Privilege of King Sigismund III Vasa for the city of Lwów regarding the revenues of the starosta and fortifications

SIGISMUND Third, by the grace of God, King of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania, Ruthenia, Prussia, Masovia, Samogitia, Livonia, etc., and also hereditary King of the Swedes, Goths, and Vandals. We hereby announce by this our letter to all and each one whom it may concern: It has been submitted to us by certain dignitaries and our advisors that our city of Lwów, in the part where it faces the north and east towards the High Castle, is weaker than the remaining fortifications of the city for repelling invasion and enemy attacks, especially since it has a hill towering over it commonly called the Shooting Range [Strzelnica], from where no small danger to the city should be feared. Since, therefore, our Lwów burghers are applying their efforts towards repairing the fortification in this part or erecting a new one where it will be needed, and are diligently striving for the city of Lwów to be both a shield for the Republic against all enemy attacks and a refuge for the nobility and all inhabitants of the Kingdom, we have deemed it our duty to accede to the humble request brought to us in their name, in order to support this work of theirs, so useful for the Republic. Furthermore, seeing that the affairs of the city of Lwów have been damaged partly by the plague, partly by Scythian invasions, partly by the high price of grain, and most of all by undue and unlawful executions, lawsuits, and disputes, contrary to the laws and privileges granted to the same city by us and our predecessors of blessed memory, and contrary to the judgments issued in this matter; therefore, acceding to the agreement of the land deputies gathered at the present Sejm, as well as to the reports of our senators, so that our Lwów burghers may better cope with that fortification, we lift, cancel, and invalidate all disputes and levies exceeding the ordinance of the once most serene Sigismund the First, King of Poland, and the privileges graciously granted to them by our once most serene predecessors, as well as all judgments issued for any reason up to the present time, and invented in any way by our starostas in our city of Lwów, from those our burghers, and by this our letter we provide, ordering that in the future all revenues, including those from mills commonly called castle mills, customs or great market duties, as well as rents and obventions of butchers and other craftsmen specified in the decrees, as well as all other revenues however named, belonging to our royal table inside and around Lwów and payable and collectable by the starosta of that place, shall be collected and levied by the Lwów municipal magistrate, and then annually on every feast of St. Martin, according to the lustration books of the year sixteen hundred and seventeen, the sum of two thousand one hundred florins shall be given and paid to our current Lwów starosta. And no other obventions, rents, profits, benefits, and incomes, both ordinary and extraordinary, both in the city and in the entire area of the Lwów lands and suburbs, shall the starosta himself or his officials have, nor will they ever be able to misappropriate from anyone for any thing and occasion, except for the ordinary castle guard and the sub-castle court; the government, however, remains intact and complete in that place for the city. As for merchants and guests, of whatever status and nationality they might be, along with all their things, goods, and servants, even if they live and stay under the castle, the starosta or anyone else except the municipal office shall have no right and jurisdiction over such people, nor will they be able to misappropriate it in any way, even in the event of the occurrence and existence of some case concerning the starosta himself. Likewise, we curb the abuse in the designation of inns and order our starostas to comply in everything with the decree of the king of blessed memory, Stephen, and