Can anyone tell me about marriage contracts in 18th & 19th centuries in Europe?

Question

For example, what is included in it? What happens when it is breached? etc...

Answer 1

Hey Accent,

That is a difficult question. Here is some information from Wikipedia.

A morganatic marriage is a type of marriage which can be contracted in certain countries, usually between persons of unequal social rank (unebenbürtig in German), which prevents the passage of the husband's titles and privileges to the wife and any children born of the marriage. Other terms used are morganic [1], and left-handed marriage [2] (because in the wedding ceremony the groom held his bride's right hand with his left hand instead of his right). 1


The benefits and burdens which marriage confers, as well as the ways in which they are shared between the partners, also differ widely. Access to divorce remains difficult or impossible in some polities; in some countries, sexual relations outside marriage (adultery), as a breach of the marriage contract, are punishable in criminal law. Marriage is often an unequal contract, in which one partner is deprived of rights before the law, or surrenders those rights to the other partner; in some cases, it is an involuntary contract, which can be affirmed against the will of one of the parties--usually the woman. 2