Two Greek-Language Pre-marriage Contracts from Arbanasi, Veliko Tarnovo District

This publication presents two Greek-language pre-marriage contracts fromfund 963K – Trade House “Brothers Rusovich” – Arbanasi village, which are stored in the Archives State Agency – Veliko Tarnovo. They refer to the marriage between Atanas Dimitrov Rusovich and the daughter of Georgi Hadji Iliya – Maria. They were made in Arbanasi on October 25, 1859. One was made on behalf of the bride’s father and the other on behalf of the groom – Atanas Rusovich. The pre-marriage contracts presented in this publication are composed in the same way following a certain pattern, according to the dominant Orthodox traditions at that time, beginning with the glory of God and praying to the Mother of God for the blessing ofthe marriage. The document, written on behalf of Georgi Hadji Iliya, describes in detail the dowry he gives to his daughter, and in the one prepared by Atanas Rusovich are mentioned the premarital gifts he makes to his future wife. In the final part of both documents, again in the spirit of the traditions of the epoch, the significance of the parents’ blessing for the marriage is emphasized. The contracts have been confirmed by witnesses, including clergymen. The historical sources presented in this publication provide information on the one hand, about the property status and living standards of the people on whose behalf they are composed, and on the other hand, about the customs and mentality of our ancestors from the middle of the 19th century