Marriage contract no. 405: Mansfeld-Hinterort - Braunschweig-Lüneburg

Contract content

Article 1 (Image 2): Negotiations between the bride’s brother and the groom mentioned

Article 2 (Image 2): Marriage decided

Article 3 (Image 2): The dowry amounts to 12,000 talers; payment arrangements agreed

Article 4 (Image 2-3a): Trousseau (clothes, jewellery, silverware) regulated in accordance with the bride’s status; trousseau regulated as for the bride’s sister, Elisabeth Ursula

Article 5 (Image 3a): Bride’s renunciation of inheritance rights to all paternal, maternal, fraternal and sisterly inheritance regulated

Article 6 (Image 3a): The bride and her heirs shall inherit if all the princes of Brunswick-Lüneburg die before the bride.

Article 7 (Image 3a): The bride’s letter of renunciation of inheritance shall be sealed by the groom.

Article 8 (Image 3b): Widow’s residence and life annuity mentioned.

Article 9 (Image 3b-4a): If the groom succeeds to his father’s part of the lands: The bride receives Mansfeld Castle and office as her widow’s residence; rights of use are regulated; annual income of 2,000 talers is regulated; agriculture and outlying estates located in front of the widow’s residence are excluded from use by the bride; livestock breeding, timber use, jurisdiction, hunting rights, fishing rights, etc. regulated?

Article 10 (Image 4a): Oaths and duties of servants, officials and subjects towards the bride regulated; register of Duke Franz Otto’s income mentioned?

Article 11 (Image 4a): If the father of the groom dies and the dominion is divided between the groom and his brothers: life estate as previously regulated.

Article 12 (Images 4a-4b): If the groom dies before his father: Receipt of a widow’s estate from the property of the groom’s father, Count Albrecht von Mansfeld, regulated?; annual income of 2,000 talers regulated; exceptions, such as agriculture, as previously regulated, specified; receipt of the newly agreed widow’s property regulated if the previously mentioned widow’s property has been ceded

Article 13 (Fig. 4b-5a): Approval and confirmation of the marriage by the groom’s father, his sons and by priests before the marital bed necessary

Article 14 (Image 5a-5b): If approval is not granted or if the groom dies before his father?: The bride receives only one house belonging to Duke Albrecht as a widow’s estate; Approval by the groom, his father and the groom’s brothers is required: Division of the castles during the lifetime of the groom’s father mentioned?; Life annuity regulated if the house falls to the groom after the death of the groom’s father; Use and income are to be recorded and handed over at the time of consummation

Article 15 (Image 5b): If the widow’s property does not yield 2,000 talers: reimbursement from other properties regulated

Article 16 (Image 5b): Right of residence of nobles on the widow’s property regulated?; ?; services regulated

Article 17 (Image 6a): The groom’s heirs retain the land tax and the land succession with regard to the subjects.

Article 18 (Image 6a): The bride receives 200 talers annually as a morning gift.

Article 19 (Image 6a): Protection of the bride, the Leibgding and the morning gift regulated by the groom’s heirs?

Article 20 (Image 6a-6b): If the widow’s property is damaged or destroyed so that the bride no longer receives any income from it: reimbursement from other properties regulated until the widow’s property is rebuilt and usable

Article 21 (Image 6b): If one of the spouses dies before the other: the following regulations are established

Article 22 (Image 6b): If the bride dies before the groom and there are no biological heirs: Clothes, necklaces, pearls and silver tableware go to Duke Franz Otto, his brothers and heirs; inventory list and register of clothes, necklaces, pearls and silver tableware mentioned

Article 23 (Image 7a): If the bride dies before the groom and there are no heirs: The groom receives the lifelong right of use of the 12,000 talers of the dowry; after the groom’s death, his heirs receive 6,000 talers, the remaining 6,000 talers go to Duke Franz Otto, his brothers and their heirs

Article 24 (Figure 7a): If the groom dies before the bride: The bride retains her trousseau and other possessions; commencement of the life estate and receipt of the morning gift.

Article 25 (Figure 7b): Maintenance of the bride until she receives income from the widow’s estate.

