Verdict of King Sigismund I the Old in the dispute over the village of Czerkasy for the Lviv Chapter

Sigismund, by the grace of God, King of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania, Ruthenia, Prussia, and Masovia, etc., lord and heir. We make known by the tenor of this letter to all whom it may concern and who shall receive knowledge of this. That in accordance with the complaint of the noble Dymitr Czerkaski, also known by the nickname Tyrawa, who claimed that the village of Czerkasy was his hereditary property – which village of Czerkasy the most serene lord of holy memory Alexander, by the same grace King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, etc., our most beloved brother, donated by perpetual gift to the Chapter of the Metropolitan Church of Lviv, which donation we in turn confirmed to the said Lviv Chapter by our separate letter – because, however, the said Tyrawa Dymitr constantly claimed that it is his hereditary property, we [entrusted / commissioned?] certain commissioners of ours to examine this matter, [to investigate] whether the said noble Dymitr was indeed wronged by the very donation of our late brother and our confirmation. These commissioners of ours, having summoned the parties along with their rights and having heard the motions and responses of the parties, with the consent of the parties themselves, referred the same parties to us. Therefore, on the date [...], when the parties appeared before us, we found that the said Dymitr Tyrawa held the village of Czerkasy itself from his ancestors in [...] for two hundred grzywnas, [since] it had been pledged to his ancestors by the once most serene lord Švitrigaila, Grand Duke of Lithuania, with the consent of the late King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania of holy memory, our venerable parent, and finally, the said Lviv Chapter, having obtained the donation and our confirmation, before our said commissioners redeemed the same village of Czerkasy from the hands of the same noble Dymitr Tyrawa nearly twenty-nine years ago, and the said Dymitr acquitted them and acknowledged that satisfaction for the two hundred grzywnas had been made to him by the said Chapter, as clearly appeared from the Lviv land records. And the said Dymitr Tyrawa did not produce any documents [...] other than the pledge letters for which he had been satisfied. Therefore, we have preserved the said Chapter of the Metropolitan Church of Lviv in the ownership and pure right of lordship and have adjudged and do adjudge the same village to the said Chapter by hereditary right forever, so that they may hold and possess it peacefully, according to the original letters of the said donation confirmed by us, as true heirs forever. Furthermore, we have imposed perpetual silence on the said Dymitr and his successors. In testimony whereof, our seal has been appended to this letter. Given in Kraków at the general assembly on the Wednesday before the upcoming feast of Saint Prisca, in the year of our Lord one thousand five hundred and thirty-nine, in the thirty-second year of our reign. [Chancery note on the left:] Paweł z Woli / Korczanoth [?] [Chancery note on the right:] Report of the magnificent Paweł z Woli, Deputy Chancellor of the Kingdom of Poland, Burggrave of Kraków and Starosta of Gostynin [Parchment strip for a hanging seal; seal lost] [Verso:] [Archival note:] Verdict of the Most Serene King Sigismund in the case between the noble Dymitr Tyrawa and the Lviv Chapter ... of the same noble Dymitr ... Czerkasy ... 1539. 4° [Signatures and chancery-archival marks:] H ; R ; Lit. H. Fasc. 80 / Fas. 1. vol: 9. Posit. 80 [and other old notes and a stamp with a signature]

Sigismundus dei gracia Rex Polonie magnus dux Lituanie Russie Prussie ac Masouie etc dominus et heres Significamus tenore presencium quorum interest vniuersis harum noticiam habituris. Quia prout ad querelam Nobilis Demetrii Czirkaski als Thyrawa cognomento dicti qui asserebat villam Czirkassi fuisse suam hereditariam, quam villam Czirkassi serenissimus felicis memorie Dominus Alexander eadem gracia Rex Polonie et magnus Dux Lituanie etc frater noster desideratissimus perpetua donacione Capitulo Ecclesie metropolitane Leopolien[sis] donauit. Quam donacionem Nos rursus specialibus literis nostris eidem capitulo Leopolien[si] confirmauimus. predictus tamen Thyrawa, demetrius, constanter dicebat suam hereditariam Extunc nos certis Commissariis n[ost]ris cognicionem huius cause [demandauimus / commisimus?] videlicet dictus Nobilis Demetrius. ipsa donacione de[ce]re[di]mi olim fratris n[ost]ri ac confirmacione n[ost]ra grauaretur, commiseramus. qui Commissarii n[ost]ri vocat[is part]ibus cum eorum Juribus, ac propositis et respon[sionibus p]arcium exauditis, de ipsarum [parti]um consensu ad nos easdem partes remiseru[n]t Itaque in termino [...]s partibus coram nobis comparentibus, comperimus, quod dictus Demetrius Thyrawa ex predecessoribus suis ipsam villam czirkassi tenuit in or[...]ne in ducentis marcis, suis antecessoribus per olim Ill[ustrissi]mu[m] Dominum Szwidrigal magnum ducem Lituanie de consensu de[ce]re[di]mi diue memorie Cazimi[ri] Polonie Regis et magni ducis Lituanie, parentis n[ost]ri colen[di] fuisse obligatam et tandem eandem villam Capitulum predictum Leopolien[se], acquisita donacione ac n[ost]ra confirmacione, prefat[i] coram commissariis n[ost]ris eandem villam Czirkassi de manibus eiusdem Nobilis Demetrii Thyrawa a Viginti ferme Novem annis exemerunt, predictusqz Demetrius eosdem quietauit, et satisfaccionem pro ducentis marcis ab ipso Capitulo sibi factam recognouit, prout hoc ex actis Leopolien[sibus] terrestribus, liquide apparebat. predictusqz Demetrius Thyrawa, nulla documenta fratovia preter l[ite]ras obligatorias pro quibus sibi satisfactum est, ostendebat. Qdeo Nos predictum Capitulum ecclesie metropolitane Leopolien[sis] circa proprietatem et merum dominium conseruauimus, perpetuoqz eandem villam Jure hereditario predicto Capitulo adiudicauimus, adiudicamusqz quam pacifice iuxta l[ite]ras originales donacionis prefat[e] per nos confirmate perpetuo tenere et habere tanquam per veros heredes Insuper predicto Demetrio ac eius successoribus silencium perpetuum imposuimus. Harum testimonio l[ite]rarum Sigillum n[ost]rum est subappensum. Dat[um] Cracouie in Conuentu generali feria Quarta ante festum Sancte Prisce proxima Anno Domini Millesimo Quingentesimo Trigesimo Nono, Regni n[ost]ri Anno Trigesimo Secundo. [Nota kancelaryjna z lewej:] paulus de volia / korczanoth [?] [Nota kancelaryjna z prawej:] Relacio Mag[nifi]ci Pauli de Wola Regni Polonie / Vicecanc[ella]rii, Burgrabii Crac[oviensis] et Capit[anei] Gostinen[sis] [Pasek pergaminowy na pieczęć wiszącą; pieczęć utracona] [Verso:] [Nota archiwalna:] Decretum Serenissimi Sigismundi Regis in causa inter Nob[i]lem Demetrium Thyrawa et Capit[u]l[u]m Leopolien[se] ... eundem Nobilem Demetrij ... Czirkasy ... 1539. 4° [Sygnatury i znaki kancelaryjno-archiwalne:] H ; R ; Lit. H. Fasc. 80 / Fas. 1. vol: 9. Posit. 80 [oraz inne dawne noty i pieczątka z sygnaturą]