Pratiques de la dot en France au XIXe siècle

The Dowry as Seen in Texts and in the Workings ofthe Civil Code. The dowry-which was shaped by, though it antedated, Roman Law, and was distinct from, and perhaps even in contradiction with, matrimonial compensations paid by the husband in other cultures (it was, however, momentarily supplanted by such compensations in the West)—has often been considered by jurists to be an instrument of succession strategy which worked to women 's disadvantage. But a dowry was also an instrument of matrimonial strategy benefitting the two families involved in any given marriage. The 19th century, with its Civil Code legislation, is a especially propitious period for studying the slippage which took place allowing one aspect to prevail over the other. During this same period, dowries became less and less frequent although the sums involved reached new highs.Laroche-Gisserot Florence. Pratiques de la dot en France au XIXe siècle. In: Annales. Économies, Sociétés, Civilisations. 43ᵉ année, N. 6, 1988. pp. 1433-1452