Marriage contract no. 5: Nassau-Weilburg - Hessen-Kassel

Contract content

Article 1: Marriage is agreed. Dowry of 24,000 guilders, calculated at 15 bazens or 27 albus per guilder, and, as is customary in Frankfurt, jewellery, clothing, trinkets, silverware, etc.

Article 2: Dowry of 12,000 guilders from Nassau; Wilhelm will contribute the remaining 12,000 guilders. These 12,000 guilders shall be secured with Ludwig’s possessions as collateral.

Article 3: Anna Maria shall renounce her Hessian inheritance rights on the basis of the Hessian inheritance alliance with Saxony. She may accept whatever is bequeathed to her by the family.

Article 4: If the entire House of Hesse should die out, Anna Maria shall inherit everything to which she is legally entitled as heiress.

Article 5: Morning gift of 3,000 guilders and 150 guilders hereditary pension.

Article 6: Schwalbach Castle shall be the dower residence. List of properties that are to provide 1,200 guilders per annum for maintenance. If the office does not generate enough income, the Merenberg office shall make up the shortfall.

Article 7: Should Wilhelm and Anna Maria choose Kirchheim as their dower residence, it shall provide 1,200 guilders per annum for maintenance. Regulations governing hunting grounds and hunting rights are laid down. Albrecht shall also pay Anna Maria taxes, including 375 guilders per annum.

Article 8: Wilhelm wishes to examine the dower before the marriage. Current and future officials shall henceforth pay homage to Anna Maria. Should Anna Maria take up her dower, the subjects shall pay homage to her, just as they do to Ludwig.

Article 9: The office of Kirchheim shall be furnished as a dower residence.

Article 10: Should the dower be burdened with debts, Anna Maria shall have nothing to do with them.

Article 11: Should parts of the dower be sold or otherwise lost, Anna Maria shall be provided with appropriate compensation.

Article 12: As there are several fiefs, the feudal lord shall be asked for permission, which shall be given to Anna Maria in writing. Anna Maria may appoint pastors there, but all other ecclesiastical and knightly fiefs are subject to Albrecht or his heirs.

Article 13: When Anna Maria takes possession of her dower, she shall leave her subjects in peace, both spiritually and temporally, with their freedoms, rights and justices. Albrecht and his heirs reserve the right to perform acts of homage, with all the consequences that this entails. Should the dower be damaged, Anna Maria shall receive compensation. Albrecht assures that Anna Maria is under his protection and patronage.

Article 14: Anna Maria shall not place the dower under the protection or control of anyone else.

Article 15: Should Ludwig die and there be heirs who are still minors, they shall be given a guardian. Anna Maria shall retire to her dower residence. Wilhelm shall provide support for the dower; Albrecht or his son shall provide clothing, jewels and jewellery. Anna Maria shall also receive 2,000 guilders from her mother’s estate and a pension of 100 guilders from the salt works at Soden, as well as her gold and silver tableware. She shall also receive an allocation of grain. Everything shall be furnished with household goods befitting her status.

Article 16: Should Anna Maria remarry, she shall receive 12,000 guilders in marriage money and 12,000 guilders in dowry, but must leave the dower. If Albrecht or his heirs are unable to pay the 12,000 guilders in compensation, Anna Maria shall receive 600 guilders for the rest of her life.

Article 17: Anna Maria may draw on the 12,000 guilders in marriage money, 12,000 guilders in compensation and paraphernalia money. After her death, the money shall be paid to her heirs.

Article 18: Should Anna Maria have children with her new husband, the 24,000 guilders in marriage and paraphernalia money, and whatever else she may possess, shall be divided equally among all the children. The 12,000 guilders dowry shall go to Ludwig’s children with Anna Maria. Should Anna Maria have no children with Ludwig, the 24,000 guilders marriage and paraphernalia money shall go to the children from the second marriage. If there are no children, the 24,000 guilders shall be returned to Wilhelm or his heirs. The dower shall remain in the possession of Albrecht. Anna Maria’s other possessions go to her heirs. The dower residence is pledged as security for the payment of the paraphernalia money. Subjects are to obey Wilhelm for as long as he lives.

Article 19: Should Anna Maria die without issue, Ludwig may keep the 24,000 guilders in marriage and paraphernalia money for the rest of his life. When Ludwig dies, the money shall pass to Wilhelm or his heirs. The castle and office [not specified which] shall be pledged as security in case of reversion, and officials and servants shall be sworn in and obliged to this effect.

Article 20: Further mention of the morning gift. Anna Maria shall receive 150 guilders from the offices of Kirchheim or Merenberg. If these offices are unable to raise the money, she shall obtain it from other offices. Anna Maria may dispose of it freely. Should Anna Maria die without issue, the morning gift shall revert to Albrecht or his heirs; with issue, it shall go to them.

Article 21: Anna Maria may dispose of jewellery, treasures, silverware, etc., which she received for her marriage or otherwise, as she wishes. If Anna Maria dies, these possessions shall be divided among her children in capita. What Ludwig gives to his wife shall be divided among the children of their marriage. If Anna Maria dies without children, half of the possessions shall revert to Wilhelm and half shall remain with Ludwig.

Article 22: Should Ludwig incur debts, Anna Maria shall be exempt from them. Debts incurred by Anna Maria must be paid by her heirs.

Article 23: Should either of the spouses die before the marriage, this contract shall be invalid.

Article 24: The contract and marriage vows shall be certified.

Confessional regulations

Article 13: Anna Maria shall leave the subjects spiritually and secularly in their freedoms, rights and justices.

Regulations on inheritance law

Article 3: Anna Maria shall renounce her Hessian inheritance claims on the basis of the Hessian inheritance alliance with Saxony. She may accept what is bequeathed to her by the family.

Article 4: If the entire House of Hesse should die out, Anna Maria shall inherit everything to which she is legally entitled as heiress.

Commentary

The original contract is not divided into articles.

References

• Archive copy: HStAM Urk. 3 Nr. 167
• Contract language archive copy: German

Recommended citation

Dynastische Eheverträge der frühen Neuzeit. Contract No. 5. Philipps University of Marburg. Available online at https://dynastische-ehevertraege.online.uni-marburg.de/en/vertraege/5.html.

@misc{ Dynastische Ehevertr{“a}ge der fr{”u}hen Neuzeit, 
title = {Dynastische Ehevertr{“a}ge der fr{”u}hen Neuzeit: Contract No. 5},
 url = {https://dynastische-ehevertraege.online.uni-marburg.de/en/vertraege/5.html}
}