Marriage contract no. 317: Braunschweig-Lüneburg-Wolfenbüttel - Brandenburg

Contract content

Preamble: Invocation of God, affirmation of the friendship and unity of the two electoral houses, mutual commitment to the Augsburg Confession

Article 1: Agreement between the bride’s father, Johann Sigismund, and the groom, Friedrich Ulrich, that the latter shall arrange the wedding bed; Johann Sigismund, on the other hand, shall provide the necessary funds

Article 2: 20,000 guilders agreed as dowry, to be paid to Wolfenbüttel after the wedding with a corresponding receipt

Article 3: Anna Sophia shall also receive jewellery, dresses, trinkets and silverware; in addition, horses and several transport carriages shall be provided

Article 4: A donation propter nuptias of 20,000 guilders is mentioned, the Woldenburg office is designated as the widow’s residence, and the corresponding prescription is mentioned; 4,000 guilders per annum are designated as a life annuity, and any shortfall in income is to be made up.

Article 5: The officials of the widow’s residence are to be sworn in after the consummation of the marriage.

Article 6: Friedrich Ulrich and his heirs shall be responsible for repairing damage or other defects to the dower, whether before or after moving in; if Anna Sophia wishes to have another dower residence, one shall be found

Article 7: Inspection of the dower for possible income by Johann Sigismund agreed, in the presence of Friedrich Ulrich and his councillors

Article 8: Changes to the dower may only be made with the consent of Friedrich Ulrich and his heirs

Article 9: mornig gift determined, pocket money and play money agreed

Article 10: Cost sharing for the transfer regulated

Article 11: Anna Sophia’s renunciation of inheritance regulated

Article 12: After the death of the bride’s parents, the succession and inheritance of the Julisch principalities and lands shall pass to Anna Sophia and her heirs, if no other male heirs are available

Article 13: Succession in the principalities of Cleves and Berg after the death of Anna’s brothers and their heirs agreed against payment of 240,000 Rhenish gold talers to her other sisters; upon the death of one of the sisters, her share shall be paid to the others

Article 14: Upon Anna Sophia’s death without joint heirs, Friedrich Ulrich shall have a lifelong right of use of the dowry; an inventory shall be drawn up of Anna Sophia’s estate; upon Friedrich Ulrich’s death, these items shall be passed on to Johann Sigismund and his heirs or to Anna Sophia’s next heirs; until the transfer and payment of these goods has taken place, Johann Sigismund and his heirs or Anna Sophia and her heirs shall receive 1,200 guilders annually from the income of the dower.

Article 15: If there are joint heirs, but they die while Anna Sophia is still alive, the dowry and donation propter nuptias shall be kept as is customary. If there are joint heirs and they survive Anna Sophia, the dowry and donation propter nuptias shall be inherited by the princely house of Brunswick, regardless of whether such heirs die sooner or later; the remaining inheritance, however, shall always go to Anna Sophia’s next heirs.

Article 16: In the event of Friedrich Ulrich’s death, Anna Sophia shall have immediate access to the widow’s dower, all associated offices, and also the dowry and donation propter nuptias; letter of dower mentioned; upon taking possession of the widow’s dower, an inventory shall be made so that everything can be left behind accordingly after leaving the widow’s dower.

Article 17: Should Anna remarry, the marriage settlement and donation propter nuptias shall be redeemed at 40,000 talers if the marriage was childless; redemption shall be 30,000 talers if there are male heirs.

Article 18: Donatio propter nuptias regulations established.

Article 19: Anna Sophia shall be free of any debts incurred by Friedrich Ulrich prior to the marriage.

Article 20: Affirmation of the superiority of Friedrich Ulrich and his heirs in legal matters concerning the dower and the corresponding lands and estates.

Article 21: Assurance that agreements within the contract are invalid if death should occur among the spouses before consummation of the marriage

Article 22: Affirmation by both parties to abide by the agreement, mention of the double execution of the contract

Regulations on succession to the throne

Article 12: After the death of the bride’s parents, the succession and inheritance of the Julisch principalities and lands shall pass to Anna Sophia and her heirs, if no other male heirs are available

Confessional regulations

Preamble: Invocation of God, affirmation of the friendship and unity of the two electoral houses, mutual commitment to the Augsburg Confession

Regulations on inheritance law

Article 11: Anna Sophia’s renunciation of inheritance regulated

Article 13: Succession in the principalities of Cleves and Berg after the death of Anna’s brothers and their heirs agreed against payment of 240,000 Rhenish gold talers to her other sisters; upon the death of one of the sisters, her share shall be paid to the others

Article 14: Upon Anna Sophia’s death without joint heirs, Friedrich Ulrich shall have a lifelong right of use of the dowry; an inventory shall be drawn up of Anna Sophia’s estate; upon Friedrich Ulrich’s death, these items shall be passed on to Johann Sigismund and his heirs or to Anna Sophia’s next heirs; until the transfer and payment of these goods has taken place, Johann Sigismund and his heirs or Anna Sophia and her heirs shall receive 1,200 guilders annually from the income of the dower.

Article 15: If there are joint heirs, but they die while Anna Sophia is still alive, the dowry and donation propter nuptias shall be kept as is customary. If there are joint heirs and they survive Anna Sophia, the dowry and donation propter nuptias shall be inherited by the princely house of Brunswick, regardless of whether such heirs die sooner or later; the remaining inheritance, however, shall always go to Anna Sophia’s next heirs.

Commentary

Contract pages numbered in the original, not divided into articles.

Literature

References

• Archive copy: NLA WO, 3 Urk, 1 Nr. 57
• Contract language archive copy: German

Recommended citation

Dynastische Eheverträge der frühen Neuzeit. Contract No. 317. Philipps University of Marburg. Available online at https://dynastische-ehevertraege.online.uni-marburg.de/en/vertraege/317.html.

@misc{ Dynastische Ehevertr{“a}ge der fr{”u}hen Neuzeit, 
title = {Dynastische Ehevertr{“a}ge der fr{”u}hen Neuzeit: Contract No. 317},
 url = {https://dynastische-ehevertraege.online.uni-marburg.de/en/vertraege/317.html}
}