Marriage contract no. 327: Pfalz - Hessen-Darmstadt

Contract content

(p. 03): Invocation of God

Article 1 (pp. 03-04): Consent of the Emperor mentioned; consent of relatives mentioned; marriage decided

Article 2 (pp. 03-06): Augsburg Confession mentioned; court preacher regulated; sermons regulated; remuneration regulated; religion of servants regulated; sermons on the widow’s estates regulated

Article 3 (pp. 06-08): Dowry (20,000 guilders) regulated; trousseau regulated; paraphernalia regulated, inheritance of paraphernalia regulated; inheritance fraternisation mentioned, bride’s renunciation of inheritance for herself and her heirs to her paternal, maternal, fraternal and cousin’s inheritance regulated, groom’s consent regulated; regulations for the extinction of the male line of the bride’s house mentioned

Article 4 (p. 08): Morning gift (10,000 guilders, in cash or as an annual pension of 500 guilders) regulated, rights of use regulated; if the bride remarries or in the event of inheritance: redemption of the annual pension with 10,000 guilders possible; if the bride and groom have no common biological heirs: reversion of the 10,000 guilders to the groom’s heirs regulated

Article 5 (p. 08): Redemption of the morning gift possible

Article 6 (p. 08-09): Donatio propter nuptias (80,000 guilders) regulated; the total dowry thus amounts to 100,000 guilders

Article 7 (p. 09): Property regulated, prescription and referral regulated; 5,000 guilders annual use regulated, further 1,000 guilders regulated, 500 guilders through the morning gift; if the annual sum of 6,500 guilders is not achieved: reimbursement regulated

Article 8 (p. 09-10): Jurisdiction and authority over the widow’s property regulated, exceptions regulated

Article 9 (p. 10): Rights of use, privileges, etc. over the widow’s property regulated; trousseau of movable property and household goods for the widow’s residence regulated

Article 10 (pp. 10-11): Praise, oath, obligation and obedience of subjects on the widow’s estates regulated; if the groom dies before the bride: provisions for 1 year on the widow’s estates regulated, household goods regulated

Article 11 (p. 11): In the event of a shortage of silver tableware: reimbursement regulated

Article 12 (pp. 11-12): Regulations concerning officials etc. on the widow’s estates; taking up and use of the widow’s dower regulated; no deduction of supplies from the annual income

Article 13 (p. 12): The ecclesiastical and secular subjects on the widow’s estates shall retain their rights, etc.

Article 14 (p. 12): Opening of the widow’s estates regulated

Article 15 (p. 12): Assumption of costs for opening the widow’s estates regulated; reimbursement regulated

Article 16 (p. 13) : Protection of the bride regulated; opening, allocation, etc. of widow’s estates by the bride excluded; structural maintenance regulated

Article 17 (pp. 13-14): If the groom dies before the bride and there are minor heirs: guardianship regulated according to the custom of the Duchy of Neuburg; Bride as legitima tutrix regulated as long as she remains a widow, religion not excluded; receipt and use of widow’s property regulated

Article 18 (p. 14): Retention of further possessions, trousseau, gifts, etc. on the widow’s property regulated

Article 19 (p. 14): If the bride remarries after the death of the groom and there are biological heirs from the first marriage: payment of the dowry (20,000 guilders) in cash, lifetime pension from the donation propter nuptias (80,000 guilders) with 5%

Article 20 (pp. 14-15): If the bride dies and there are descendants from the second marriage: The dowry and paraphernal property shall be divided equally between the descendants from the first and second marriages; if there are no descendants from the second marriage: The inheritance shall pass solely to the descendants from the first marriage; if there are no descendants from the first marriage and there are descendants from the second marriage: the dowry etc. shall go solely to the descendants from the second marriage; if there are no descendants from either marriage: reversion of the dowry etc. regulated; right of disposal over the widow’s property until repayment regulated

Article 21 (p. 15): If the bride dies before the groom and there are no joint descendants: the groom receives the lifelong right of disposal over the dowry; after the death of the groom: reversion regulated; right of disposal over the widow’s property until repayment regulated

Article 22 (pp. 15-17): Payment of the morning gift regulated, prescription regulated; free use regulated; inheritance of the morning gift regulated, redemption regulated; inheritance of trousseau, other possessions, etc. regulated

Article 23 (p. 17): Inventory (gifted silver tableware) regulated; shares regulated; inheritance regulated; inheritance of clothes, jewellery, other possessions of the bride regulated, regulations on the use of widow’s property until repayment specified

Article 24 (pp. 17-18): Debt repayment regulated

Article 25 (p. 18): If the bride dies before the groom or the groom dies before the bride and there are or are not joint descendants and a second marriage is entered into or not: inheritance regulations for gold, silver tableware, jewellery, etc. worth less than 30,000 guilders mentioned

Article 26 (p. 18): If the bride dies before the groom or the groom dies before the bride, and whether or not there are joint descendants and whether or not a second marriage is entered into: inheritance regulations regarding gold, silver tableware, jewellery, etc. worth more than 30,000 guilders are specified.

