Index: xml/src/main/java/org/exolab/castor/xml/Marshaller.java
===================================================================
--- xml/src/main/java/org/exolab/castor/xml/Marshaller.java	(revision 8041)
+++ xml/src/main/java/org/exolab/castor/xml/Marshaller.java	(working copy)
@@ -295,7 +295,7 @@
         setContentHandler(new DocumentHandlerAdapter(handler));
 
         // call internal initializer
-        initialize();
+        initialize(null);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -333,7 +333,18 @@
         setContentHandler(contentHandler);
 
         // call internal initializer
-        initialize();
+        initialize(null);
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * The one {@link Marshaller} constructor that is used by {@link XMLContext} which
+     * sets an {@link InternalContext} that comes from outside. Writer or {@link ContentHandler}
+     * have to be set in a second step.
+     * @param internalContext the {@link InternalContext} to initialize the {@link Marshaller}
+     * instance with
+     */
+    public Marshaller(final InternalContext internalContext) {
+        initialize(internalContext);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -341,7 +352,7 @@
      * separately.
      */
     public Marshaller () {
-        initialize();
+        initialize(null);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -357,7 +368,7 @@
      * 
     **/
     public Marshaller(final Writer out) throws IOException {
-        initialize();
+        initialize(null);
         setWriter(out);
     }
 
@@ -419,7 +430,7 @@
         setContentHandler(new DocumentHandlerAdapter(new SAX2DOMHandler(node)));
 
         // call internal initializer
-        initialize();
+        initialize(null);
     }
     
     /**
@@ -435,11 +446,16 @@
     }
     
     /**
-     * Initializes this Marshaller. This is common code shared among the
-     * Constructors
+     * Either sets the internalContext as provided - or if null was provided it is
+     * set to a new instance of {@link BackwardCompatibilityContext}.
+     * @param internalContext the {@link InternalContext} to set
      */
-    private void initialize() {
-        setInternalContext(new BackwardCompatibilityContext());
+    private void initialize(final InternalContext internalContext) {
+        if (internalContext == null) {
+            setInternalContext(new BackwardCompatibilityContext());
+        } else {
+            setInternalContext(internalContext);
+        }
     }
 
   /**
Index: xml/src/main/java/org/exolab/castor/xml/XMLContext.java
===================================================================
--- xml/src/main/java/org/exolab/castor/xml/XMLContext.java	(revision 8041)
+++ xml/src/main/java/org/exolab/castor/xml/XMLContext.java	(working copy)
@@ -163,8 +163,7 @@
         if (LOG.isDebugEnabled()) {
             LOG.debug("Creating new Marshaller instance.");
         }
-        Marshaller marshaller = new Marshaller();
-        marshaller.setInternalContext(_internalContext);
+        Marshaller marshaller = new Marshaller(_internalContext);
         return marshaller;
     }