Umowy dożywocia jako forma zabezpieczenia materialnego szlachcianki w dawnej Polsce

Agreements of the life estate as the form of financial protecting the noblewoman in the old Poland

In the old Poland a lot of necessary documents were being drawn up during the contracting marriage. One of them it was providing for oneself the mutual life estate which it meant, that after death of one of spouses, second, could receive his wealth all the way to his death. It wasn't possible however to sell goods pas­sed for this purpose, to exchange or to rent, if were these are real estates. The life estate expired along with the death of the user or in the moment, when the widower or the widow decided on the next married couple. They were executing,the recalled recording, of the following day after the marriage ceremony or after a few weeks. The life estate constituted the financial security above all for the woman, because especially to the widow, it gave the material stability and the personal independence.