationship/RelationshipService.java
+++ b/backend/src/main/java/org/raddatz/familienarchiv/person/relationship/RelationshipService.java
@@ -99,22 +99,12 @@ public class RelationshipService {
 
     @Transactional
     public RelationshipDTO addRelationship(UUID personId, RelationshipUpsertRequest dto) {
-        if (personId.equals(dto.relatedPersonId())) {
-            throw DomainException.badRequest(
-                    ErrorCode.VALIDATION_ERROR, "Cannot relate a person to themselves");
-        }
+        requireNotSelf(personId, dto.relatedPersonId());
         Person person = personService.getById(personId);
         Person relatedPerson = personService.getById(dto.relatedPersonId());
 
         validateRelationshipDates(dto.fromDate(), dto.fromDatePrecision(), dto.toDate(), dto.toDatePrecision());
-
-        if (dto.relationType() == RelationType.PARENT_OF
-                && relationshipRepository.existsByPersonIdAndRelatedPersonIdAndRelationType(
-                        relatedPerson.getId(), personId, RelationType.PARENT_OF)) {
-            throw DomainException.conflict(
-                    ErrorCode.CIRCULAR_RELATIONSHIP,
-                    "Reverse PARENT_OF already exists between " + personId + " and " + relatedPerson.getId());
-        }
+        requireNoReverseParent(person.getId(), relatedPerson.getId(), dto.relationType());
 
         PersonRelationship rel = PersonRelationship.builder()
                 .person(person)
@@ -127,22 +117,8 @@ public class RelationshipService {
                 .notes(blankToNull(dto.notes()))
                 .build();
 
-        PersonRelationship saved;
-        try {
-            // saveAndFlush so the unique_rel constraint violates synchronously and is
-            // caught here, not at commit time outside the @Transactional boundary.
-            saved = relationshipRepository.saveAndFlush(rel);
-        } catch (DataIntegrityViolationException e) {
-            throw DomainException.conflict(
-                    ErrorCode.DUPLICATE_RELATIONSHIP,
-                    "Relationship already exists for (" + personId + ", " + relatedPerson.getId() + ", " + dto.relationType() + ")");
-        }
-        // Family-graph edges imply both endpoints are family members. Idempotent: the
-        // setter is a no-op when the person is already flagged, so re-imports stay clean.
-        if (FAMILY_RELATION_TYPES.contains(dto.relationType())) {
-            personService.setFamilyMember(person.getId(), true);
-            personService.setFamilyMember(relatedPerson.getId(), true);
-        }
+        PersonRelationship saved = persistOrConflict(rel, person.getId(), relatedPerson.getId(), dto.relationType());
+        flagFamilyMembership(dto.relationType(), person.getId(), relatedPerson.getId());
         return toDTO(saved);
     }
 
@@ -151,29 +127,20 @@ public class RelationshipService {
         PersonRelationship rel = loadOwnedRelationship(personId, relId);
 
         // The other party from {personId}'s viewpoint cannot be {personId} itself.
-        if (personId.equals(dto.relatedPersonId())) {
-            throw DomainException.badRequest(
-                    ErrorCode.VALIDATION_ERROR, "Cannot relate a person to themselves");
-        }
+        requireNotSelf(personId, dto.relatedPersonId());
         validateRelationshipDates(dto.fromDate(), dto.fromDatePrecision(), dto.toDate(), dto.toDatePrecision());
 
         // Preserve the directed orientation: {personId} keeps whichever role (subject or
         // object) it already holds on the row, and the edited "related person" takes the
         // other role. So a PARENT_OF edge stays parent→child whether the curator edits it
         // from the parent's page or the child's.
-        Person viewpoint = personId.equals(rel.getPerson().getId()) ? rel.getPerson() : rel.getRelatedPerson();
-        Person other = personService.getById(dto.relatedPersonId());
         boolean viewpointIsSubject = personId.equals(rel.getPerson().getId());
+        Person viewpoint = viewpointIsSubject ? rel.getPerson() : rel.getRelatedPerson();
+        Person other = personService.getById(dto.relatedPersonId());
         Person newSubject = viewpointIsSubject ? viewpoint : other;
         Person newObject = viewpointIsSubject ? other : viewpoint;
 
