On Thu, 29 Jan 2004, Mark A Mandel wrote:
>
>#"MORGANTIC MARRIAGE - During the middle ages, there was an
>
>Note that it's "morgan<a>tic". You were lucky that The 'Lectric Law
>Library's Lexicon misspelled it in the same way you did. Google gives me
>44 hits for this spelling, vs. about 2,270 for the correct one.
>
The OED confirms this, and offers the following bit of etymology:
[ad. mod.L. morganaticus (whence G. morganatisch, F. morganatique,
It. morganatico, etc.) evolved from the med.L. phrase matrimonium
ad morganaticam, where the last word is prob. synonymous with
morganaticum MORNING-GIFT, f. OHG. morgan (= MORN) in *morgangeba
morning-gift (morganegiba in Gregory of Tours, 6th c.; MHG.
morgengâbe). The literal meaning of the term 'morganatic
marriage' (matrimonium ad morganaticam) is, as is explained in a
16th c. passage quoted by Du Cange, a marriage by which the wife
and the children that may be born are entitled to no share in the
husband's possessions beyond the 'morning-gift'.]
The distinctive epithet of that kind of marriage by which a
man of exalted rank takes to wife a woman of lower station, with
the provision that she remain in her former rank, and that the
issue of the marriage have no claim to succeed to the possessions
or dignities of their father; also, occasionally, used to
designate the marriage, under similar conditions, of a woman of
exalted rank to a man of inferior station. Hence morganatic
husband, wife.
A morganatic marriage is sometimes called a 'left-handed
marriage' (G. Ehe zur linkenhand), because in the ceremony the
bridegroom gave the bride his left hand instead of his right. The
latter term is sometimes used in a wider sense, for the
matrimonium inæquale of German law, in which, though the spouse of
inferior rank was not elevated, the children retained the rights
of succession.