Marriage contract no. 322: Hessen-Darmstadt - Lippe

Contract content

Preamble (fol. 03r): Parties involved, deceased father of the bride, council of the groom’s brothers, marriage agreed

Article 1 (fol. 03r): Marriage agreed

Article 2 (fol. 03v): Dowry (6,000 talers), payment arrangements, trousseau

Article 3 (fol. 03v): Renunciation of inheritance by the bride as long as the male line of her family is not extinct

Article 4 (fol. 03v-04r): Morning gift (4,000 guilders; of which 200 guilders annually); annual income (3,000 guilders) as a widow’s dower, investment in estates; if the groom dies before the bride: widow’s residence with associated lands, rights, etc., official salary, right of use, praise and oath of the officials

Article 5 (fol. 04r-04v): Obedience, praise and oath of the subjects on the widow’s estates

Article 6 (fol. 04v): The ecclesiastical and secular subjects on the widow’s estates shall retain their freedoms, etc.

Article 7 (fol. 04v): Reservations of the heirs and descendants regarding the widow’s estates (opening, homage, etc.); settlement/reimbursement in the event of opening or damage to the widow’s estates

Article 8 (fol. 04v): Sale of wood

Article 9 (fol. 05r): Protection of the widow, the widow’s estates, etc.

Article 10 (fol. 05r): Opening etc. of widow’s property by the bride without the consent of the groom’s heirs is excluded, allocation, encumbrance of the castle with debts is excluded

Article 11 (fol. 05r): Structural maintenance of the castle

Article 12 (fol. 05r): In the event of the disposal of parts of the widow’s property: prescription of other property

Article 13 (fol. 05r-05v): If there are minor heirs: guardianship according to the custom of the Principality of Hesse, assumption of the widow’s dower; receipt of household goods, trousseau, other possessions

Article 14 (fol. 05v): Widow’s maintenance, provisions, reimbursement for defects, household goods

Article 15 (fol. 05v): Structural condition of the widow’s residence

Article 16 (fol. 05v-06r): If the bride remarries after the death of the groom: redemption of the widow’s dower (with a dowry of 6,000 talers, a morning gift of 4,000 guilders; instead of the donatio propter nuptias: 500 guilders annually for life); if the bride dies and there are joint heirs from the first marriage: inheritance of the sums to the heirs, after their death: inheritance to other heirs of the groom; if there are also descendants from the second marriage: the dowry sum (6,000 talers) and the bride’s other possessions shall be divided equally between the descendants from the first and second marriages

Article 17 (fol. 06r): If the bride dies and there are no heirs from the first marriage and the dower is not redeemed: reversion of the dower to the Princes of Hesse, claims by friends and heirs of the bride excluded

Article 18 (fol. 06r): Inheritance of the bride’s savings, gifts, etc. according to her wishes.

Article 19 (fol. 06r-06v): If the bride dies and there are no heirs: half of the dowry becomes part of the inheritance of the groom’s family, the other half reverts to the bride’s next of kin.

Article 20 (fol. 06v): Settlement of debts (groom) by the groom’s next of kin.

Article 21 (fol. 06v): Settlement of debts (bride, after commencement of widowhood, after the death of the bride) by the bride’s next heirs

Article 22 (fol. 06v): If the bride/groom dies before consummation of the marriage: marriage contract invalid

Article 23 (fol. 06v): Compliance with the contract promised, signatures and seals mentioned

Article 24 (fol. 06v-07r): Consent of the Hessian landgraves, seals and signatures mentioned; date, signatures

Regulations on succession to the throne

Confessional regulations

Regulations on inheritance law

Article 3 (fol. 03v): Renunciation of inheritance by the bride as long as the male line of her family is not extinct

Article 4 (fol. 03v-04r): Morning gift (4,000 guilders; of which 200 guilders annually); annual income (3,000 guilders) as a widow’s dower, investment in estates; if the groom dies before the bride: widow’s residence with associated lands, rights, etc., official salary, right of use, praise and oath of the officials

Article 16 (fol. 05v-06r): If the bride remarries after the death of the groom: redemption of the widow’s dower (with a dowry of 6,000 talers, a morning gift of 4,000 guilders; instead of the donatio propter nuptias: 500 guilders annually for life); if the bride dies and there are joint heirs from the first marriage: inheritance of the sums to the heirs, after their death: inheritance to other heirs of the groom; if there are also descendants from the second marriage: the dowry sum (6,000 talers) and the bride’s other possessions shall be divided equally between the descendants from the first and second marriages

Article 17 (fol. 06r): If the bride dies and there are no heirs from the first marriage and the dower is not redeemed: reversion of the dower to the Princes of Hesse, claims by friends and heirs of the bride excluded

Article 18 (fol. 06r): Inheritance of the bride’s savings, gifts, etc. according to her wishes.

Article 19 (fol. 06r-06v): If the bride dies and there are no heirs: half of the dowry becomes part of the inheritance of the groom’s family, the other half reverts to the bride’s next of kin.

Estates involved

External authorities involved

Ratifications, confirmations, approvals

Preamble (fol. 03r): Parties involved, deceased father of the bride, council of the groom’s brothers, marriage agreed

Article 24 (fol. 06v-07r): Consent of the Hessian landgraves, seals and signatures mentioned; date, signatures

Text reference to past events

Further contracts between contracting parties

Commentary

Seal present; original contract divided into articles; only page fol. 2r is numbered/foliarized.

Literature

“Hessen, Magdalena Landgräfin zu”, in: Hessian Biography https://www.lagis-hessen.de/pnd/137982763 (as of 28 November 2023) “Hesse-Darmstadt, George I, Landgrave of”,’ in: Hessian Biography https://www.lagis-hessen.de/pnd/118690493 (as of 28 November 2023) ### References

• Archive copy: HStAD Bestand B 1 Nr. 141
• Contract language archive copy: German
• Digitalisat Archivexemplar: https://arcinsys.hessen.de/arcinsys/detailAction?detailid=v3641217

Recommended citation

Dynastische Eheverträge der frühen Neuzeit. Contract No. 322. Philipps University of Marburg. Available online at https://dynastische-ehevertraege.online.uni-marburg.de/en/vertraege/322.html.

@misc{ Dynastische Ehevertr{“a}ge der fr{”u}hen Neuzeit, 
title = {Dynastische Ehevertr{“a}ge der fr{”u}hen Neuzeit: Contract No. 322},
 url = {https://dynastische-ehevertraege.online.uni-marburg.de/en/vertraege/322.html}
}