Marriage contract no. 149: Preußen - Mecklenburg-Schwerin

Contract content

Preamble: Names of the parties involved; names of the marriage partners; agreement on the marriage contract

1 – Mutual promise to marry

2 – Dowry of 15,000 Reichstalers; payment arranged

3 – Bride’s trousseau arranged; inventory drawn up; bride’s waiver of inheritance rights

4 – Morning gift of 1,200 Reichstalers annually; option for the groom to pay the bride 20,000 Reichstalers instead of the annual payment; inheritance of the 20,000 Reichstaler morning gift regulated

5 – 20,000 Reichstaler annually for the bride as a dowry

6 – Payment and composition of the bride’s household regulated

7 – donatio propter nuptias of 15,000 Reichstaler; increase in the usal life estate from 3,000 Reichstaler to 25,000 Reichstaler

8 – Provisions in the contract are expressly not to set a precedent; the life estate is to be generated from the castle, town, and district of Grüningen located in the Principality of Halberstadt; mention of the execution of a widow’s dower deed; rights of the bride to the widow’s dower regulated; compensation if the widow’s dower is insufficient to generate the life estate; Any surplus shall not accrue to the widow; taking up residence and furnishing the dower residence; protection of the dower guaranteed; homage and appointment of officials regulated; the subjects on the dower shall be left in their secular and religious freedoms; legal reservations of the groom in the dower; Provision for the widow in kind is regulated; assurance by the groom to provide the bride with alternative accommodation in the event of the dower being temporarily uninhabitable, such as in the event of an epidemic; changes to the dower are regulated; prohibition on pledging the dower

9 – The bride is granted the right to choose a Lutheran court preacher and to receive communion in her private chambers; provisions already agreed upon for the marriage of the groom’s son to a Lutheran bride shall remain valid and were also confirmed in his will dated March 18, 1707

10 – Bride dies before groom without common children: return of trousseau and dowry to the bride’s family and donatio propter nuptias and morning gift to the groom’s family; groom’s lifelong right of use of the dowry and trousseau; repayment and pledge regulated

11 – Bride dies before groom with children together who do not survive the bride’s death: as in Art. 10; bride dies before groom with children together: inheritance of dowry and donatio propter nuptias to Prussia

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

13 – Remarriage of the bride and redemption of the widow’s dower with and without children regulated; improvement of the widow’s life estate ceases upon remarriage

14 – Inheritance of the bride’s clothes, jewels, and jewelry that she brought into the marriage or that were given to her as gifts regulated

15 – If one of the two marriage partners dies after the consummation of the marriage but before the monetary payments have been made: the contract must still be fulfilled; if one of the two marriage partners dies before the consummation of the marriage: the contract is void; the princely “contracting parties” are free to make provisions for themselves by means of a will, codicil, and donationes mortis causa, provided that the family contracts are not broken; Promise to adhere to the above

16 – Three copies of the contract to be signed; distribution and archiving of the copies specified; place; date; signatures

Confessional regulations

8 – Provisions in the contract are expressly not to set a precedent; the life estate is to be generated from the castle, town, and district of Grüningen located in the Principality of Halberstadt; mention of the execution of a widow’s dower deed; rights of the bride to the widow’s dower regulated; compensation if the widow’s dower is insufficient to generate the life estate; Any surplus shall not accrue to the widow; taking up residence and furnishing the dower residence; protection of the dower guaranteed; homage and appointment of officials regulated; the subjects on the dower shall be left in their secular and religious freedoms; legal reservations of the groom in the dower; Provision for the widow in kind is regulated; assurance by the groom to provide the bride with alternative accommodation in the event of the dower being temporarily uninhabitable, such as in the event of an epidemic; changes to the dower are regulated; prohibition on pledging the dower

9 – The bride is granted the right to choose a Lutheran court preacher and to receive communion in her private chambers; provisions already agreed upon for the marriage of the groom’s son to a Lutheran bride shall remain valid and were also confirmed in his will dated March 18, 1707

Regulations on inheritance law

4 – Morning gift of 1,200 Reichstalers annually; option for the groom to pay the bride 20,000 Reichstalers instead of the annual payment; inheritance of the 20,000 Reichstaler morning gift regulated

10 – Bride dies before groom without common children: return of trousseau and dowry to the bride’s family and donatio propter nuptias and morning gift to the groom’s family; groom’s lifelong right of use of the dowry and trousseau; repayment and pledge regulated

11 – Bride dies before groom with children together who do not survive the bride’s death: as in Art. 10; bride dies before groom with children together: inheritance of dowry and donatio propter nuptias to Prussia

14 – Inheritance of the bride’s clothes, jewels, and jewelry that she brought into the marriage or that were given to her as gifts regulated

Further contracts between contracting parties

9 – der Braut wird das Recht zugestanden einen lutherischen Hofprediger zu wählen und das Abendmahl in ihren privaten Gemächern zu empfangen; Bestimmungen, die bei der Eheschließung des Sohnes des Bräutigams mit einer lutherischen Braut bereits beschlossen wurden, sollen gültig sein und wurden auch in seinem Testament vom 18.03.1707 bestätigt

Commentary

The original contract is not divided into articles

References

• Archive copy: LHAS, 1.1.-15, Sign. 399 a
• Contract language archive copy: German

Recommended citation

Dynastische Eheverträge der frühen Neuzeit. Contract No. 149. Philipps University of Marburg. Available online at https://dynastische-ehevertraege.online.uni-marburg.de/en/vertraege/149.html.

@misc{ Dynastische Ehevertr{“a}ge der fr{”u}hen Neuzeit, 
title = {Dynastische Ehevertr{“a}ge der fr{”u}hen Neuzeit: Contract No. 149},
 url = {https://dynastische-ehevertraege.online.uni-marburg.de/en/vertraege/149.html}
}