Marriage contract no. 430: Neapel-Sizilien - Österreich

Contract content

Preamble: Marriage agreed upon for the glory of God and Christianity, to strengthen the friendship between the contracting parties and to preserve peace, authorised representatives named

Article 1: Obligation of the bride’s dynasty to obtain a papal dispensation due to the close relationship between the bride and groom

Article 2: Form of marriage agreed: In Vienna by a representative of the groom; bride to be treated as Queen of Naples-Sicily immediately afterwards

Article 3: After the marriage, the bridal journey shall be arranged between the contracting parties in accordance with the season and other circumstances; the costs shall be borne by the bride’s dynasty up to the border of the Kingdom of Naples, after which the groom shall bear all costs and provide accommodation for her court

Article 4: Dowry determined: instead of 100,000 Rhenish guilders, the bride shall receive 200,000 Rhenish guilders, which shall be paid to the bride in cash before the marriage against the usual receipt; the bride shall also receive a worthy trousseau in the form of precious stones, gold and silver jewellery and clothing

Article 5: Donatio propter nuptias (aumento della dote/controdote) stipulated: the groom’s father offers 60,000 Rhenish guilders as compensation (twice as much as Austrian princesses normally receive); all income from the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, in particular allodial property, entailed property and all freehold property, shall serve as security for this amount; in the event of the groom’s death, his heirs are obliged to pay the bride’s dowry and dowry in cash; if payment cannot be made immediately, it may not be delayed for more than one year; in the meantime, the widow shall be paid interest on the capital at a rate of 4% from the revenues of the kingdom, allodial estates and entailed estates

Article 6: Regulation for future marriages between the two houses: The dowry for marriages between archduchesses and Spanish princes shall always amount to 200,000 Rhenish guilders; Spanish princesses who marry archdukes shall receive the same amount (converted into Spanish currency); the same shall apply to the compensation.

Article 7: The bride shall swear an oath to renounce her paternal and maternal inheritance: in perpetuity; exception: there are no male heirs, in accordance with the known rules of succession; the groom shall confirm the renunciation by the same oath for himself and his successors; the bride’s brother shall confirm these oaths

Article 8: Pin money set at 50,000 vellón or 6,666 doppie (Spanish gold coins), according to current weight and value; money to be paid monthly on a pro rata basis; bride may dispose of the money freely: however, she must not use it for minor expenses such as clothing or alms; the costs of her table, her stables, her residence and her chambers shall be covered by the kingdom’s revenues

Article 9: The bride’s father promises a further 50,000 vellón as a pledge (arra) or morning gift (donativo propter nuptias)

Article 10: In the event that the groom dies before the bride: widow’s pension set at 150,000 vellón or 20,000 doppie (according to current weight and value); Amount to be paid annually in four equal instalments without reductions during the widowhood; for this purpose, all income of the Kingdom of Sicily in the possession of the groom at the time of death shall be used

Article 11: During her widowhood, the bride may choose whether to take up residence in the royal palace in Naples or in another city (not a provincial capital) of the kingdom; financing and furnishing of the widow’s residence regulated; if she chooses another city, she shall be granted absolute rule (Governo assoluto) over that city

Article 12: The bride shall also have the right, during her widowhood, to return to Germany or to any other place outside the Kingdom of Sicily with all her monetary and movable property and her entire household; she shall not be prevented from doing so by any means; her property shall not be retained

Article 13: In the event that the bride dies before the groom: the groom may freely dispose of the dowry and compensation, but he is obliged to hand over the capital in full to the legitimate heirs of his bride; if the bride has no descendants, she has the freedom to bequeath one third of the dowry to him in her will; all valuables and goods in her possession at the time of her death shall be handed over to her heirs without delay and an inventory of these goods shall be drawn up

Article 14: In the event that the bride dies widowed, without a will and without descendants: the dowry and all jewellery and valuables brought with her shall pass to her next heir; in this case, an inventory of her possessions shall be drawn up with great care; the trousseau is excluded from this inheritance, as it passes to the King of the Two Sicilies

Article 15: Contract ratified by the groom, the groom’s father, the bride’s mother and the bride’s brother; exchange of ratification documents within two months; contract signed and sealed by authorised representatives

Separate article: the provisions of the marriage contract and the associated documents, whether mentioned or omitted, may not be used to the detriment of the contracting parties; they may not be invoked or cited

Regulations on inheritance law

Article 13: In the event that the bride dies before the groom: the groom may freely dispose of the dowry and compensation, but he is obliged to hand over the capital in full to the legitimate heirs of his bride; if the bride has no descendants, she has the freedom to bequeath one third of the dowry to him in her will; all valuables and goods in her possession at the time of her death shall be handed over to her heirs without delay and an inventory of these goods shall be drawn up

Article 14: In the event that the bride dies widowed, without a will and without descendants: the dowry and all jewellery and valuables brought with her shall pass to her next heir; in this case, an inventory of her possessions shall be drawn up with great care; the trousseau is excluded from this inheritance, as it passes to the King of the Two Sicilies

External authorities involved

Pope: Article 1: Obligation of the bride’s dynasty to obtain a papal dispensation due to the close kinship between the bride and groom

Ratifications, confirmations, approvals

Article 15: Contract ratified by the groom, the groom’s father, the bride’s mother and the bride’s brother; exchange of ratification documents within two months; contract signed and sealed by authorised representatives

Literature

Knight, Carlo: Il contratto nuziale di Ferdinando IV di Borbone e Maria Carolina d’Austria, in: Rendiconti della Accademia di Archeologia Lettere e Belle Arti, N. S., vol. 76, Napoli 2008, p. 315-343

References

• Archive copy: ASN, Archivio Borbone, Busta 302
• Contract language archive copy: Italian
• Print reference: Knight, Carlo: Il contratto nuziale di Ferdinando IV di Borbone e Maria Carolina d’Austria, in: Rendiconti della Accademia di Archeologia Lettere e Belle Arti, N. S., vol. 76, Napoli 2008, Appendice: Documento N. 6, p. 337-342.
• Contract language print: Italian
• Digitized print: https://www.academia.edu/39951831/Il_contratto_nuziale_di_Ferdinando_IV_di_Borbone_e_Maria_Carolina_dAustria

Recommended citation

Dynastische Eheverträge der frühen Neuzeit. Contract No. 430. Philipps University of Marburg. Available online at https://dynastische-ehevertraege.online.uni-marburg.de/en/vertraege/430.html.

@misc{ Dynastische Ehevertr{“a}ge der fr{”u}hen Neuzeit, 
title = {Dynastische Ehevertr{“a}ge der fr{”u}hen Neuzeit: Contract No. 430},
 url = {https://dynastische-ehevertraege.online.uni-marburg.de/en/vertraege/430.html}
}