Morganatic refers to a marriage between a royal or noble and a person of inferior rank, where the latter's status and their children's inheritance rights remain unchanged. The term originates from the 'morning gift' given to the bride, which was often the extent of her entitlement.
Morganatic describes a marriage between royalty/nobility and someone of lower rank where the lower-ranking spouse's status does not change and their children cannot inherit titles or property. The term originally referred to the morning gift a husband gave his bride, signifying it was the extent of her inheritance.
| Back | morganatic \mor-guh-NAT-ik\ |
|---|---|
| Front | adjective Of, relating to, or being a marriage between a member of a royal or noble family and a person of inferior rank, in which the rank of the inferior partner remains unchanged and the children of the marriage do not succeed to the titles, fiefs, or entailed property of the partner of higher rank. [The deprivations imposed on the lower-ranking spouse by a morganatic marriage may seem like a royal pain in the neck, and yet the word "morganatic" comes from a word for a marriage benefit. New Latin "morganatica," a term based on Middle High German's "morgen" ("morning"), means "morning gift." It refers to a gift that a new husband traditionally gave to his bride on the morning after the consummation of their marriage. So why was the New Latin phrase "matrimonium ad morganaticam," which means literally "marriage with morning gift," the term for a morganatic marriage? Because it was just that — the wife got the morning gift, but that's all she was entitled to of her husband's possessions.] "Nicholas [Sheremetev] was severely punished by society and his friends for his morganatic marriage, which was regarded as class treason." - Simon Sebag; The Serf Who Married Her Owner; The Telegraph (London, UK); Jun 20, 2008. |
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