Marriage contract no. 99: Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorf - Schweden

Contract content

[Pre] – Marriage proposal announced: by the groom’s mother – Consent of the bride’s brother and bride announced – Marriage agreed

1 – Marriage agreed – Lutheran religious practice of the bride assured – Lutheran upbringing of children arranged

2 – Dowry determined – Cash payment instead of trousseau determined

3 – Donatio propter nuptias determined, interest regulated

4 – Morning gift determined, payment regulated: together with interest on the donatio propter nuptias, for the maintenance of the bride during the marriage

5 – Mortgage prescription of maintenance payments for the bride assured

6 – Morning gift regulated: payment of capital from the morning gift to the bride after the death of the groom guaranteed

7 – Bride’s household regulated: maintenance and appointment of servants regulated

8-9 – Widow’s income; widow’s property and residence determined: rights of use regulated, plus interest on the morning gift

10 – Possible improvement of widow’s property, deed of prescription guaranteed

11 – Maintenance of children regulated: independent of widow’s income – Lutheran upbringing of children specified – Trousseau for daughters guaranteed: independent of widow’s income

12 – Bride’s disposal of trousseau money and accrued gains guaranteed: inheritance regulated

13 – Trousseau of widow’s residence regulated

14 – Widow’s property regulated: oath of allegiance and homage of officials and subjects to bride regulated, legal status of subjects regulated, rights of sovereignty reserved, noble services to bride regulated

15 – Widow’s property regulated: remuneration and appointment of officials regulated

16 – Widow’s property regulated: appointment of pastors and teachers according to Gottorf church regulations, regulated, sovereign church authority reserved, Lutheran pastors prescribed – appointment of court preacher to the bride regulated: after examination by Gottorf church authorities

17 – Widow’s property regulated: disclosure to third parties, transfer to third parties, alliances with third parties prohibited, preservation regulated

18 – Widow’s property regulated: compensation for loss of use regulated

19 – Widow’s property regulated: exchange regulated – bride’s disposal of accrued gains regulated: right to make a will guaranteed

20-22 – in the event of the bride’s second marriage or the bride’s departure abroad as a widow: Redemption of widow’s property regulated by payment of dowry and morning gift, interest on donatio propter nuptias regulated, inheritance of dowry and morning gift, if applicable, to children from first and second marriages regulated, transfer of widow’s property and delivery of deeds of bequest regulated

23 – Indemnity of widow’s property and morning gift from debt liability guaranteed

24-27 – Disposal of dowry during marriage regulated – after death of bride without surviving children: lifelong use of dowry by groom regulated, reversion of dowry and bride’s gains after death of groom regulated, repayment regulated

28 – Inheritance of dowry and bride’s accrued gains by surviving children regulated

29 – In the event of the death of the bride or groom before the wedding: nullity of the marriage contract agreed

30 – Compliance guaranteed

Confessional regulations

Lutheran religious practice of the bride assured – Lutheran upbringing of children regulated – 1

Lutheran upbringing of children stipulated – 11

Widow’s property regulated: appointment of pastors and teachers according to Gottorf church regulations, regulated, sovereign church authority reserved, Lutheran pastors prescribed – appointment of court preacher for the bride regulated: after examination by Gottorf church authorities – 16

Regulations on inheritance law

Disposal of the bride’s trousseau and marital gains guaranteed: inheritance regulated – 21

Disposal of the bride’s marital gains regulated: right to make a will guaranteed – 19

In the event of the bride’s second marriage or the bride’s departure abroad as a widow: inheritance of dowry and morning gift to children from first and second marriages regulated, if applicable - 20-22

Inheritance of dowry and marital gains of the bride to surviving children regulated - 28

Further contracts between contracting parties

Convention on the accession of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorf to the defensive alliance between Sweden, Brunswick-Lüneburg-Hanover and Brunswick-Lüneburg-Celle 10 March 1698

Literature

Hillenbrand, Markus; Fürstliche Eheverträge. Gottorfer Hausrecht 1544-1773, 1996, p. 63ff.

References

• Archive copy: RAS 25.1 Konungahusens urkunder, 42 Urkunder rörande hertig Fredriks af Holstein-Gottorp och prinsessan Hedvig Sofias giftermål 1698 – 1700, no. 42 a Marriage contract
• Contract language archive copy: German
• Digitalized archive copy: https://sok.riksarkivet.se/bildvisning/R0001254

Recommended citation

Dynastische Eheverträge der frühen Neuzeit. Contract No. 99. Philipps University of Marburg. Available online at https://dynastische-ehevertraege.online.uni-marburg.de/en/vertraege/99.html.

@misc{ Dynastische Ehevertr{“a}ge der fr{”u}hen Neuzeit, 
title = {Dynastische Ehevertr{“a}ge der fr{”u}hen Neuzeit: Contract No. 99},
 url = {https://dynastische-ehevertraege.online.uni-marburg.de/en/vertraege/99.html}
}