Marriage,Family Size,and Inheritance Among Hessian Nobles,1650-1900

Abstract

European nobilities generally relied upon primogeniture to preserve their landholdings and often also developed systems of family controls to limit the number of marriages and the size of families. But what about nobilities that prac ticed neither primogeniture nor strict family controls? Did they quickly fall prey to overpopulation and impoverishment? This study of the landed nobility of Hesse- Kassel examines the interrelationship of marriage patterns, demographic change, and inheritance systems and shows that less rigid systems of inheritance and family controls could also be effective in preserving landholdings while at the same time reducing the danger of family extinction.