„Nie masz w tym nic osobliwego: ożenił się równy z równą”. Ślub Jana Klemensa Branickiego z Izabelą Poniatowską – ujęcie prawnomajątkowe

Abstract

The article presents legal and property regulations related to magnate marriages. The study was conducted on the basis of the wedding of Jan Klemens Branicki and Izabela Poniatowska, which took place on November 19, 1748. A week before the ceremony, two families concluded a premarital agreement, the provisions of which were immediately implemented in practice. Three days after the wedding, Stanisław Poniatowski and Konstancja Poniatowska of the Czartoryski family paid PLN 400,000 as their daughter’s dowry. In turn, Izabela Branicka of the Poniatowski family waived all further claims from her parents (abrenunciation). The Hetman promised to give the wife a wedding gift of PLN 100,000, which was paid in 1749. The bride also received marriage “equipment”, i.e. movables (clothes, jewels, furniture) of the estimated value amounting to PLN 100,000, which were handed over by her grandmother – Izabela (Elżbieta) Czartoryska of the Morsztyn family. However, the most important civil law act was a mutual annuity contract on their entire movable and immovable property. On November 22, 1748, immediately after receiving the dowry, Jan Klemens Branicki officially confirmed his wife’s marriage contribution (reformatio). The husband secured the amount contained in the dowry with his Podlasie real estate, i.e. Bialystok, Choroszcz and Tykocin, and all movable property. In addition to the dowry, he gave his wife dotalitium of a total amount of PLN 800,000.