Judgment of King Sigismund I the Old in the trade dispute between the Lviv burghers and the suburban Jews

SIGISMUND, by the grace of God, King of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania, Ruthenia, Prussia, Masovia, etc., Lord and Heir. We make known by the tenor of this [document] to all whom it may concern, that when our councilors and burghers of Lviv summoned before our presence and to this general diet of the kingdom, by our letters of summons, the Jews living in the Lviv Suburb, and complained against them that they engage in all manner of trade and every kind of commerce, intercepting the profits and benefits of said burghers to their great harm and detriment, contrary to the privileges and laws graciously granted to the city of Lviv itself and its inhabitants by our predecessors, in which it was sufficiently stipulated and provided that the Jews themselves living in the suburbs of the same city of Lviv, just as other suburbanites of any rite, should not and could not engage in any trade, which was permitted only to the burghers living in the city, as they themselves bear and endure all municipal burdens, requesting that they be maintained in these same ancient privileges and laws. On the other hand, the said suburban Jews showed before us a new privilege issued to them by us, in which it was permitted, allowed, and granted to them that they might freely, without anyone's hindrance, trade and conduct commerce, without any limitation or moderation, just as the Jews in the city of Lviv itself are accustomed to trade and conduct commerce, begging us earnestly that we, out of our royal grace, might deign to leave them in that ability to trade freely. We, having looked into the laws of both sides and considering that the privilege of the Lviv burghers is significantly older than that of the suburban Jews, to whom we gave that [privilege] not knowing of the privilege granted to the burghers by our predecessors, and having considered that in our own privilege issued to these same suburban Jews nothing at all was detracted from it, and at the same time having greater (as is fitting and proper) regard for the general body of burghers and merchants of our aforementioned city of Lviv, for whose repair, fortification, and preservation they bear numerous burdens, and wishing to care for their benefits so that they might more easily bear these burdens and earn their livelihood, we have judged that it should be preserved, and we have preserved, and by the tenor of this document we preserve, with the advice and consent of our councilors of both estates gathered at this general diet, the Lviv burghers themselves in their documents and the privilege granted to them, as said above, by our predecessors, which stipulates and forbids that Jews, Armenians, and other people from the suburbs of any rite conduct any trade permitted exclusively to the inhabitants of the city. As for the privilege which the said suburban Jews obtained from us later for their free trade, we have considered and do consider it as obtained deceitfully and secretly, to the harm and detriment of the Lviv burghers themselves, and we have decreed that it should be deprived of force and all its effects, and indeed canceled, annulled, and invalidated, and we have deprived it of force, canceled, annulled, and invalidated it, and we also deprive it of force, cancel, annul, and invalidate it, and we forbid the same suburban Jews of Lviv the ability to trade, just as it is forbidden and prohibited to other people of any rite living there in the suburbs. However, because these same Jews living in the Lviv suburbs, trusting in that aforementioned, canceled privilege obtained by them against the laws and the hitherto constantly applied and approved customs of the Lviv burghers themselves, believing that it would forever retain its unshakable force, erected at great expense there in Lviv in the suburbs numerous buildings, also contracted great debts on account of goods and things taken on credit, and by them not yet sold, but also have not yet collected their dues from their debtors, therefore they humbly asked us that we, having gracious regard for this, might deign out of our special royal grace to extend their former ability to trade for a few more years. We, wishing to come to the aid in the above out of our grace to these same aforementioned suburban Jews and to relieve them, at the intercession of some of our lords councilors, have granted them and allowed them such grace, that from now on for two full years they may still freely trade in the manner described below: that is, in the first year, counting from the date of this document, in all goods without any exception, and in the second year, immediately and directly following, exclusively in the four goods described in the letter of our moderation issued at the diet in Piotrków in the year one thousand five hundred and twenty-one for other Jews living in the city of Lviv. After the expiration of these two years, never in the future, neither with those four things nor with any other goods, will they be able or should they engage in trade by virtue of this our judgment. In testimony of which, our seal has been affixed to this document. Done and given in Kraków at the general diet on the Wednesday next after the Sunday of Laetare, in the year of our Lord one thousand five hundred and twenty-seven, in the twenty-first year of our reign. [Note on the left:] Piotr, Bishop of Płock and Deputy Chancellor, signed with his own hand. [Chancery note on the right:] Relation of the most reverend father in Christ, Lord Piotr Tomicki, Bishop of Kraków and Deputy Chancellor of the Kingdom of Poland. [Verso:] [In red ink:] Second rubric, letter B, number 29. 2. B. 29. [Notes from the 16th–18th centuries:] Ordinance for the Jews [?], after two years loss [?], they should not trade permanently 1527 N: s: 7. to bundle 257 [Scribal/chancery sign: monogram R] [Trace of the parchment seal strip]

