Marriage contract no. 339: Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel - Polen

Contract content

Preamble: Names of the parties involved; names of the authorised representatives; purpose of the marriage; marriage at the request of the groom and with the consent of the bride’s mother; consent of the bride

Article 1: Transfer of the bride regulated; renewed promise of engagement according to the rites of the Catholic Church

Article 2: dowry of 32,000 Hungarian gold guilders; method of payment regulated

Article 3: Renunciation of inheritance by the bride regulated

Article 4: Donatio propter nuptias of 32,000 Hungarian gold guilders; dowry and donatio propter nuptias to generate a life estate of 4,266 gold guilders

Article 5: Widow’s dower regulated: Jerxheim Castle and Schöningen Castle and town; rights of the widow; prior pledging of the widow’s dower, homage, accession, vacant priesthoods, rights of subjects, military access for the groom, damage, protection, prohibition of pledging regulated

Article 6: Morning gift amounting to 10,000 Hungarian gold crowns, which is to yield 666 gold guilders annually; heritability of the morning gift regulated

Article 7: If the income from the morning gift, dowry and donation propter nuptias is insufficient, a replacement shall be provided

Article 8: Regulations regarding debts

Article 9: Regulation of the groom’s power of disposal over the bride’s property

Article 10: Deaths; if the groom dies before the bride with minor children: guardian of the children clarified; payment of the dowry regulated, disposal of personal property regulated; transfer of further goods; upbringing and maintenance of the children regulated, remarriage of the bride regulated; the groom excludes his existing son Julius from his first marriage from inheriting his principalities and appoints a possible first-born son from the new marriage as heir; bride inherits one third of her husband’s jewels; regulation regarding the inheritance and return of the bride’s possessions

Article 11: Bride dies before her husband without joint heirs: husband inherits one third of the bride’s jewels; repayment of the dowry is regulated

Article 12: Documents are handed over on the day of the marriage

Article 13: If one of the marriage partners dies before the marriage, the contract is void

Article 14: Promise to abide by the above; contractual penalty of 100,000 Hungarian gold guilders in the event of breach of contract; execution of the contract in two copies; date; place; witnesses; signatures

Regulations on succession to the throne

Article 10: Deaths; if the groom dies before the bride with minor children: guardian of the children clarified; payment of the dowry regulated, disposal of personal property regulated; transfer of further goods; upbringing and maintenance of the children regulated, remarriage of the bride regulated; the groom excludes his existing son Julius from his first marriage from inheriting his principalities and appoints a possible first-born son from the new marriage as heir; bride inherits one third of her husband’s jewels; regulation regarding the inheritance and return of the bride’s possessions

Literature

Almut Bues, Zofia Jagiellonka, Herzogin von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel (1522-1575) - Akten zu Heirat, Tod und Erbe, Braunschweig 2018

References

• Archive copy: NLA WO 3 Urk 1 Nr. 5
• Contract language archive copy: Latin
• Digitized archive copy: https://cyfrowe.mnk.pl/Content/19661/233.pdf (Der polnischen Version)
• Contract language print: Latin

Recommended citation

Dynastische Eheverträge der frühen Neuzeit. Contract No. 339. Philipps University of Marburg. Available online at https://dynastische-ehevertraege.online.uni-marburg.de/en/vertraege/339.html.

@misc{ Dynastische Ehevertr{“a}ge der fr{”u}hen Neuzeit, 
title = {Dynastische Ehevertr{“a}ge der fr{”u}hen Neuzeit: Contract No. 339},
 url = {https://dynastische-ehevertraege.online.uni-marburg.de/en/vertraege/339.html}
}