Three Wedding Journeys, Three Financial Records: Logistics, Court, Princess’s Agency

Through a close reading of account books related to the three mid-sixteenth-century wedding journeys—of Sophie of Jagiellon (1522–1575), Elizabeth of Habsburg (1554–1592), and Anne of Habsburg (1549–1580)—this study examines the overall financing of the bridal transfer, including paying the retinue, provisions, and logistical issues, while also investigating the economic agency of the princely brides in early modern Europe. In the first part, the article offers a brief typology of financial arrangements between the matrimonial parties and then discusses third-party involvement, in the form of the free-of-cost hosting of the princesses. Moving into the second part, the study analyses the salaries of the entourage members and sheds light on travel-related details, such as food or navigation. Based on the financial records, the last part scrutinises the princesses’ activity, arguing that these women were active agents, entering into a dialogue with people they encountered. This was expressed in remuneration for overnight stays, services, gifts, or alms for the poor or new-born children.