A History of Matrimonial Institutions, Vol. 1 of 3

by George Elliott Howard

Conditional espousals were recognized by the canon law: for England see Swinburne, Of Spousals, 109-53, where the many intricate questions connected with conditional contracts are discussed with much learning; and in general the monograph of Riedler, Bedingte Eheschliessung (Kempten, 1892).

With Luther's views regarding conditional betrothal compare those of Melanchthon, "De conjugio," Opera omnia, I, pars ii, 232; Schneidewin, De nuptiis, tit. x, "De spons.," pars i, 32-38; Beust, De spons. et mat., secs. xviii, xix; Kling, Tr. mat. causarum, foll. 73 ff.; Brouwer, De jure con., 188-204. For discussion see Schleusner, "Zu den Anfängen des prot. Eherechts," ZKG., VI, 402-5; Scheurl, "Zur Geschichte des kirch. Eheschliessungsr.," ibid., XV, 69, 70; idem, Das gemein. deutsche Eherecht, 368-70; Richardus, De cond. sponsaliorum impossibilibus, 29 ff., passim; Richter, Lehrbuch, 1061 ff., 1200; and especially the excellent historical paper of Phillips, "Das Ehehinderniss der beigefügten Bedingung," ZKR., V, VI, 153 ff., reviewing the literature of the subject from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century; Schott, Einleit. in das Eherecht, 199 ff.

[1167] For a collection of the writings of Luther on precontracts or betrothals see Strampff, 287-334; especially the extract from the Von Ehesachen, 334, where breach of troth is made equivalent to adultery.

[1168] The passages of Luther's works on parental consent, with an introductory note, are collected in Strampff, 299-325. Compare Beust, De spons. et mat., 201-10; Melanchthon, "De conjugio," Opera omnia, I, pars ii, 231; Bullinger, Der Christlich Ehestand, lvs. 11 ff., 14, 15; Kling, Tr. mat. causarum, foll. 77 ff.; Schneidewin, De nuptiis, tit. x, "De nupt. licitis," pars ii, secs. 29 ff.; Brenz, "Wie yn Ehesachen ... zu Handeln," in Sarcerius, Vom heil. Ehestande, foll. 69 ff.; Mentzer, De conjugio tr., 136-50, 153; Bidembach, De causis mat. tract., 3 ff., 15 ff.; Forster, De nuptiis, 145 ff., 149 ff. (the law of Saxony requiring); Brouwer, De jure connubiorum, 71 ff., 76 ff., 80 ff.

All authorities, seemingly, are agreed that a parent may not rightly force a child to marry; see Bullinger, Der christlich Ehestand, lvs. 15, 16; Schneidewin, De nupt., tit. x, "De nupt. licitis," pars. ii, secs. 41, 42; Sarcerius, Vom heil. Ehestande, foll. 73 ff.; 96 ff. (Luther); Mentzer, De conjugio tr., 253-55; Bidembach, De causis mat., 25-27; Boehmer, De mat. coacto; and the literature on parental consent described in Bibliographical Note IX.

[1169] In his "Von Ehesachen" (1530), Bücher und Schriften, V, 247, he says directly that a public betrothal, that is a marriage, not followed by copula should yield to an earlier secret betrothal cum copula. It is argued, however, that by "secret" he means a betrothal without witnesses, but with consent of the parents: Friedberg, Eheschliessung, 209 n. 2, 210 n. 1; Sohm, Eheschliessung, 206 n. 16. Luther's "Von Ehesachen," Bücher und Schriften, V, 237-57, is mainly devoted to a discussion of secret and public betrothals.

As a matter of fact, I find the consistory court of Wittenberg dissolving a betrothal for lack of parental consent: Schleusner, Anfänge des protest. Eherechts, 137. In another interesting case a girl was persuaded by her lover to marry him without the consent of her mother or step-father, but saying: "I would not, however, offend my dear mother." The two clerical judges held the contract to be conditioned on getting the mother's consent, and therefore void, since the condition had not been fulfilled and the law of Saxony forbade marriages without parental consent. The two lay judges, however, held the contract binding, because the girl's father being dead, to whom real authority belonged, she was free to marry whom she chose. The case was referred to Luther and another person as arbiters. Luther, in opposition to his associate, held the marriage void because conditional and a violation of the fourth commandment, and the court accepted his opinion: Schleusner, op. cit., 138, 139.

[1170] The consistory court of Wittenberg declared a public betrothal legal as opposed to an earlier secret engagement: see the case in Schleusner, Anfänge des protest. Eherechts, 140; and for other cases cf. ibid., 145, 146.

[1171] On espousals, especially clandestine contracts, compare Schneidewin, De nuptiis, tit. x, "De spons.," pars. i, secs. 1 ff., 21 ff.; Beust, Tr. de spons. et mat., 1 ff., 12 ff., 27 ff. (sponsalia clandestina); Kling, Tr. mat. causarum, lvs. 1 ff., 6 ff., 68 ff. (sponsalia clandestina); Sarcerius, Vom heil. Ehestande, foll. 67 ff., 91 ff., 73 ff. (Luther); Mentzer, De conjugio tr., 156 ff., 168 ff.; Bidembach, De causis mat. tr., 3 ff., 29-35; Forster, De nuptiis, 52 ff.; Brouwer, De jure connubiorum, 9 ff., 100 ff.; and the literature on sponsalia mentioned in Bibliographical Note IX.

For discussion see Scheurl, Die Entwick. des kirch. Eheschliessungsrechts, 130 ff., 140 ff.; Schubert, Die evang. Trauung, 44 ff.; Cremer, Kirch. Trauung, 68-71; Dieckhoff, Die Kirch. Trauung, 189 ff., 212 ff., 221 ff.; Richter, Lehrbuch, 1121, 1194 ff.; Friedberg, Lehrbuch, 295, 296, 337-59; Loy, Das protest. Eherecht, 425 ff., 437 ff., 445, 447 ff.; Hofmann, Handbuch des teutschen Eherechts, 27 ff., 143, 146 ff.; Schott, Einleitung in das Eherecht, 174 ff., 182 ff., 193; Sohm, Eheschliessung, 197-249.