SIGISMVNDVS dei gratia Rex Polonie, Magnus dux Lithvanie, Russie, Prussie, Masouie, etc. dominus et heres. Significamus tenore presentium, quibus expedit vniuersis, quia cum Consules et Ciues nostri Leopolien[ses] Judeos in Suburbio Leopolien[si] habitantes, ad nostram presentiam, et hunc Conventum regni generalem, per literas nostras citationis euocassent, et questi essent de illis, q[uod] ipsi quaslibet negociaciones, omniaque mismerczibus exercerent, ipsorumque Ciuium lucra et comoditates prepererent, cum magna iactura et detrimento illorum, et contra priuilegia et iura, ipsi Ciuitati Leopolien[si], et eius incolis per predecessores nostros graciose concessa, quibus sufficienter cautum esset et prouisum, q[uod] ipsi iudei in Suburbiis eiusdem Ciuitatis Leopolien[sis] manen[tes], ita ut alii Suburbani cuiuscunq[ue] ritus, non debeant, nec possint aliquas negociaciones exercere, que tantummodo essent permisse ciuibus in ciuitate degen[t]ibus, Siquidem ipsi soli omnia onera ciuilia ferrent atq[ue] obirent, petentesque se in eisdem priuilegiis et iuribus antiquis conseruari, Ex altera vero parte predicti Judei Suburbani, nouum priuilegium, per nos illis comissum, coram nobis exhibuißent, quo illis indultum, admissum, et concessum est, vt possint libere absque cuiusuis impedimento mercari et negociari, absque ullo prescripto et moderatione, ita ut Judei in Ciuitate ipsa Leopoliensi mercari et negociari solent, Supplicantes eciam nobis enixe, ut in ea facultate libere negociandi, eos relinquere de benignitate nostra regia dignaremur. Nos conspectis Juribus earundem partium, ac considerantes priuilegium ciuium Leopolien[sium] esse longe vetustius, q[uod] Judeorum Suburbanorum, quibus id dederamus, de ipso priuilegio per nostros predecessores ciuibus concesso, ignorantes, eiq[ue] in nullo prorsus, in ipso priuilegio nostro pro eisdem Judeis Suburbanis emanato, derogatum esse perpendentes simul ac habentes maiorem (uti par et decens est) rationem communium ciuium et mercatorum predicte Ciuitatis nostre Leopolien[sis], pro cuius reparacione, municione, et conseruacione, ipsi multa onera sustinent, eorumq[ue] commoditatibus prospicere volentes, quo facilius eadem onera sustineant, et victum sibi querant, conseruandos esse duximus et conseruauimus, ac harum Serie literarum conseruamus de consilio et assensu Consiliariorum nostrorum vtriusque Status, in hoc Conventu generali congregatorum, ipsos Ciues Leopolien[ses] in eorum literis et priuilegio, per predecessores nostros, vt prefertur, ipsis concesso, quod disponit et prohibet, ne Judei, ac Armeni, et alii homines suburbani cuiuscunq[ue] ritus, aliquas negociaciones exerceant, incolis duntaxat Ciuitatis permissas, priuilegiumq[ue], quod dicti iudei suburbani, a nobis posterius super eorum libera negociacione impetrarunt, pro Surrepticie et tacite in damnum et preiudicium ipsorum ciuium Leopolien[sium] obtento, reputauimus et reputamus, illudq[ue] robore et omnibus viribus suis debilitandum, imo caßandum extinguendum et abolendum censuimus, debilitauimusq[ue], cassauimus extinguimus et aboleuimus, ac debilitamus, caßamus, extinguimus, et abolemus, eisdemq[ue] Judeis Suburbanis Leopolien[sibus], facultatem negociandi interdicimus, ita ut aliis hominibus cuiuslibet ritus, in Suburbiis illic manentibus est interdicta et prohibita. Quia vero hii ipsi iudei in suburbiis Leopolien[sibus] commorantes, freti memorato eorum priuilegio cassato contra iura et consuetudines, assiduo hactenus vsi approbatas, ipsorum ciuium Leopolien[sium] per eos obtento, credentes, id in suo firmo robore perpetuo mansuru[m], plurima edificia magno impendio illic Leopoli in Suburbiis fecerunt, multa eciam debita pro rebus et mercibus illis creditis, et per ipsos non dum venditis contraxerunt, sed et debita sua ab eorum debitoribus hactenus non extraxerunt, Nobis humiliter propterea supplicarunt, vt benignam horum racionem habentes, illis adhuc ad aliquot annos, pristinam eorum negociandi facultatem prorogare ex speciali gratia nostra regia dignaremur, Volentes nos in premissis eisdem iudeis Suburbanis predictis, gratia nostra subuenire, eosq[ue] releuare, ipsis ad intercessionem quorundam Consiliariorum nostrorum, talem gratiam concessimus et permisimus, q[uod] ab hinc ad duos annos int[eg]ros, possint adhuc libere negociari modo infrascripto, primo videlicet anno a data presentium literarum computando, omnigenis mercibus nullis excipiendo, Secundo vero anno, extunc proxime et immediate sequenti, quatuor duntaxat rebus in literis moderationis nostre, in Conventu piotrcouien[si], anno millesimo quingentesimo vigesimo primo, aliis iudeis in Ciuitate Leopoliensi manentibus facte descriptis. Expiratis vero his duobus annis, nunquam deinceps, nec eisdem quatuor rebus, nec vllis aliis mercibus negociaciones exercere poterint nec debebunt, hoc decreto nostro mediante. Harum quibus sigillum nostrum est appensum testimonio literarum. Actum et datum Cracouie in Conventu generali feria quarta proxima post dominicam Letare, Anno domini Millesimo quingentesimo vigesimo septimo, Regni n[ost]ri vigesimoprimo. [Nota po lewej:] Petrus Ep[iscopu]s Ploc[ensis] et Vicecancella[rius] ss. [Nota kanclerska po prawej:] Relatio Reverendissimi in Christo patris Domini Petri Thomicki Episcopi Cracovien[sis] et Regni polonie vicecancellarii. [Verso:] [Czerwonym atramentem:] Rubrica Secunda Litt. B. Nro 29. 2. B. 29. [Noty z XVI–XVIII w.:] Judeis ordiantion[?] post lapsum duorum annorum [amissum?] perpetue mercari nō debet 1527 N: s: 7. ad Fasc. 257 [Znak pisarski/kancelaryjny: monogram R] [Ślad po pasku pergaminowym pieczęci]