-        if (dto.relationType() == RelationType.PARENT_OF
-                && relationshipRepository.existsByPersonIdAndRelatedPersonIdAndRelationType(
-                        newObject.getId(), newSubject.getId(), RelationType.PARENT_OF)) {
-            throw DomainException.conflict(
-                    ErrorCode.CIRCULAR_RELATIONSHIP,
-                    "Reverse PARENT_OF already exists between " + newSubject.getId() + " and " + newObject.getId());
-        }
+        requireNoReverseParent(newSubject.getId(), newObject.getId(), dto.relationType());
 
         rel.setPerson(newSubject);
         rel.setRelatedPerson(newObject);
@@ -184,20 +151,53 @@ public class RelationshipService {
         rel.setToDatePrecision(DatePrecisionValidation.normalize(dto.toDatePrecision()));
         rel.setNotes(blankToNull(dto.notes()));
 
-        PersonRelationship saved;
+        PersonRelationship saved = persistOrConflict(rel, newSubject.getId(), newObject.getId(), dto.relationType());
+        flagFamilyMembership(dto.relationType(), newSubject.getId(), newObject.getId());
+        return toDTO(saved);
+    }
+
+    // --- shared create/update invariants ---------------------------------------------
+
+    // A person cannot be related to themselves, from either viewpoint.
+    private static void requireNotSelf(UUID viewpointId, UUID relatedPersonId) {
+        if (viewpointId.equals(relatedPersonId)) {
+            throw DomainException.badRequest(
+                    ErrorCode.VALIDATION_ERROR, "Cannot relate a person to themselves");
+        }
+    }
+
+    // A PARENT_OF edge must not already have its mirror (child PARENT_OF parent) stored —
+    // that would be a cycle. No-op for every other relation type.
+    private void requireNoReverseParent(UUID subjectId, UUID objectId, RelationType type) {
+        if (type == RelationType.PARENT_OF
+                && relationshipRepository.existsByPersonIdAndRelatedPersonIdAndRelationType(
+                        objectId, subjectId, RelationType.PARENT_OF)) {
+            throw DomainException.conflict(
+                    ErrorCode.CIRCULAR_RELATIONSHIP,
+                    "Reverse PARENT_OF already exists between " + subjectId + " and " + objectId);
+        }
+    }
+
+    // saveAndFlush so the unique_rel constraint violates synchronously and is caught here,
+    // inside the @Transactional boundary, not at commit time as a raw 500.
+    private PersonRelationship persistOrConflict(PersonRelationship rel, UUID subjectId, UUID objectId, RelationType type) {
         try {
-            saved = relationshipRepository.saveAndFlush(rel);
+            return relationshipRepository.saveAndFlush(rel);
         } catch (DataIntegrityViolationException e) {
             throw DomainException.conflict(
                     ErrorCode.DUPLICATE_RELATIONSHIP,
-                    "Relationship already exists for (" + newSubject.getId() + ", " + newObject.getId() + ", " + dto.relationType() + ")");
+                    "Relationship already exists for (" + subjectId + ", " + objectId + ", " + type + ")");
         }
-        // An edit into a family type flags both endpoints; never auto-unflags (additive).
-        if (FAMILY_RELATION_TYPES.contains(dto.relationType())) {
-            personService.setFamilyMember(newSubject.getId(), true);
-            personService.setFamilyMember(newObject.getId(), true);
+    }
+
+    // Family-graph edges imply both endpoints are family members. Idempotent (the setter is
+    // a no-op when already flagged, so re-imports stay clean) and additive — an edit never
+    // auto-unflags.
+    private void flagFamilyMembership(RelationType type, UUID subjectId, UUID objectId) {
+        if (FAMILY_RELATION_TYPES.contains(type)) {
+            personService.setFamilyMember(subjectId, true);
+            personService.setFamilyMember(objectId, true);
         }
-        return toDTO(saved);
     }
 
     @Transactional