The Act of 1894 on Marriage Law in the Successor States of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy

Abstract

Act XXXI of 1894 on Marriage Law abolished the system of the marriage courts of several churches in Hungary, introduced compulsory civil marriage and made the jurisdiction of marriages the task of civil courts. It unified and placed Hungarian marriage law on a new basis.

During the First World War, the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy was dissolved, and the peace treaties redrew the borders of the countries in the region. This elementary reorganisation also affected the basic personal and economic relations in society. The Treaty of Trianon also created chaos on the field of marriage law. Within the new national borders, it led to major interpersonal and inter-territorial conflicts over the applicable law between territories. This study examines the impact of Hungarian marriage law on the development of the law in the surrounding countries.