Source catalogue

Stanisław Gorzewski assures the Voivode of Ruthenia, Jan Jabłonowski, that he sends letters with every post. He places himself under his protection and asks for further orders.

The crossing of the Vistula river is delaying the mail. The author proposes a method of borrowing money through an intermediary secured by Winiarski's signature; he also indicates a second contact.

Lviv Archbishop Piotr Starzechowski approves the foundation document of the Castellan of Przemyśl and General Starosta of Ruthenia, Mikołaj Herburt Odnowski, establishing and endowing a college of five mansionaries at the main altar of the Lviv Cathedral.

King Sigismund I the Old settles a dispute in favor of the city of Lwów, prohibiting the suburbanites of the Kraków suburb and the castle suburb from selling alcohol and conducting free trade. The document confirms older decrees, limits the permissible number of craftsmen in the suburb to designated quotas, and imposes perpetual silence on the suburbanites.

King Sigismund I the Old grants a privilege to the city of Lwów, stating that the burghers of Lwów are not obliged to present or show their rights and documents before any officials or commissioners, but only personally before the King and his successors within the borders of the Kingdom of Poland.

Royal commissioners appointed by King Sigismund I performed a demarcation and erected boundary mounds between royal villages held by Mikołaj Dzieduszycki and Mikołaj Odnowski and the estates of the Metropolitan Chapter in Lviv. The ruling was issued based on a presented demarcation document from 1463 and the sworn testimonies of the oldest witnesses.

King Sigismund I the Old, at the request of the authorities of the city of Lwów, confirms earlier acts of delimitation from 1462 and 1485 between Lwów lands and the hereditary village of Zimna Woda. The document grants perpetual legal force to the established boundary line and the order of silence imposed on former claimants.

King Sigismund I the Old makes a perpetual donation of the deserted village of Oleńczyce in the Lviv land to the Archbishop of Lviv, Piotr Starzechowski, and the local metropolitan church, in order to increase the income of the archiepiscopal table. The document removes the village from monarchical jurisdiction and incorporates it into the ecclesiastical immunity.

King Sigismund I the Old abolishes clauses of old privileges that burdened city fields with rents and allowed various nations to have separate judiciaries, freeing the burghers from fees and ordering that all inhabitants be judged exclusively by Magdeburg law before the Lwów reeve.

King Sigismund I settles a dispute between the Lviv city council and Kazimierz Hynek, ruling that by virtue of a prior privilege, Hynek retains lifetime possession of the Zimna Woda mill. Only after his death will the Lviv burghers be able to exercise their hereditary right and redeem the mill from his successors for a specified sum.

King Sigismund I approves a resolution of the Lviv city council imposing rent on local and visiting merchants and craftsmen setting up stalls and booths in the market square during fairs. The funds collected in this way are to supply the city treasury and serve the needs of the city.

King Sigismund I the Old renews the privileges of the Lwów clothiers lost in a fire, confirming their exclusive right to cut and sell cloth by the ell in the city of Lwów and prohibiting this practice by other merchants under penalty of confiscation of goods. The monarch orders the starosta and the municipal authorities of Lwów to provide the clothiers' guild with all assistance and protection in enforcing these rights.

King Sigismund I approves an agreement between the burghers of Lwów and the Starosta of Halicz, Mikołaj of Sieniawa, under which the Lwów citizens agreed to temporarily pay a customs duty on wagons in Halicz for the duration of his tenure. The document guarantees that this concession does not violate the general exemption of Lwów from customs duties throughout the Kingdom of Poland, which is to be fully restored upon the expiration of Sieniawski's administration.

Grochowski invites the councillors of Lviv to an episcopal ceremony on 27 September 1625. He stresses friendship, his Ruthenian origin and Lviv’s significance as a metropolitan centre.

King Sigismund I the Old grants the municipal bathhouse located opposite the Franciscan monastery to the mayor, councilors, and the city of Lwów in perpetual ownership, along with the rent previously paid to the royal castle. The income from the bathhouse is intended to support the municipal treasury, which is burdened with expenses for the repair and expansion of fortifications.

Grochowski allocates French and Venetian glass to rooms, urges completion of the palace and pay of three złoty a week for the mason. He mentions Prussian war taxes and an attack on the suffragan in Venice.

King Sigismund I the Old overturns an unfavorable decree of royal commissioners in a dispute with the suburban priest Choma over the Annunciation Church and confirms the privilege of the Lviv authorities. The document states that the mayor, councilors, and the reeve of Lviv are subject exclusively to the direct court of the monarch in municipal matters.

King Sigismund I the Old grants the mayor and council of the city of Lwów twenty marks of annual rent from the city guard, previously paid to the Lwów castle, allocating these funds for the city's needs and repairs.

