Marriage contract no. 358: Brandenburg-Preußen - Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel

Contract content

(fol. 01r): Invocation to God

Preamble (fol. 01r-02r): Marriage decided, alliance

Article 1 (fol. 02r): Marriage decided

Article 2 (fol. 02r-03r): Dowry (20,000); Payment arrangements; Trousseau (clothes, etc.), list; Renunciation of inheritance by the bride (inheritance only occurs upon the extinction of the male line of the bride’s family, possible inheritance by will)

Article 3 (fol. 03r-04r): Jewellery instead of morning gift, pin money (7,200), insurance (600 monthly); gifts; court, appointment/dismissal etc. of court servants

Article 4 (fol. 04r-09r): Donatio propter nuptias (20,000); dowry and donatio propter nuptias (40,000), of which 4,000 annually (for the widow’s dower), plus 16,000, totalling 20,000 as widow’s dower; if there are male descendants: widow’s dower (30,000 annually); annual pension (600), in the event of the birth of a prince: 1,000, prescription (7,200); no prescription of the dower property of the groom’s mother to the bride, etc.; use, appurtenances, income, rights of use, office of Oranienburg is prescribed, reimbursement of defects, receipt of income, widow’s residence at Oranienburg Castle, structural maintenance, furniture, household goods, carriage, horses; receipt of the widow’s dower, use, rights; Oath of allegiance by subjects, etc., rule over subjects on the widow’s property, subjects retain their (religious) customs, rights, etc.; reservations of the king; supplies, inventory; protection of the widow and the widow’s dower; change of princely residence due to war, etc.; Improvement of the dowry and change of the widow’s estates possible; encumbrances, pledges, etc. of the widow’s dower by the bride excluded, trousseau, structural condition; in the event of encumbrance of the annuities, etc. with debts: debt repayment by the groom.

Article 5 (fol. 09r-10r): If the bride dies before the groom and there are no joint heirs: inheritance of dowry, household goods, other possessions according to the will, the groom or the bride’s next of kin; jewellery (gifts from the groom or the groom’s uncle) reverts to the House of Brandenburg; the groom receives the right of disposal over the dowry for life; after the death of the groom: reversion to the bride’s father/his heirs/the bride’s next heirs; repayment regulations

Article 6 (fol. 10r): If there are joint heirs who die during the lifetime of their parents: The above provisions apply; if joint heirs are alive: the dowry and donation propter nuptias become part of the estate of the Prussian house

Article 7 (fol. 10r-11r): If the groom dies before the bride and there are joint heirs or not: commencement of the widow’s dower, lifelong use; receipt of the dowry and other possessions; jewels etc. in the possession of the groom’s house: lifelong use by the bride, no transfer, return after the bride’s death; supplies, household goods etc. upon moving into the widow’s dower

Article 8 (fol. 11r-12v): If the bride remarries after the death of the groom and there are no male heirs from her first marriage: redemption of the widow’s dower with dowry and full donation propter nuptias; if there are joint male heirs: redemption of the widow’s dower with dowry and half of the legacy, instead of a one-off payment of donation propter nuptias: annual payment possible; Improvement of the Leibzucht (4,000): dismissed; payment, lifetime ownership, inheritance of the sums after the death of the bride to the heirs from the first marriage/their heirs; if there are no joint heirs from the first marriage: reversion of the dowry, payment arrangement for repayment, the donation propter nuptias falls to the heirs of the groom

Article 9 (fol. 12v-13v): If the bride/groom dies after consummation of the marriage and before payment of the dowry: marriage contract valid; if the bride/groom dies before consummation of the marriage: marriage contract invalid; other contracts/wills excluded; compliance with the contract promised; date, place, signatures

Regulations on inheritance law

Article 2 (fol. 02r-03r): Dowry (20,000); payment arrangements; trousseau (clothes, etc.), list; bride’s renunciation of inheritance (inheritance only occurs when the male line of the bride’s family dies out, possible inheritance by will)

Article 5 (fol. 09r-10r): If the bride dies before the groom and there are no joint heirs: inheritance of trousseau, household goods, other possessions according to will, the groom or the bride’s next of kin; jewels (gifts from the groom or the groom’s uncle) revert to the House of Brandenburg; the groom receives the right of disposal over the dowry for life, after the death of the groom: reversion to the bride’s father/his heirs/the bride’s next heirs; repayment arrangements

Article 6 (fol. 10r): If there are joint heirs who die during the lifetime of their parents: the above provisions apply; if joint heirs are alive: the dowry and donation propter nuptias become part of the estate of the Prussian House

Article 8 (fol. 11r-12v): If the bride remarries after the death of the groom and there are no male heirs from her first marriage: redemption of the widow’s dower with dowry and full donation propter nuptias; if there are joint male heirs: redemption of the widow’s dower with dowry and half of the legacy, instead of a one-off payment of donation propter nuptias: annual payment possible; Improvement of the Leibzucht (4,000): dismissed; payment, lifetime ownership, inheritance of the sums after the death of the bride to the heirs from the first marriage/their heirs; if there are no joint heirs from the first marriage: reversion of the dowry, payment arrangement for repayment, the donation propter nuptias falls to the heirs of the groom

Commentary

Article available in the original

No pagination/numbering of pages

Literature

Haussherr, Hans, ‘Friedrich Wilhelm II.’ in: Neue Deutsche Biographie 5 (1961), pp. 558-560 [online version]; URL: https://www.deutsche-biographie.de/pnd11869362X.html#ndbcontent [06.07.2024].

Spehr, Ludwig Ferdinand, ‘Elisabeth Christine Ulrike’ in: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie 6 (1877), pp. 37-38 [online version]; URL: https://www.deutsche-biographie.de/pnd129884294.html#adbcontent [06.07.2024]. ### References

• Archive copy: NLA Wf 3 Urk 5 No. 58 (1765 VII 14)
• Contract language archive copy: German

Recommended citation

Dynastische Eheverträge der frühen Neuzeit. Contract No. 358. Philipps University of Marburg. Available online at https://dynastische-ehevertraege.online.uni-marburg.de/en/vertraege/358.html.

@misc{ Dynastische Ehevertr{“a}ge der fr{”u}hen Neuzeit, 
title = {Dynastische Ehevertr{“a}ge der fr{”u}hen Neuzeit: Contract No. 358},
 url = {https://dynastische-ehevertraege.online.uni-marburg.de/en/vertraege/358.html}
}