Marriage without Contracts in Romanian Society (18th and 19th Centuries)
Marriage without Contracts in Romanian Society (18th and 19th Centuries)

Summary/Abstract: The present paper is an attempt at assessing the importance of dotal documents in the reconstruction of matrimonial practices. Nuptial contracts proper were not used in old-regime Romanian society. The reforms and modernising programs of the 19th Century did not introduce the use of nuptial contracts, but expanded the format of dowry documents. Initially a simple, basic inventory, the dowry paper expands into a number of ‘rubrics’ meant to strengthen its legal value in court hearings, but also to clarify a series of other aspects such as the price of items and lands, the confirmation of the son-in-law, the agreement of the parents, the authentication by a juridical instance, etc. - additional features which were meant to protect a woman’s wealth.

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