Marriage contract no. 404: Holstein-Schauenburg - Braunschweig-Lüneburg

Contract content

Article 1 (Image 2-3a): Marriage agreed; councillors mentioned; time arrangements specified; bride’s departure mentioned; councillors and officials named; ?; dowry amounts to 12,000 talers; time arrangements for the transfer of the dowry specified; receipts for sums paid regulated; waiver mentioned; 2 bailiwicks named for insurance purposes

Article 2 (Image 3a): Trousseau (clothes, jewellery, silverware) regulated in accordance with the bride’s status

Article 3 (Image 3a): Bride’s renunciation of all paternal, maternal, fraternal and sisterly inheritance regulated

Article 4 (Image 3a): The bride and her heirs shall only inherit if all the princes of Lüneburg and their heirs predecease the bride and the principality falls to the Dukes of Brunswick; mention of waiver sealed by the groom.

Article 5 (Images 3a-3b): Widow’s estate regulated; annual income of 2,000 talers regulated; regulations regarding agriculture, livestock breeding, timber use, courts, fishing, etc. mentioned?; oaths and duties of officials after payment of the dowry regulated

Article 6 (Image 3b): Illegible

Article 7 (Image 3b): Services of the noble officials regulated?

Article 8 (Image 3b): The groom’s heirs retain the land tax and the land succession of the widow’s property

Article 9 (Image 3b): The morning gift amounts to 200 talers annually from the Pinnenberg office; sealed letter regulating personal breeding and morning gift; Approval of the groom’s brothers required; if Count Johann does not approve?

Article 10 (Image 3b): Protection of the bride by the groom’s heirs in relation to her personal property and morning gift regulated

Article 11 (Image 3b): If the widow’s estates are devastated or destroyed: Compensation regulated until the widow’s property is rebuilt and usable

Article 12 (Image 4a): Augsburg Confession of the bride mentioned; the bride may retain her confession; own preacher for the bride guaranteed; sacraments and confession regulated

Article 13 (Image 4a): If one of the spouses should die before the other, the following regulations are mentioned

Article 14 (Image 4a): If the bride dies before the groom and there are no joint heirs: Inventory list of the trousseau sealed by the groom is regulated; the trousseau reverts to Duke Franz Otto or his heirs; the groom receives the lifelong right of disposal over the 12,000 talers of the dowry; after the death of the groom, his heirs receive half of the dowry, 6,000 talers, while the other 6,000 talers fall to Duke Franz Otto, his brothers and his heirs

Article 15 (Figure 4a): If the groom dies before the bride: The bride retains her trousseau and other possessions; receipt of widow’s residence, personal property and morning gift regulated

Article 16 (Figure 4a): The bride receives the Stadthagen house as her widow’s residence?

Article 17 (Image 4a-4b): Maintenance of the bride until she receives income from the widow’s estate is regulated.

Article 18 (Image 4b): Purchase of the widow’s residence is possible if the bride so desires: Payment of the 12,000 talers of the dowry and 12,000 talers of the Donatio propter nuptias as an annual and lifelong payment of 1,200 talers? Regulated; the annual payment can be redeemed for a one-time payment of 6,000 talers; modest insurance regulated.

Article 19 (Image 4b): The bride receives the annual payment of 200 talers of the morning gift for life, or the annual payment can be redeemed with a one-time payment of 2,000 talers.

Article 20 (Figure 4b): Marriage and consummation regulated.

Article 21 (Figure 4b): Two copies of the contract regulated; sealing in Count Balthasar’s chamber regulated?; signatures of witnesses mentioned?

Confessional regulations

Article 12 (Image 4a): Augsburg Confession of the bride mentioned; the bride may retain her confession; own preacher for the bride guaranteed; Sacraments and confession regulated

Regulations on inheritance law

Article 4 (Image 3a): Inheritance for the bride and her heirs only occurs if all Lüneburg princes and their heirs predecease the bride and the principality falls to the Dukes of Brunswick; Waiver sealed by the groom mentioned

Article 14 (Image 4a): If the bride dies before the groom and there are no joint heirs: Inventory list of the trousseau sealed by the groom, the trousseau reverts to Duke Franz Otto or his heirs; the groom receives the lifelong right of disposal over the 12,000 talers of the dowry; after the death of the groom, his heirs receive half of the dowry, 6,000 talers, while the other 6,000 talers fall to Duke Franz Otto, his brothers and his heirs

Article 15 (Figure 4a): If the groom dies before the bride: The bride retains her trousseau and other possessions; receipt of widow’s residence, personal property and morning gift regulated

External authorities involved

Article 9 (Figure 3b): The morning gift amounts to 200 talers per year from the Pinnenberg office; Sealed letter regulating personal property and morning gift; approval of the groom’s brothers required; what if Count Johann does not approve?

Article 21 (Image 4b): Two copies of the contract regulated; sealing in Count Balthasar’s chamber regulated?; signatures of witnesses mentioned?

Ratifications, confirmations, approvals

Article 4 (Image 3a): The bride and her heirs shall only inherit if all the princes of Lüneburg and their heirs predecease the bride and the principality falls to the Dukes of Brunswick; mention of a waiver sealed by the groom

Article 9 (Image 3b): The morning gift amounts to 200 talers per year from the Pinnenberg office; sealed letter regulating personal breeding and morning gift; approval of the groom’s brothers necessary; what if Count Johann does not approve?

Commentary

No foiling/numbering of the contract pages

Original contract divided into articles

Literature

HUSMEIER, Gudrun: Holstein Schauenburg, Otto IV, Count of Holstein, Schauenburg and Sternberg, Lord of Gemen, in: HÖNIG, Hubert (ed.): Schaumburger Profile. Ein historisch-biographisches Handbuch, Part 1, Bielefeld 2008, pp. 157–162

References

• Archive copy: NLA Ha Celle Or. 1 No. 93
• Contract language archive copy: German

Recommended citation

Dynastische Eheverträge der frühen Neuzeit. Contract No. 404. Philipps University of Marburg. Available online at https://dynastische-ehevertraege.online.uni-marburg.de/en/vertraege/404.html.

@misc{ Dynastische Ehevertr{“a}ge der fr{”u}hen Neuzeit, 
title = {Dynastische Ehevertr{“a}ge der fr{”u}hen Neuzeit: Contract No. 404},
 url = {https://dynastische-ehevertraege.online.uni-marburg.de/en/vertraege/404.html}
}