Marriage contract no. 112: Mecklenburg-Schwerin - Hessen-Kassel

Contract content

Preamble: Names of the marriage partners and parties involved

1 – Free exercise of religion guaranteed for the bride; court chaplain assured; Reformed funeral assured

2 – 20,000 guilders (16,250 Reichstaler) as dowry; payment arranged; an additional 6,000 Reichstaler from the County of Schaumburg

3 – Bride’s trousseau regulated; creation of an inventory; bride’s renunciation of paternal inheritance in the presence of male heirs; maternal inheritance is excluded from renunciation

4 – In addition to a piece of jewellery, the bride receives a hereditary morning gift of 4,000 Reichstaler from the groom, which bears 10% interest

5 – 2000 Reichstaler hand money; payment of the wedding and remuneration of the court regulated; composition of the bride’s court regulated

6 – Donatio propter nuptias of 22,250 Reichstaler; Leibgedinge (life annuity) of 12,000 Reichstaler; investment in the Güstrow office; bride’s rights to the Wittum (dower) regulated; Possibility of exchanging the dower if Güstrow is not ‘decent’ enough for the bride; compensation if the dower is not sufficient to generate the life annuity.

7 – Güstrow Castle designated as the widow’s residence; furnishings of the widow’s residence regulated; if the widow of Gustav Adolf of Mecklenburg is still alive, the castles in Bützow (Butzau) and Bad Doberan (Dobbrahn) are also available as widow’s residences; rights of the widow to the widow’s estates regulated; homage paid by servants regulated; appointment of servants regulated; obligation of subjects to pay taxes to the widow; the subjects are to be left in peace with their freedoms; legal reservations of the groom; provision of the widow with goods in kind

8 – Inventory of the dower upon commencement of the dower regulated

9 – Assurance by the groom to provide the bride with alternative accommodation in the event of the dower being temporarily uninhabitable; changes to the dower regulated; Prohibition on pledging the dower; maintenance of the dower buildings regulated

10 – Protection of the dower guaranteed

11 – Bride dies before groom without joint children: reversion of the bride’s trousseau and dowry to Hesse; groom’s lifelong right of use of the dowry; Repayment and pledge regulated

12 – Bride dies before groom with joint children: inheritance of dowry and donatio propter nuptias to Brandenburg; should these children die without heirs of their own, the dowry and donatio propter nuptias fall to Mecklenburg, but the rest of the bride’s inheritance falls to her heirs

13 – Groom dies before bride: Bride may take up her widow’s dower as stipulated above; maintenance of any children regulated

14 – Remarriage of the bride and redemption of the widow’s dower with and without children regulated

15 – Regulation regarding debts in marriage

16 – One of the two marriage partners dies after consummation of the marriage but before the monetary payments have been made: the contract must still be fulfilled.

17 – One of the two marriage partners dies before consummation of the marriage: the contract is void.

18 – The princely ‘contracting parties’ are free to make provisions for themselves by will, codicil and donationes mortis causa, provided that the family contracts are not broken

19 – Promise to abide by the above; execution of the contract in two copies to be signed; place; date; signatures; L. S.

Confessional regulations

1 – Free exercise of religion guaranteed for the bride; court chaplain assured; Reformed funeral assured

Regulations on inheritance law

3 – Bride’s trousseau regulated; creation of an inventory; bride’s renunciation of paternal inheritance in the presence of male heirs; maternal inheritance is excluded from the renunciation

4 – In addition to a piece of jewelry, the bride receives a hereditary morning gift of 4,000 Reichstaler from the groom, which bears 10% interest

11 – Bride dies before groom without common children: reversion of the bride’s trousseau and dowry to Hesse; groom’s lifelong right of use of the dowry; Repayment and pledge regulated

12 – Bride dies before groom with joint children: inheritance of dowry and donatio propter nuptias to Brandenburg; should these children die without heirs of their own, the dowry and donatio propter nuptias fall to Mecklenburg, but the rest of the bride’s inheritance falls to her heirs

Commentary

The articles in the register are structured according to paragraphs in the original.

References

• Archive copy: HStAM 4 a, 61/13

• Contract language archive copy: German

Recommended citation

Dynastische Eheverträge der frühen Neuzeit. Contract No. 112. Philipps University of Marburg. Available online at https://dynastische-ehevertraege.online.uni-marburg.de/en/vertraege/112.html.

@misc{ Dynastische Ehevertr{“a}ge der fr{”u}hen Neuzeit, 
title = {Dynastische Ehevertr{“a}ge der fr{”u}hen Neuzeit: Contract No. 112},
 url = {https://dynastische-ehevertraege.online.uni-marburg.de/en/vertraege/112.html}
}