by the authority of this Sejm to assign and designate inns only to the nobility of the Lwów land, keeping the houses of councilors, jurors, and other officials, as well as the small houses standing around the town hall in the middle of the market, free from this burden in everything. Furthermore, we wish and decree that doctors be considered public persons and free from all burdens, so that they may enjoy their rights and prerogatives and benefit from them in every respect. All this, under the penalty described in the decrees and laws of the Kingdom against negligent starostas, not only the starostas of the city of Lwów themselves are obliged and bound to observe and keep in everything and in each particular, but also to take care and firmly strive that it be observed and inviolate by all others. And so that this fortification may more easily and quickly achieve its effect, by our special royal grace we permit our aforementioned city, [following?] the example of the once most serene King Alexander, our predecessor, that merchants arriving in and departing from Lwów from anywhere, and bypassing the storage right of the same city, while using the storage, shall pay seven and a half groschen from every hundred florins for the said fortification, with the exception only of Lwów burghers. We wish and by this our letter declare that this be observed by all merchants and that this income be used for the fortification of the city. In witness whereof, we have ordered this letter signed by our hand to be strengthened with the royal seal. Given in Warsaw at the general royal Sejm on the 10th day of March, in the year of our Lord 1626, of our reign in Poland the thirty-ninth, and in Sweden the thirty-second. Sigismund King [m.p.] [Chancellery note / signature on the right:] Jan Lipski [m.p.] [Verso:] [Archival note from the 17th/18th century:] Granting of starosta revenues to the Lwów magistrate due to new fortifications being erected for this purpose towards the north and east, at the general royal Warsaw Sejm of Sigismund III in the year 1626. [Other notes:] No. 14. / No. 71. / Quia Tom. II f. 51 / 1938 / 179 [Ink stamp:] ARCHIVE OF ANCIENT ACTS OF THE CITY OF LWÓW

SIGISMVNDVS Tertius Dei gratia Rex Poloniae, Magnus Dux Lithuaniae, Russiae, Prussiae, Masoviae, Samogitiae, Livoniaeq[ue], etc. nec non Suecorum, Gottorum, Vandalorumq[ue] haereditarius Rex. Significamus p[rae]sentibus litteris nostris quorum interest universis et singulis. Expositum nobis esse per certos Proceres ac Consiliarios n[ost]ros, quod Civitas n[ost]ra Leopolien[sis] in ea parte, qua Septentrionalem ac Orientalem plagam versus Castrum superius spectat, caetera munitione Urbis ad arcendam incursionem et insultus hostiles sit debilior, praesertim quod super imminentem collem vulgo Strzelnica dictum, habeat, unde non mediocre Civitati periculum metuendum foret. Cum itaq[ue] restaurandae in ea parte munitioni, sive novae, ubi opus fuerit, erigendae Cives n[ost]ri Leopolien[ses] studium suum adjiciant, in idq[ue] sedulo intendant, ut Civitas Leopolien[sis] ad omnes hostiles impetus sit et Reipub[licae] praesidio, et Nobilitati ac universis Regni Incolis refugio, faciendum nobis esse duximus ad humilem supplicationem apud nos nomine ipsorum factam, ut hoc eorum tam utile in Rempub[licam] institutum promoveamus. Porro cum videamus res Civitatis Leopolien[sis] partim aura pestifera, partim incursionibus Scithicis, partim caritate annonae, maxime vero indebitis ac illicitis contra iura et privilegia a nobis et divis Antecessoribus n[ost]ris Civitati huic concessa, et decreta eo nomine lata, exactionibus, litibus, dissidiis attritas; proinde inhaerendo Nunciorum Terrium ad praesentia Comitia congregatorum Consensui, tum et Senatorum n[ost]rorum relationi, quo melius Cives n[ost]ri Leopolien[ses] huic munitioni intendant, omnes differentias et exactiones praeter ordinationem Ser[enissi]mi olim Sigismundi Primi Regis Poloniae, et Privilegia Ser[enissim]orum olim Antecessorum n[ost]rorum ipsis benigne concessa, et