Privilege of Queen Isabella exempting Lviv burghers and merchants from customs duties in Hungary and Transylvania

WE, ISABELLA, by the grace of God Queen of Hungary, Dalmatia, Croatia, etc.: We transmit to memory the content of this [document], announcing to all whom it concerns, that we and our Most Serene Son, keeping in fresh memory that kindness, hospitality, special favor of heart, and service which the prudent, circumspect Burghers, men of senatorial rank [councilors], and the entire council of the City of Lviv showed towards us and our Most Serene son, King-elect of Hungary, etc., and the courtiers of our court – both many times in other circumstances, and above all during our return to this Kingdom of Hungary, when we stayed there for many months – showed slowly with many proofs of benefits, and for this reason, desiring also to reward such service of theirs with our royal grace at the opportunity, we deemed it right to graciously agree and permit the same Lviv Burghers, Shopkeepers, and Merchants, that any goods, by whatever name called, they may and have the power to freely import into this our Kingdom of Hungary and Transylvania from the City of Lviv itself and sell them everywhere on the spot, graciously permitting that they be considered free and exempt from any payment of customs or tax levied on such goods. Indeed, we permit and grant by the power of this [document]. Therefore, to you, our faithful, all and individual Lords Prelates, Barons, Counts, Vice-Counts, and Burgraves, Chiefs and Officials of any places, also the Reeve and burgher judges and Governors of Cities, Towns, Villages, and also to all other people of any status and condition in this our Kingdom of Hungary and Transylvania, who shall see this our letter, by the content of this we firmly recommend and order that whenever, when, and as often as the mentioned Lviv Burghers and Merchants arrive in our lands, states, dignities, offices, or among our [people], you allow them to exhibit for sale and sell the same things and goods of any kind without any obstacle, and in places of customs or taxes do not force or compel them to any payment at all, nor in any way dare [to do so]. By the power and testimony of this our letter, which we have ordered to be affixed with our authentic Seal, which we use as Queen of Hungary, suspended in a privileged manner. Given in our City of Alba Iulia, on the twenty-first day of the month of March, in the Year of our Lord one thousand five hundred and fifty-seven. [Signatures under the text:] Isabella Queen [by own hand] John Sigismund King [by own hand] [Verso:] 1557. [Round ink seal:] ARCHIVE OF ANCIENT ACTS OF THE CITY OF LVIV Letter B Number 24 / Rubric two On Monday after the nearest Sunday of Jubilate [in] 1640 [year]. Presented and submitted for oblation to these Lviv starosta castle acts, entered and recorded [...] Privilege of Queen Isabella and King John Sigismund for Lviv Burghers regarding freedom from all customs duties in the Kingdom of Hungary and Transylvania [...] E Act Ser. 61 Year 61. transferred from bundle 281 to bundle 511 Acts [...] 78 bundle 511 a:a

NOS ISABELLA, DEI gra[tia] / tia Regina Vngaria[e], Dalmatia[e], Croatia[e] &c.: Memoria[e] comendamus tenore pre[se]ntium, signiffican[tes] quibus expedit vniversis, Q[uod] nos, Filiusq[ue] noster Sereniss[im]us: illam benevolentiam, hospitalitatem, animi singularem affectum & obsequentiam, quam prudentes, circumspecti Cives, Senatory ordinis viri, et totus consulatus Civitatis Leopolien[sis], erga nos filiumq[ue] nostrum Sereniss[imu]m: electum REgem Vngaria[e] &c: ac aula[e] nostra[e] familiares, cum alias sepe, tum vero potissimum in nostro in hoc Regnum Vngariae reditu, dum complures menses ibidem perseveraremus, multorū beneficiorū argumentis obsequenter declararunt, recenti tenenentes memoria, ac ob id volentes nos quoq[ue] huiusmodi eorum obsequentiam favore nostro REgio per occasionem optate rependere, id eisdem Civibus, Institoribus & Mercatoribus Leopolien[sibus] clementer annuendū & conceden[dum] duximus, vt ipsi quaslibet merces, quocumq[ue] nomine nuncupatas in hoc Regnum nostrum Vngaria[e] & Transilvaniam ex ipsa Civitate Leopolien[si] libere inducere, easq[ue] vbique locorum vendere possint & valeant, benigne annuen[tes], vt a qualibet solutione Telonei seu tributi de huiusmodi mercibus eorum exigendi liberi & exempti habeantur. Immo annuimus & concedimus p[rae]sentium per vigorem. Quocirca vobis fidelibus nostris, vniversis & singulis Dominis Praelatis, Baronibus, Comitibus, Vicecomitibus, Burggrabijsque, quorumcumque locorum Praeffectis & Officialibus, item Maiori & civium Iudicibus & Rectoribus Civitatum, Oppidorum, Villarum, cunctis etiam alijs cuiuscumque status & conditionis hominibus in hoc Regno nostro Vngaria[e] & Transilvania praesen[tes] nostras visuris harum serie committimus & mandamus firmiter, quatenus dum & quando ac quocienscumque praeffati Cives & Mercatores Leopolien[ses] ad nostras terras, Dominia, honores, Officiolatus, aut nostri in medium pervenerint, Eosdem res & merces suas quaslibet uenum deponere & divendere sine aliquo impedimento permittere, In locis vero Teloneorum seu tributorum ad nullam omnino solutionē cogere vel compellere debeatis, nec sitis ausi modo aliquali. Harum nostrarum vigore & testimonio litterarum, quas Sigillo nostro autentico, quo vt REgina Vngariae vtimur, priviligialiter dependente com muniri iussimus. DAt[um] in Civitate nostra Alba Iulia xxi die Mensis Marty, Anno Domini Millesimo Quingentesimo Quinquagesio Septimo. [Podpisy pod tekstem:] Ysabella regina [manu propria] Joannes Sigismund[us] r[ex] [manu propria] [Verso:] 1557. [Pieczęć tuszowa okrągła:] ARCHIWUM AKT DAWNYCH MIASTA LWOWA Lit[er]a B N[umer]o 24[to] / Rubrica Secunda Feria Secunda post Dominicā Iubilate proxima 1640. Product[um] et Actis praesen[tibus] Castren[sibus] Capitan[ealibus] Leopolien[sibus] per oblatam porrect[um], inscript[um] et annotat[um] [...] Privilegium Reginae Isabell[ae] & Joannis Sigismundi Reg[is] Civib[us] Leopolien[sibus] sup[er] Libertate ab omnibus Theloneis p[er] Regnum Vngari[ae] et Transylvania[m] [...] E Actus Ser. 61 A[nn]o 61. ex Fasc. 281 ad fasc. 511 transl[atum] Acta [...] 78 fasc. 511 a:a