"Supplication for the quickest possible conclusion". Analysis of source materials regarding magnate pre-wedding negotiations (example of the marriage of Teresa Barbara Radziwiłł with Józef Scipion del Campo)

The presented research is based on source materials regarding magnate pre-wedding negotiations. The handwritten notes were made on the occasion of the second marriage of Józef Scipion del Campo (died 1743), the Lithuanian court marshal, with Teresa Barbara née Radziwiłł (died 1780). The subject of the analysis are preserved documents revealing a number of legal and property-related problems that determined the process of the pre-wedding negotiations. Scipion del Campo sought to tie the knot with the wealthy daughter of Mikołaj Faustyn Radziwiłł, counting on tangible benefits that could be brought to him by the affinity with the influential family. The analysis of the unique source materials has made it possible to trace the negotiation process preceding the marriage, along with the identification of the most important problem points. The preserved documents prove that it was possible to change the final arrangements (dowry, annuity, some economical aspects). The analysis significantly enriches knowledge about the matrimonial policy implemented in the noble circles of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth