Marriage contract no. 294: Preußen - Hessen-Darmstadt

Contract content

1 – To confirm the good relations between the two families; expressions of consensus; mutual marriage vows

2 – The dowry will be paid one year after the wedding and the consummation of the marriage, against receipt; trousseau guaranteed; renunciation of inheritance rights by the bride, excluding the property of her family in the event of the extinction of the male line

The statements are then repeated verbatim and in substance, with passages initially crossed out, which regulate the amount of the dowry, obviously added later in a different font in an extra large gap; the crossed-out passages and the added passages do not differ in the amount of 30,000 guilders

3 – Mornig gift after consummation of the marriage, hand money of 6,000 guilders annually with monthly payments of 500 guilders, inventory of the court household is listed, regulations on additions and departures from the court household

4 – Dowry and pension are regulated: pension income is to increase from 20,000 to 30,000 if there are living heirs; rights of use; compensation; furnishings of the widow’s residence; the widow must allow Reformed and Lutheran subjects to retain their freedoms and customs; legal responsibilities are regulated

5 – If the bride dies without legitimate heirs: property brought into the marriage by the bride reverts to the bride’s family and property brought into the marriage by the husband reverts to the husband’s family; use of the widow’s dower; widow’s dower is not inheritable

6 – Inheritance clarified if biological heirs die before the wife; inheritance clarified if biological heirs without their own heirs die after the death of the wife and husband

7 – Case clarified if the husband dies before the bride

8 – Remarriage regulated

9 – If one of the spouses dies after consummation of the marriage but before the dowry has been paid, it must still be paid; if one of the spouses dies before consummation of the marriage, the contract is void; confirmation by all parties involved to abide by the terms; two copies of the contract, each signed and sealed

Addenda to the contract with the same reference number:

1 – Changes regarding the mornig gift; repetition of the 500 guilders per month for the wife mentioned in Art. 3; Changes to the annual income in the event of widowhood or the presence of a male heir; the mornig gift is to be announced one year in advance, but only if she remarries; the mornig gift reverts to the husband’s family upon the death of the wife without payment; promise on the part of the husband to abide by the above, both himself and his heirs

2 – Increase in the widow’s dower granted upon the birth of the first prince

3 – Further changes to the value of the widow’s allowance and repetition of parts of Art. 4

4 – Repetition of Art. 5-8, taking into account addenda 1-3

Commentary

Regest written based on a draft; date corresponds to the date of marriage, as the draft itself is undated.

References

• Archive copy: GStA PK BPH, Rep. 48 N II Nr.3; HStAD, B 1, Nr. 510
• Contract language archive copy: German
• Digitized archive copy: https://arcinsys.hessen.de/arcinsys/digitalMediaViewer.action?archivalDescriptionId=1488013

Recommended citation

Dynastische Eheverträge der frühen Neuzeit. Contract No. 294. Philipps University of Marburg. Available online at https://dynastische-ehevertraege.online.uni-marburg.de/en/vertraege/294.html.

@misc{ Dynastische Ehevertr{“a}ge der fr{”u}hen Neuzeit, 
title = {Dynastische Ehevertr{“a}ge der fr{”u}hen Neuzeit: Contract No. 294},
 url = {https://dynastische-ehevertraege.online.uni-marburg.de/en/vertraege/294.html}
}