Instytucja małżeństwa w świetle intercyz przedślubnych w okresie staropolskim.

Abstract

Prenuptial agreements provide us with much information on legaland moral aspects of constracting marriage. A premariitial agreement defined the marriage portion given to a woman on her marriage and the length of time permitted for repayment. The future husband's obligations assumed  towards his wife were also descrebed accurately. The prenuptial agreements, accompanied by other family dociments such as a life estate or a testament, throw light not only on a matter of certain terms regarding women entering into marriage but also on actual fultilment of the obligations imposed by prenuptal agreements. The lien, the signatures  of numerous wintesses  and the offer (oblatus) might lead to the conclusion that premarital agreements were treated in all seriouseness. With changing times and legal religious requirements, the marriage contract was broken down into several parts: one of them was a  pre-marriage engagment which turned to be an occasion to made a list of premarital agreements valid for both sides.