Marriage contract no. 399: Rosenberg - Braunschweig-Calenberg-Göttingen

Contract content

Article 1: Marriage decided; consent of the bride’s mother mentioned; consent of the bride mentioned

Article 2: Augsburg Confession of the bride mentioned; the bride may retain her confession; own preacher of the bride’s choice granted; regulations regarding the appointment of the priest

Article 3: The dowry amounts to 20,000 guilders; payment regulations established: payment deadline 1 year after the bride’s return home and consummation of the marriage; receipt for sums paid required

Article 4: Trousseau (silverware, jewellery, etc.) regulated

Article 5: If the bride dies without any male heirs: The bride may bequeath the trousseau as she wishes if Duke Erich II of Brunswick-Lüneburg dies without male heirs.

Article 6: The bride renounces all paternal and fraternal inheritance except for what was left to the bride in her father’s will; Letter of renunciation mentioned, sealing of the letter of renunciation regulated

Article 7: The Donatio propter nuptias amounts to 20,000 guilders

Article 8: The bride receives 1,000 guilders annually, morning gift regulated?, handover after consummation of the marriage regulated?; subsequent increase of the sum possible?

Article 9: Widow’s property and uses (ponds, wood, mills, etc.) regulated

Article 10: Pledging, mortgaging, etc. of the widow’s property to other persons excluded

Article 11: The annual income from the widow’s property amounts to 4,000 guilders; morning gift, game, corvée labour, rights of use regulated?; Regulation of the commencement of the widow’s dower after the death of the groom

Article 12: The subjects of the widow’s property may not be burdened with penalties contrary to fairness

Article 13: Regulations concerning officials and subjects?

Article 14: Oaths and duties of captains, officials, servants and subjects regulated; homage mentioned; sealed letter of prescription mentioned; homage and oath upon commencement of the widow’s estate regulated

Article 15: In the event of damage to the widow’s property: repair by the groom or his heirs regulated; if the bride has taken possession of the widow’s property: the groom’s heirs pay half of the damages, the other half to be paid by the bride

Article 16: Brother of the groom mentioned; ?

Article 17: Inspection of the widow’s property by the bride’s brother; creation of an inventory; if the widow’s property does not yield the agreed sums or the property does not correspond to the bride’s status: exchange with other property

Article 18: If the groom dies before the bride and there are joint heirs or not: the bride receives the dowry, the Donatio propter nuptias and the morning gift; the sums become the hereditary property of the bride?

Article 19: Taking possession of the widow’s property regulated; rights of use regulated; letter of dower mentioned; ?; lifelong right of use regulated; transfer of the bride’s trousseau and other possessions to the widow’s property regulated; household goods regulated; food and drink on the widow’s property regulated, compensation for deficiencies by the groom’s heirs regulated.

Article 20: Maintenance of the bride by the groom’s heirs regulated until the bride receives her income

Article 21: If the bride dies before the groom and there are joint heirs or not: The groom and his heirs receive the sums of the marriage property; these become hereditary?; if the bride has no heirs from this marriage: The groom receives the lifelong right of use of the trousseau, after which the trousseau is inherited by the bride’s sisters; inventory list mentioned; the groom’s heirs are obliged to hand over all items on the inventory list to the bride’s sisters.

Article 22: If the bride remarries after the death of the groom: Redemption of the dower with 40,000 guilders and the morning gift by the groom’s heirs is possible; transfer of the dower after payment of the sums is regulated; all officials, servants, subjects, etc. are then released from their oaths and duties to the bride; sealed letter mentioning sums received?

Article 23: The bride may bequeath the morning gift after her death according to her wishes; if the bride does not designate the heirs herself: The morning gift is bequeathed to the groom’s heirs, and the sum may be further bequeathed by the groom’s heirs.

Article 24: Use of the widow’s property by the groom’s heirs and descendants is excluded; establishment and ? regulated; opening of the widow’s property at the expense of the groom’s heirs and descendants regulated; ?

Article 25: ?, land taxes for the widow’s dower and life estates regulated

Article 26: The bride may not be burdened with any of the groom’s debts; the bride may not be made liable to attachment; the widow’s dower and morning gift may not be burdened with debts?

Article 27: Compliance with the contract promised; ?

Article 28: Three copies of the contract are stipulated

Article 29: Attached seals are mentioned

Confessional regulations

Article 2: The bride’s Augsburg Confession is mentioned; the bride may retain her confession; her own preacher of her choice is granted; regulations regarding the appointment of the priest

Regulations on inheritance law

Article 5: If the bride dies without any living heirs: The bride may bequeath her trousseau as she wishes if Duke Erich II of Brunswick-Lüneburg dies without any living male heirs

Article 6: Renunciation of inheritance by the bride of all paternal and fraternal inheritance with the exception of what was left to the bride in her father’s will; letter of renunciation mentioned, sealing of the letter of renunciation regulated

Article 18: If the groom dies before the bride and there are or are not joint heirs: The bride receives the dowry, the Donatio propter nuptias and the morning gift; the sums become the hereditary property of the bride?

Article 21: If the bride dies before the groom and there are joint heirs or not: The groom and his heirs receive the sums of the marriage property; which become hereditary; if the bride has no children from this marriage: the groom receives the lifelong right of use of the trousseau, after which the trousseau is inherited by the bride’s sisters; inventory list mentioned; the groom’s heirs are obliged to hand over all items on the inventory list to the bride’s sisters

Article 23: The bride may bequeath the morning gift after her death according to her wishes; if the bride does not designate the heirs herself: the morning gift is bequeathed to the groom’s heirs, and the sum may be further bequeathed by the groom’s heirs.

Commentary

Original contract not divided into articles

Missing information (day and month) for the date of conclusion of the contract Lower part of the contract illegible due to folding of the original

References

• Archive copy: NLA Ha Cal. Or. 2 No. 79
• Contract language archive copy: German

Recommended citation

Dynastische Eheverträge der frühen Neuzeit. Contract No. 399. Philipps University of Marburg. Available online at https://dynastische-ehevertraege.online.uni-marburg.de/en/vertraege/399.html.

@misc{ Dynastische Ehevertr{“a}ge der fr{”u}hen Neuzeit, 
title = {Dynastische Ehevertr{“a}ge der fr{”u}hen Neuzeit: Contract No. 399},
 url = {https://dynastische-ehevertraege.online.uni-marburg.de/en/vertraege/399.html}
}