King Sigismund I the Old incorporates the Lviv deanery, following the death of the incumbent Jan Krupski, into the common table of the Cathedral Chapter in Lviv. He further stipulates that future deans must be chosen exclusively from among the local canons and receive an annual supplement of 10 marks from the deanery's income.

Huison confirms payment of 5905 and 20 grosz Bm to Knab. He describes delayed settlements, belt-price negotiations and a shortage of coin, adding Sejm and court news.

Lviv Archbishop Piotr Starzechowski confirms to the prelates and canons of the metropolitan chapter in Lviv the donation of monetary tithes from the suburban fields of Lviv, transuming the privilege of Archbishop Grzegorz from 1471. In return, the chapter, along with the vicars, is obliged to perform an annual anniversary service on St. Martin's Day with a specified distribution of funds for church servants.

King Sigismund II Augustus confirms and renews all existing rights, privileges, immunities, and possessions granted to the city of Lwów by his predecessors and by himself. At the same time, he places the burghers and their property under royal protection, prohibiting the imposition of new burdens and the violation of the boundaries of municipal jurisdiction.

King Sigismund II Augustus confirms to the Archbishop of Lviv, Piotr Starzechowski, the chapter, and the clergy of the metropolitan church in Lviv all rights, privileges, freedoms, and immunities granted by his predecessors. This confirmation was issued at the General Sejm in Piotrków in fulfillment of the monarch's coronation oath.

Castellan of Poznań Melchior Gurowski asks the Voivode of Ruthenia for protection over his estates and their exemption from winter quarters for the army. He also reports on the activities of Prince Conti's supporters in Greater Poland in anticipation of the upcoming sejmik.

Melchior Gurowski thanks Jan Stanisław Jabłonowski for his intercession and for freeing his leaseholds from the burden of military quartering, promising mutual assistance in the execution of assignments. At the same time, he commends to the care of the Voivode of Ruthenia the case of a client seeking justice.

King Sigismund II Augustus confirms the privilege of his father, Sigismund I the Old, from 1547, which incorporated the cathedral deanery into the common table of the metropolitan chapter in Lviv. The document regulates the rules for filling the office of dean after the death of Jan Krupski, as well as issues of income distribution and the fulfillment of duties.

Aleksander Gurowski assures Voivode Jan Jabłonowski of his efforts to enforce the collection of due sums as quickly as possible after the upcoming sejmik. He also announces his appearance before a military commission to clear himself of false accusations and asks for continued protection.

Aleksander Gurowski informs Jan Jabłonowski about his economic activities in Olkusz and his planned marriage following the advice of the Voivode of Poznań. He asks the recipient for letters of recommendation and protection in confederation matters, declaring his full readiness to serve at the upcoming sejmiks.

King Sigismund II Augustus confirms the privilege of his father, Sigismund I the Old, from 1546, granting the mayor and councilors of the city of Lviv the perpetual right of patronage and presentation of the provost of the Church and Hospital of the Holy Spirit in Lviv. The document invalidates any conflicting grants and orders the Archbishop of Lviv to institute the candidate presented by the municipal authorities.

King Sigismund II Augustus confirms to the elders and the community of Lwów Armenians all rights, privileges, liberties, immunities, and ancient customs granted by his predecessors, including King Sigismund I the Old.

Archbishop of Rimini, Jan Davia, thanks the Hetman and Voivode of Ruthenia, Stanisław Jan Jabłonowski, for his remembrance and shares pessimistic reflections on the affairs of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the consequences of the peace treaty with Turkey. He also notes that in the current situation, the only concerns may arise from Prussia.

Davia doubts his journey to Ruthenia as the king’s travel becomes uncertain. He calls for former valour to awaken, reports agreement between parties and a need for funds to move over 30,000 soldiers.

King Sigismund II Augustus confirms the privilege of his father, Sigismund I the Old, from 1545, granting the mayor and councilors of Lviv a one-time right of patronage and presentation of a candidate for the mansionary at the Church of St. Catherine at the Lower Castle. The document obliges the Archbishop of Lviv to immediately appoint the clergyman indicated by the city authorities.

King Sigismund II Augustus exempts the Armenians of Lwów from the jurisdiction of all land and castle courts, placing them exclusively under the jurisdiction of the wójt (advocatus) and Armenian elders judging according to Armenian law. All appeals from this court are reserved exclusively for the royal court.

King Sigismund II Augustus confirms the act of Sigismund I the Old from 1526, establishing the annual obligation for the incumbent Lviv councilors to submit reports on municipal revenues before a commission composed of former councilors, jurors, and the commonalty. Participants of the financial audit are bound by oath to maintain absolute secrecy regarding the results of the accounts.

