Marriage contract no. 276: Kurland - Brandenburg

Contract content

1 – Preamble: Decision to marry for the praise and honour of God and to preserve, increase and confirm friendship, love and unity; Determination of the date and place of marriage

2 – Free exercise of religion guaranteed for the wife; court chaplain assured; exercise of religion at a designated place in the residence; request to God for the blessing of the marriage; education of the children regulated: the sons must be raised Lutheran; the daughters may also be raised Reformed

3 – Dowry of 20,000 guilders according to the provisions of Margrave Albrecht’s ‘will’; trousseau regulated

4 – Donatio propter nuptias granted; dower regulated: offices of the dower specified with associated rights of use, homage regulated, appointment of officials, replacement and repair, visitation before taking office, prohibition of sale

5 – mornig gift of 10,000 Reichstaler; payment regulated

6 – Bride’s dowry of an unspecified amount to be earned from three offices

7 – Bride’s court regulated: provision, maintenance

8 – Life estate, mornig gift and maintenance to be confirmed and ratified by the King of Poland and Sweden

9 – Renunciation of inheritance by the bride in accordance with the customs and contracts of the House of Brandenburg in the presence of male heirs; the renunciation of inheritance for the Jülich-Kleve lands is dealt with separately with reference to the contracts of 1572 between Albrecht Friedrich ‘Duke of Prussia’ and Wilhelm von Jülich-Kleve-Berg

10 – Deaths regulated; Husband survives wife without living joint heirs: reversion of the trousseau, husband retains lifelong right of use, widow’s dower as pledge

11 – If there are joint heirs, they inherit the dowry, trousseau and donation propter nuptias

12 – Wife survives husband: unhindered use of all dowry by the widow; Remarriage of the widow regulated; if there are no joint heirs, the donatio propter nuptias and dowry return to the respective families

13 – Reservata of the husband in the widow’s dower

14 – If one of the two marriage partners dies before consummation, the contract is void; gifts by will, codicil or donatio mortis causa are freely permitted as long as they do not violate the house contracts

15 – Mutual promise to fulfil the terms of the contract; marriage letter is written in duplicate, signed by hand and sealed; place and date

Regulations on succession to the throne

Confessional regulations

2 – Free exercise of religion guaranteed for the wife; court chaplain assured; exercise of religion at a designated place in the residence; request to God for the blessing of the marriage; education of the children regulated: the sons must be raised Lutheran; the daughters may also be raised Reformed

Regulations on inheritance law

9 – Renunciation of inheritance by the bride in accordance with the customs and contracts of the House of Brandenburg in the presence of male heirs; the renunciation of inheritance for the Jülich-Kleve lands is dealt with separately with reference to the contracts of 1572 between Albrecht Friedrich ‘Duke of Prussia’ and Wilhelm von Jülich-Kleve-Berg

External authorities involved

8 –LIfe estate mornig gift and maintenance to be confirmed and ratified by the King of Poland and Sweden

Ratifications, confirmations, approvals

15 – Mutual promise to fulfil the terms of the contract; marriage letter is written in duplicate, signed by hand and sealed; place and date

References

• Archive copy: GStA PK, XX. HA, EM, 85 d2 Nr. 10
• Contract language archive copy: German

Recommended citation

Dynastische Eheverträge der frühen Neuzeit. Contract No. 276. Philipps University of Marburg. Available online at https://dynastische-ehevertraege.online.uni-marburg.de/en/vertraege/276.html.

@misc{ Dynastische Ehevertr{“a}ge der fr{”u}hen Neuzeit, 
title = {Dynastische Ehevertr{“a}ge der fr{”u}hen Neuzeit: Contract No. 276},
 url = {https://dynastische-ehevertraege.online.uni-marburg.de/en/vertraege/276.html}
}