Marriage contract no. 191: Hannover - Brandenburg-Ansbach

Contract content

Preamble: Names of the parties involved; purpose of the marriage; declaration of consent

1 – Mutual marriage vows

2 – Dowry agreed: 25,000 guilders in Rhenish currency; no prejudice to the house contracts; payment agreed; Bride’s trousseau regulated: provision of silverware, clothes, and gifts, or alternatively, if she already possesses these items, 25,000 Rhenish guilders instead; bride’s renunciation of inheritance regulated

3 – Morning gift in the form of a pension of 300 talers; alternatively, the pension can be replaced with a hereditary morning gift of 6,000 talers

4 – 6,000 talers as pocket money for the bride; Composition and staffing of the bride’s household regulated

5 – Donatio propter nuptias of 25,000 Rhenish guilders; Life estate amounts to 10% of the donatio propter nuptias + annual dowry; the dowry is increased to 14,000 talers annually out of personal affection on the part of the groom; investment of dowry + dowry is determined by official authorities; compensation from other authorities if the dower is not sufficient to generate the life estate; the drafting of a separate dower deed after the wedding is stipulated; changes to the dower are regulated

6 – Deaths regulated: the wife dies before her husband without joint heirs: reversion of the items and payments brought into the marriage by the bride and groom; lifelong right of use of the dowry by the groom; pledge regulated; if joint heirs survive the bride, the House of Brunswick-Lüneburg inherits the marriage property and donation propter nuptias; inheritance of dowry, donation propter nuptias and morning gift for children from second marriage regulated

the groom dies before the bride: commencement of dower guaranteed without hindrance; inheritance of morning gift regulated

Remarriage of the bride regulated: redemption of the widow’s dower by the groom’s heirs regulated

If the groom dies before the bride without jointly produced heirs: inheritance of dowry and donation propter nuptias regulated

7 – If one of the two marriage partners dies after the marriage has been consummated but before the services have been rendered, these must still be performed; if one of the two spouses dies before the marriage is consummated, the contract is void

8 – It is freely permitted to make gifts to each other by will, codicil, or donationes mortis causa, as long as the house contracts are not broken

9 – Promise to abide by the above; place, date, signatures, seals

Regulations on inheritance law

2 – Dowry agreed: 25,000 guilders in Rhenish currency; no prejudice to the house contracts; payment agreed; Bride’s trousseau regulated: provision of silverware, clothes, and gifts, or alternatively, if she already possesses these items, 25,000 Rhenish guilders instead; bride’s renunciation of inheritance regulated

6 – Deaths regulated: the wife dies before her husband without joint heirs: reversion of the items and payments brought into the marriage by the bride and groom; lifelong right of use of the dowry by the groom; pledge regulated; if joint heirs survive the bride, the House of Brunswick-Lüneburg inherits the marriage property and donation propter nuptias; inheritance of dowry, donation propter nuptias and morning gift for children from second marriage regulated

the groom dies before the bride: commencement of dower guaranteed without hindrance; inheritance of morning gift regulated

Remarriage of the bride regulated: redemption of the widow’s dower by the groom’s heirs regulated

If the groom dies before the bride without jointly produced heirs: inheritance of dowry and donation propter nuptias regulated

Ratifications, confirmations, approvals

9 – Promise to abide by the above; place, date, signatures, seals

References

• Archive copy: NLA HA Dep. 84 A Nr. 268
• Contract language archive copy: German

Recommended citation

Dynastische Eheverträge der frühen Neuzeit. Contract No. 191. Philipps University of Marburg. Available online at https://dynastische-ehevertraege.online.uni-marburg.de/en/vertraege/191.html.

@misc{ Dynastische Ehevertr{“a}ge der fr{”u}hen Neuzeit, 
title = {Dynastische Ehevertr{“a}ge der fr{”u}hen Neuzeit: Contract No. 191},
 url = {https://dynastische-ehevertraege.online.uni-marburg.de/en/vertraege/191.html}
}