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 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.

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

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, 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}
}