praeter decreta omnia ex quacunq[ue] causa ad praesens usq[ue] tempus lata, quacunq[ue] arte a Capitaneis nostris in Civitate n[ost]ra Leopolien[si] excogitatas, ex dictis Civibus n[ost]ris tollimus, cassamus, et annihilamus, ac p[rae]sentibus l[itte]ris n[ost]ris cavemus, mandan[tes] ut in posterum omnes proventus etiam molendinorum Castrensium vulgariter appellatorum, thelonei sive foralium magnorum, et census ac obuentiones lanionum et aliorum artificum decretis specifica[torum], reliquosq[ue] et singulos redditus quocunq[ue] nomine appellatos intro et circa Leopolim ad mensam n[ost]ram Regiam, Capitaneo loci illius solvi et exigi debitos Magistratus Civilis Leopolien[sis] exigat, percipiat, et postmodum quotannis pro quolibet festo S. Martini iuxta literas Lustrationis Anni Millesimi Sexcentesimi decimi septimi summam duorum millium et centum florenorum Capitaneo n[ost]ro Leopolien[si] pro tempore existen[ti] restituat ac persolvat. Nec alias obuentiones, census, utilitates, commoda, et accessiones, tam ordinarias, quam extraordinarias, tam in Civitate, quam in universo ambitu fundi et Suburbiorum Leopolien[sium] habebit, vel usurpare aliquando a quopiam ex quacunq[ue] re et occasione, ipse Capitaneus, ac eius Officiales sibi poterint, praeter consuetam custodiam Arcis et Judicium Subcastrensum; regimine salvo et integro ibidem reservato Civitati. Verum quoad Mercatores et hospites, cuiuscunq[ue] illi fuerint conditionis et nationis, cum universis suis rebus, mercibus, ac familia, etiamsi sub Castro manserint et extiterint, nullum penitus ius et interesse Cap[ita]nei ac aliquis alius praeter Officium Civile etiam incidente et interveniente aliqua causa, ipsiusmet Capitanei ad tales homines habebunt, et usurpare quoquo modo poterunt. Similiter in distribuendis hospitijs abusum restringimus, iniungimusq[ue] Capitaneis n[ost]ris, ut se in omnibus secundum decretum divae memoriae Stephani Regis conforment, et authoritate horum Comitiorum nonnisi Nobilibus Districtus Leopolien[sis] hospitia dent et tribuant, liberis ab eo onere per omnia reservatis aedibus Consulum, Scabinorum et reliquorum Officialium, ac domunculis circa Praetorium in medio fori consisten[tibus]. Insuper Doctorum, quos pro publicis personis haberi, et a singulis oneribus liberos, suisq[ue] iuribus et praerogativis frui, et per omnia gaudere volumus ac statuimus. Quae omnia sub poena contra negligentes Capitaneos decretis et legibus Regni descripta, in omnibus et singulis non modo ipsi Capitanei Civitatis Leopolien[sis] tenere et conservare; verum ut et ab alijs omnibus conserventur, ac non transgrediantur curare et omnino inhibere debent sintq[ue] astricti. Quo autem ea munitio facilius ac citius suum fortiatur effectum, ex speciali gratia n[ost]ra Regia concedimus praefatae Civitati n[ost]rae ad [ipsius?] exemplo Ser[enissi]mi olim Alexandri Regis Praedecessoris n[ost]ri, ut mercatores undecunq[ue] Leopolim venientes et inde discedentes, depositoriumq[ue] Civitatis eiusdem transeuntes, in usu depositorij, a singulis centum florenis septem grossos cum dimidio pro praefata munitione persolvant, exceptis duntaxat Civibus Leopolien[sibus]. Quod ab omnibus mercatoribus observari, ac ut is proventus in munitionem Civitatis convertatur, fieri volumus et declaramus p[rae]sentibus l[itte]ris n[ost]ris. In cuius rei fidem praesentes manu nostra subscriptas Sigillo Regni communiri mandavimus. Datum Varsaviae in Conventione Regni G[e]n[er]ali die x. Mensis Martij. Anno D[omi]ni M DC XXVI. Regnorum n[ost]rorum Poloniae XXXIX. Sueciae vero anno XXXII. Sigismundus Rex [m.p.] [Nota kancelaryjna / podpis po prawej:] Joes Lipski [m.p.] [Verso:] [Nota archiwalna z XVII/XVIII w.:] Donatio Proventuum Capitanealium Magistratui Leopolien[si] r[ati]o[n]e novae Munitionis versus plagam Septentrionalem ac orientalem ad hunc effectum erigendae, in Conventione regni G[e]n[er]ali Varsavien[si] Sig. 3. Anno 1626. [Inne noty:] Nro 14. / Nro 71. / Quia Tom. II f. 51 / 1938 / 179 [Pieczęć tuszowa:] ARCHIWUM AKT DAWNYCH MIASTA LWOWA