Marriage contract no. 289: Radziwiłł - Brandenburg

Contract content

1 – Contract confirming the friendly relationship

2 – Marriage vows of the spouse

3 – Neither spouse shall be required to renounce their religion

4 – Place of marriage determined; costs of the wedding to be borne by the bride’s father

5 – The bride’s court is arranged; a German court preacher is guaranteed for the bride

6 – Gifts from the bride’s family are arranged: a dowry of 20,000 guilders; a trousseau worth 1,400 talers; wedding arrangements are made

7– Gifts from the groom: The groom guarantees the bride a dowry of 14,000 Polish guilders; of which 5,000 guilders are to be given as a mornig gift

8 – Dowry to be invested in German lands

9 – Payment and investment of the dowry settled

10 – Investment of the mornig gift regulated; regulations on the purchase of suitable widow’s estate

11 – In the event of the husband’s death: use of the dowry guaranteed for the bride for life, as long as she does not remarry; remarriage of the bride regulated

12 – Regulations on the dower: repair, inventory, protection and replacement regulated

13 – Hand money regulated

14 – In the event of the bride’s death before the groom: children are dealt with according to the customs of the Kingdom of Poland; without children, the dowry and trousseau fall to Brandenburg

15 – Renunciation of inheritance by the bride regulated

16 – Invalidity of the contract in the event of premature death of the marriage partners regulated

17 – Promise to abide by the above; contents to be recorded in two copies and delivered to the parties, place, date and signatures

Regulations on succession to the throne

Confessional regulations

3 – Neither spouse shall be required to renounce their religion

5 - a German court preacher is guaranteed for the bride

Regulations on inheritance law

14 – In the event of the bride’s death before the groom: children are dealt with according to the customs of the Kingdom of Poland; without children, the dowry and trousseau fall to Brandenburg

15 – Renunciation of inheritance by the bride regulated

• Archive copy: GStA PK, BHP, Urkunden. I A Nr. 425
• Contract language archive copy: German

Recommended citation

Dynastische Eheverträge der frühen Neuzeit. Contract No. 289. Philipps University of Marburg. Available online at https://dynastische-ehevertraege.online.uni-marburg.de/en/vertraege/289.html.

@misc{ Dynastische Ehevertr{“a}ge der fr{”u}hen Neuzeit, 
title = {Dynastische Ehevertr{“a}ge der fr{”u}hen Neuzeit: Contract No. 289},
 url = {https://dynastische-ehevertraege.online.uni-marburg.de/en/vertraege/289.html}
}