Morganatic Marriage

Morganatic marriage. The lawful and inseparable conjunction of a man of noble or illustrious birth with a woman of inferior station, upon condition that neither the wife nor her children shall partake of the titles, arms, or dignity of the husband, or succeed to his inheritance, but be contented with a certain allowed rank assigned to them by the morganatic contract. But since these restrictions relate only to the rank of the parties and succession to property, without affecting the nature of a matrimonial engagement, it must be considered as a just marriage. The marriage ceremony was regularly performed; the union was indissoluble; the children legitimate. This connection was very usual in Europe; but there is not proof that the concubines of Charlemagne and the early kings of France were wives of this description, nor is there occasion to resort to that supposition in defence of their conduct, since the state of concubinage itself was little inferior to this in the public estimation; See Croke's Introd. To Horner v. Liddiard, pp. 115-117, A.D. 1800.