Confirmation of the rights and privileges of the Armenian community in Lviv by King Sigismund III

[In the header in majuscule, initial S gilded and decorated with florature:] SIGISMUND The Third, by the grace of God, King of Poland and King-elect of Sweden, Grand Duke of Lithuania, Ruthenia, Prussia, Masovia, Samogitia, Livonia, etc. etc. We make known by this our letter to all and each one whom it may concern. That at this public assembly of our coronation, all rights, liberties, immunities, prerogatives, and privileges granted by our predecessors of holy memory, dukes and kings of Poland, to all estates of the kingdom and our possessions, as well as to subjects of every estate and condition who sought them, we have generally, with the advice of our senators and land envoys, abundantly approved and confirmed by this our letter, and we have also pledged by the power of the oath taken by us to observe them inviolably. However, when our faithful subjects, the envoys of the Armenians of our city of Lviv, appearing before our face, on behalf of themselves and the community of Armenians living there, beseeched us that we might deign by this separate [privilege] of ours to approve, renew, confirm, and ratify all their rights, privileges, and their liberties, decrees, prerogatives, exemptions, and immunities granted to them by our most serene predecessors, the kings, and other persons, and furthermore the customs which they have hitherto used. We, graciously acceding to their request as just, have deemed it appropriate to approve, renew, confirm, and ratify all and individual rights, privileges, letters, decrees, liberties, immunities, prerogatives, and exemptions of the aforementioned Armenians, justly and legally granted, issued, and proclaimed by the most serene kings of Poland of holy memory, our predecessors, and other persons, and furthermore all their praiseworthy customs, [supported?] by custom and observed, without any exceptions or exclusions whatsoever, as if all of them and each one by kind and species had been described here word for word in their wording, in all and individual their points, clauses, articles, and conditions, as we hereby by this separate letter of ours, insofar as the considerations of common law allow and their custom exists, approve, renew, confirm, and ratify, wishing that all of them may always have the power and weight of due and eternal durability and be observed by all whom it concerns. In testimony of which we have ordered this [letter], signed by our hand, to be affixed with the seal of our Kingdom. Given in Krakow, at the sejm of our happy coronation, on the thirtieth day of the month of January, in the Year of Our Lord one thousand five hundred and eighty-eight, in the first year of our reign. [Under the text on the left, royal autograph:] Sigismund King [Under the text on the right, signature of the secretary/scribe:] Krzysztof Iłanowski [wrote?] [On the plica fold recto:] [...] of the Lviv Armenians [...] [Verso:] [Notes from various periods:] N 74 [...] 1588. [Note in Armenian script:] [...] [Note in Polish:] Confirmation from His Majesty King Sigismund the Third of the rights [...] and customs to the Armenians in Lviv [...] N 47 Litt: N. [Ink stamp:] ARCHIVE OF ANCIENT ACTS OF THE CITY OF LVIV

[W nagłówku majuskułą, inicjał S złocony i zdobiony floraturą:] SIGISMVNDVS Tertius Dei gratia Rex Poloniae et designatus Sueciae, magnus Dux Lithuaniae, Russiae, Prussiae, Masouiae, Samogitiae, Liuoniae etc. etc. Significamus praesentibus literis nostris quorum interest uniuersis et singulis. Qualiter in hoc publico coronationis nostrae conuentu omnia iura, libertates, immunitates, praerogatiuas et priuilegia, per Diuos antecessores n[ost]ros Principes et Reges Poloniae, uniuersis Regni et Dominiorum nostrorum Ordinibus, Subditisq[ue] uniuscuiusq[ue] status et conditionis exigentibus generaliter ex sententia Senatorum nostrorum et Nuncior[um] Terrestrium hisce l[ite]ris n[ost]ris abunde approbauimus et confirmauimus, eaq[ue] nos inuiolabiliter obseruaturos uigore praestiti a nobis iuramenti obligauimus. Tamen cum uenientes ad praesentiam nostram fideles Subditi n[ost]ri Armenorum Nuncii Ciuitatis n[ost]rae Leopolien[sis], suo et communitatis Armenorum ibidem habitantium nomine supplicassent nobis, ut omnia eorum iura, priuilegia, suasq[ue] libertates, decreta, praerogatiuas, exemptiones et immunitates ipsis a Serenissimis antecessoribus n[ost]ris Regibus et aliis personis concessas, insuper et consuetudines quibus hucusq[ue] usi sunt, Specialibus hisce n[ost]ris approbare, innouare, confirmare et ratificare dignaremur. Nos ipsorum supplicationi uti iustae benigne annuentes, omnia et singula praedictor[um] Armenorum iura, priuilegia, l[ite]ras, decreta, libertates, immunitates, praerogatiuas, exemptiones, a Serenissimis piae memoriae Regibus Poloniae praedecessoribus n[ost]ris et aliis personis iuste et legitime concessas, datas et emanatas, insuper et omnes laudabiles ususq[ue] [fretas?] et obseruatas ipsorum consuetudines, nullis penitus exceptis aut exclusis, non secus ac si hic omnia et singula in genere et specie de uerbo ad uerbum in suo tenore descripta forent, in omnibus et singulis earum punctis, clausulis, articulis et conditionib[us] approband[a], innouand[a], confirmand[a] et ratificand[a] esse duximus, prout hisce literis n[ost]ris peculiaribus, in quantum iuris communis rationes sinunt, et usus eorum habetur, approbamus, innouamus, confirmamus, et ratificamus, eaq[ue] omnia vim et robur debitae et perpetuae firmitatis semper obtinere debere, et ab omnibus quorum id interest, obseruari uolumus. In cuius rei fidem praesentes manu n[ost]ra subscriptas, sigillo Regni n[ost]ri consignari iussimus. Dat[um] Cracouiae, in comitiis felicis coronationis n[ost]rae, die Trigesima mensis Januarii, Anno D[omi]ni Millesimo Quingentesimo Octogesimo Octauo, Regni n[ost]ri Primo. [Pod tekstem z lewej autograf królewski:] Sigismundus Rex [Pod tekstem z prawej podpis sekretarza/pisarza:] Christoph: Jłanowsky [s(cripsit)?] [W zagięciu pliki recto:] [...] Armenor[um] Leopolien[sium] [...] [Verso:] [Noty z różnych okresów:] N 74 [...] 1588. [Zapiska pismem ormiańskim:] [...] [Nota w języku polskim:] Potwierdzenie od Krola Krola J[ego] M[oś]ci Zygmunta Trzeciego praw [...] y zwyczaiow Ormianom we Lwowie [...] N 47 Litt: N. [Pieczęć tuszowa:] ARCHIWUM AKT DAWNYCH MIASTA LWOWA