Article 26 (Figure 7b): Purchase of the widow’s residence possible if the bride so desires: payment of the 12,000 talers of the dowry and the Donatio propter nuptias as a lifetime and annual payment of 1,200 talers to the bride; Insurance regulated; redemption of the annual payment of 1,200 talers with 6,000 talers possible

Article 27 (Fig. 7b-8a): If the bride remarries after the death of the groom: The groom’s heirs can buy out the widow’s residence with the sums mentioned

Article 28 (Image 8a): The annual payment of 200 talers as a morning gift can be purchased with a one-time payment of 2,000 talers

Article 29 (Image 8a): The bride’s return home is mentioned; marriage and consummation are regulated. Article 30 (Image 8b): The execution of two copies of the contract is regulated; signing and sealing are regulated; signatures of the parties involved.

Regulations on succession to the throne

Article 9 (Image 3b-4a): If the groom succeeds to his father’s part of the lands: The bride receives the castle and office of Mansfeld as her widow’s residence; rights of use regulated; annual income of 2,000 talers regulated; agriculture and outlying estates located in front of the widow’s residence are excluded from use by the bride; livestock breeding, timber use, jurisdiction, hunting rights, fishing rights, etc. regulated?

Article 11 (Image 4a): If the groom’s father dies and the dominion is divided between the groom and his brothers: dower as previously regulated

Regulations on inheritance law

Article 5 (Image 3a): The bride’s renunciation of all paternal, maternal, fraternal and sisterly inheritance is regulated

Article 6 (Image 3a): The bride and her heirs shall inherit if all princes of Brunswick-Lüneburg die before the bride

Article 7 (Figure 3a): The bride’s letter of renunciation of inheritance is to be sealed by the groom Article 12 (Figures 4a-4b): If the groom dies before his father: Receipt of a widow’s estate from the property of the groom’s father, Count Albrecht von Mansfeld, regulated?; annual income of 2,000 talers regulated; exceptions, such as agriculture, regulated as before; receipt of the newly agreed widow’s estates regulated if the aforementioned widow’s estates were ceded

Article 21 (Image 6b): If one of the spouses should die before the other: the following regulations are stipulated

Article 22 (Image 6b): If the bride dies before the groom and there are no heirs: Clothes, necklaces, pearls and silver tableware go to Duke Franz Otto, his brothers and heirs; inventory list and register of clothes, necklaces, pearls and silver tableware mentioned

Article 23 (Image 7a): If the bride dies before the groom and there are no heirs: The groom receives the lifelong right of use of the 12,000 talers of the dowry; after the groom’s death, his heirs receive 6,000 talers, the remaining 6,000 talers go to Duke Franz Otto, his brothers and their heirs

Article 24 (Figure 7a): If the groom dies before the bride: The bride retains the trousseau and her other possessions; commencement of the life estate and receipt of the morning gift.

External authorities involved

Article 13 (Figures 4b-5a): Approval and confirmation of the marriage by the father of the groom, his sons and by priests before the consummation of the marriage is necessary.

Article 14 (Image 5a-5b): If approval is not granted or if the groom dies before his father: The bride receives only one house belonging to Duke Albrecht as a widow’s estate; Approval by the groom, his father and the groom’s brothers is necessary: Division of the castles during the lifetime of the groom’s father mentioned?; Life annuity regulated if the house falls to the groom after the death of the groom’s father; Usufruct and income are to be recorded and handed over at the time of consummation

Ratifications, confirmations, approvals

Article 13 (Image 4b-5a): Approval and confirmation of the marriage by the groom’s father, his sons and by priests before the consummation of the marriage is necessary

Article 14 (Image 5a-5b): If approval is not granted or if the groom dies before his father: The bride receives only one house belonging to Duke Albrecht as a widow’s estate; Approval by the groom, his father and the groom’s brothers is necessary: Division of the castles during the lifetime of the groom’s father mentioned?; dower regulated if the house falls to the groom after the death of the groom’s father; uses and income are to be recorded and handed over at the time of the wedding night.

Commentary

Year of birth of the groom uncertain, the literature generally gives ‘between 1532 and 1534’.

No folio numbering/numbering of the contract pages Original contract divided into articles

References

• Archive copy: NLA Ha Celle Or. 1 No. 89
• Contract language archive copy: German

Recommended citation

Dynastische Eheverträge der frühen Neuzeit. Contract No. 405. Philipps University of Marburg. Available online at https://dynastische-ehevertraege.online.uni-marburg.de/en/vertraege/405.html.

@misc{ Dynastische Ehevertr{“a}ge der fr{”u}hen Neuzeit, 
title = {Dynastische Ehevertr{“a}ge der fr{”u}hen Neuzeit: Contract No. 405},
 url = {https://dynastische-ehevertraege.online.uni-marburg.de/en/vertraege/405.html}
}