Article 27 (pp. 18-19): If the bride or groom dies before consummation of the marriage: marriage contract invalid

Article 28 (p. 19): Promise to comply with the contract

Signatures, place, date

Regulations on succession to the throne

Confessional regulations

Article 2 (pp. 03-06): Augsburg Confession mentioned; court preacher regulated; sermons regulated; remuneration regulated; religion of servants regulated; sermons on the widow’s estates regulated

Article 17 (pp. 13-14): If the groom dies before the bride and there are minor heirs: guardianship regulated according to the custom of the Duchy of Neuburg; Bride as legitima tutrix regulated as long as she remains a widow, religion not excluded; receipt and use of widow’s property regulated

Regulations on inheritance law

Article 3 (pp. 06-08): Dowry (20,000 guilders) regulated; trousseau regulated; paraphernalia regulated, inheritance of paraphernalia regulated; inheritance fraternisation mentioned, bride’s renunciation of inheritance for herself and her heirs to her paternal, maternal, fraternal and cousin’s inheritance regulated, groom’s consent regulated; regulations for the extinction of the male line of the bride’s house mentioned

Article 4 (p. 08): Morning gift (10,000 guilders, in cash or as an annual pension of 500 guilders) regulated, rights of use regulated; if the bride remarries or in the event of inheritance: redemption of the annual pension with 10,000 guilders possible; if the bride and groom have no common biological heirs: reversion of the 10,000 guilders to the groom’s heirs regulated

Article 17 (pp. 13-14): If the groom dies before the bride and there are minor heirs: guardianship regulated according to the custom of the Duchy of Neuburg; Bride as legitima tutrix regulated as long as she remains a widow, religion not excluded; receipt and use of widow’s property regulated

Article 18 (p. 14): Retention of further possessions, trousseau, gifts, etc. on the widow’s property regulated

Article 19 (p. 14): If the bride remarries after the death of the groom and there are biological heirs from the first marriage: payment of the dowry (20,000 guilders) in cash, lifetime pension from the donation propter nuptias (80,000 guilders) with 5%

Article 20 (pp. 14-15): If the bride dies and there are descendants from the second marriage: The dowry and paraphernal property shall be divided equally between the descendants from the first and second marriages; if there are no descendants from the second marriage: The inheritance shall pass solely to the descendants from the first marriage; if there are no descendants from the first marriage and there are descendants from the second marriage: the dowry etc. shall go solely to the descendants from the second marriage; if there are no descendants from either marriage: reversion of the dowry etc. regulated; right of disposal over the widow’s property until repayment regulated

Article 21 (p. 15): If the bride dies before the groom and there are no joint descendants: the groom receives the lifelong right of disposal over the dowry; after the death of the groom: reversion regulated; right of disposal over the widow’s property until repayment regulated

Article 22 (pp. 15-17): Payment of the morning gift regulated, prescription regulated; free use regulated; inheritance of the morning gift regulated, redemption regulated; inheritance of trousseau, other possessions, etc. regulated

Article 23 (p. 17): Inventory (gifted silver tableware) regulated; shares regulated; inheritance regulated; inheritance of clothes, jewellery, other possessions of the bride regulated, regulations on the use of widow’s property until repayment specified

Article 25 (p. 18): If the bride dies before the groom or the groom dies before the bride and there are or are not joint descendants and a second marriage is entered into or not: inheritance regulations for gold, silver tableware, jewellery, etc. worth less than 30,000 guilders mentioned

Article 26 (p. 18): If the bride dies before the groom or the groom dies before the bride, and whether or not there are joint descendants and whether or not a second marriage is entered into: inheritance regulations regarding gold, silver tableware, jewellery, etc. worth more than 30,000 guilders are specified.

External authorities involved

Article 1 (pp. 03-04): Consent of the Emperor mentioned; consent of relatives mentioned; marriage decided

Ratifications, confirmations, approvals

Article 1 (pp. 03-04): Consent of the Emperor mentioned; consent of relatives mentioned; marriage decided

Commentary

Conversion of the bride on the occasion of the marriage

Original contract divided into articles

No laminating/numbering of the contract pages

Seal present

Several documents with different archive markings, drafts, letters, lists of items, salary lists

Literature

References

• Archive copy: HStAD B 1 Nr. 408; HStAD D 4 Nr. 219_6
• Contract language archive copy: German
• Digitized archive copy: https://arcinsys.hessen.de/arcinsys/digitalMediaViewer.action?archivalDescriptionId=2304881>

Recommended citation

Dynastische Eheverträge der frühen Neuzeit. Contract No. 327. Philipps University of Marburg. Available online at https://dynastische-ehevertraege.online.uni-marburg.de/en/vertraege/327.html.

@misc{ Dynastische Ehevertr{“a}ge der fr{”u}hen Neuzeit, 
title = {Dynastische Ehevertr{“a}ge der fr{”u}hen Neuzeit: Contract No. 327},
 url = {https://dynastische-ehevertraege.online.uni-marburg.de/en/vertraege/327.html}
}