Crown Treasurer Jan Mikołaj Daniłowicz calls upon the mayor and councilors of Lwów to immediately release foreign merchants and their goods from custody so they may proceed to the fair in Lublin. He emphasizes that the unlawful detention of the merchants causes losses to the state treasury and violates the exclusive jurisdiction of the Treasurer in customs and fiscal matters.

Cardinal Henri Albert de La Grange d'Arquien asks the Voivode of Ruthenia to send from Lviv the trial documents necessary to obtain compensation for the insult he suffered in Magierów. He also sends greetings to the Grand Hetman and the recipient's family.

The sender informs Joanna Domicela Jabłonowska about the trip of the Marshal's wife and his sister to Kock for a stay of several weeks. He encourages the addressee to surprise them and arrive for a joint meeting halfway.

The Marquis d'Arquien informs Hetman Stanisław Jan Jabłonowski that due to the lack of designated payment from the Prussian treasury and from the Voivode of Poznań, the previously concluded settlement has become void. Due to the failure to meet the terms of the agreement, the author of the letter announces a return to his original financial claims and asks the Hetman for instructions.

King Sigismund II Augustus confirms the ancient custom of the municipal gatekeepers in Lwów collecting a fee in the form of one piece of firewood and a bundle of hay or straw from every cart and sleigh entering the city. In return, the gate guards are obliged to keep the passages clean and ensure convenient entry into Lwów.

King Sigismund II Augustus performs a transumpt and confirmation of four ancient royal privileges for the city of Lwów, concerning, among others, the staple right for all goods, the prohibition for Podolian and Ruthenian merchants to bypass the Lwów staple, the subjection of foreign merchants to municipal jurisdiction, and the rules for drafting wills and real estate transactions. The document grants these copies full legal force equal to the originals.

The sender describes hardship and disputes concerning estates, obligations, and military companies connected with a patron, and asks the addressee to intercede and help secure a just resolution. He mentions documents, earlier orders, soldiers, and wrongs, as well as attempts to remedy the situation. The letter begins on 8 December 1698; its conclusion is dated 19 January 1699. The addressee is titled Palatine of Ruthenia, but his surname could not be read with confidence.

King Sigismund II Augustus exempts the burghers and suburbanites of Lwów in their private matters from the jurisdiction of royal commissioners' courts and prohibits the issuance of such commissions against them. He further decrees that appeals from municipal verdicts are to be directed straight to the royal court via the official transmission of case records, without the necessity of the parties appearing in person before the commissioners.

King Sigismund II Augustus abolishes the old Lwów custom excluding grandchildren from inheriting from their grandparents and establishes the right of representation, equalizing their share in the inheritance with uncles and aunts. Furthermore, he entrusts the mayor and councilors of Lwów with full authority to resolve all existing inheritance disputes of this kind without the possibility of appeal to the King.

The Bishop of Przemyśl and Chancellor Jerzy Albrecht Denhoff asks the Voivode of Ruthenia, Jan Stanisław Jabłonowski, to intercede with the Castellan of Kraków regarding the exemption of Radymno and the estates of the Iłowiec provostry from winter quarters. Citing family ties and his own favor toward the military, he assures the timely payment of dues.

King Sigismund II Augustus annuls the donation of a plot of land near the Low Castle in Lviv made to Mikołaj Leśniowski of Zimna Woda, citing a threat to the defense of the city and the castle. He orders the Starosta of Lviv to demolish the buildings erected there and forbids the city authorities from allowing further development of this area.

Paweł Drzewiecki thanks Voivode Jan Jabłonowski for appointing a commission and asks for further protection in his dispute with the burghers of Świecie. He complains about being unlawfully deprived of his office as town clerk and about his adversaries' disregard for the authority of the starosta and the intervening officials.

Adam Dzierżek confirms to the Lviv Syndic the receipt of a letter from the city councilors and declares his arrival at the royal sejmik. Despite the date coinciding with his own court sessions, he promises to appear in defense of the city's privileges.

King Sigismund Augustus confirms in the form of a transsumpt four earlier royal privileges for the city of Lviv. The document guarantees the exemption of Lviv burghers from foreign jurisdictions and commission courts, and exempts Lviv merchants of all rites from customs duties in, among others, Chełm, Bełz, and Hrubieszów.

Jerzy Dzieduszycki recommends to Jan Stanisław Jabłonowski Mr. Zwolski, a former captive ransomed in Constantinople, who distinguished himself by registering Polish slaves. He asks for support with the Grand Crown Hetman to obtain a passport and letters of recommendation for his return journey to Turkey.