Source catalogue

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.

Gregory asks for his handwritten document to be sent to Mr Forbes in connection with plans to leave for Gdańsk and promises payment. He explains his delay by unrecoverable debts and cites Bell and Thomson as witnesses.

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.

Grodzicki directs the councillors to the Commonwealth treasury for a receipt for the 6,000 złotys lent. He promises to admonish subordinates complained of by the city and settle the account for iron taken.

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.

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.

Gruszewicz asks Forbes to select a fine sable, offering 160 or more. He promises gratitude and to return the favour. The date differs from the cover.

King Sigismund I the Old permits the mayor and councilors of Lviv to redeem the royal village of Sknyliv from the hands of the noble Jan Wiszniowski for the legally recorded sum. The authorities of Lviv are to hold and use this village along with all its appurtenances until the full repayment of the amount laid out for the redemption.

Gruszewicz explains that urgent necessity forced him to spend gold ducats left with him. He promises to return suitable coins and reminds the recipient of a promised dog.

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.

Katarzyna Gruszewiczowa invites Forbes and his household to her daughter Katarzyna’s wedding, scheduled for Sunday 24 February 1686, promising to return their kindness.

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.

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.

The writer thanks Głogowski for his assistance, forwards a letter from her husband and assures him of her gratitude. A passage referring to Lublin remains partly unread.

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.

The Górka brothers send two representatives to collect money deposited with the Lviv authorities by the late Andrzej Nakuski [?]. They are to collect the sum and, if necessary, issue a receipt on the senders’ behalf.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Dalton discusses the starostas of Krasnystaw and Halych and military companies. The postscript reports an intercepted instruction and an unverified rumour that the tsar was killed during a revolt.

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.

The Archbishop of Damietta acknowledges a letter about the Lviv furriers’ dispute. He promises to consider the requests in accordance with justice and within his discretion, offering assistance in other matters too.

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.

Stanisław Borek, acting as judge-commissioner for the Bishop of Kraków, Samuel Maciejowski, accepts the resignation of Marcin Słap and solemnly inducts Stanisław Słomowski into the office of parish priest of the parish church in Działoszyce. He orders the vicars and parishioners to recognize the new rector and to provide him with all due income and obedience.

King Sigismund II Augustus grants the mansionaries of the metropolitan cathedral in Lviv a garden with a manor and a meadow within the city of Lviv. The granted properties are incorporated into ecclesiastical immunity and exempted from all burdens as well as castle and municipal taxes.

The document approves an agreement concluded between the city council of Lviv and the butchers' guild, defining the permitted periods and forms of free meat trade to counteract high prices. It also regulates the rules for collecting market fees for the benefit of the butchers and the Lviv castle.

Darowski rejects the demand for taxes dating from before he took possession of the tenement. He describes a ruined roof, water undermining the foundations, and the billeting of soldiers; he asks that the building’s condition be taken into account and that he receive a written reply.

Lviv Archbishop Piotr Starzechowski transfers a sum with an annual rent secured on the Stołpin estate to the needs of the Lviv Cathedral fabric, orders estate managers to take an oath to secure assets sede vacante, and grants canons and vicars the right to fell timber in Obroszyn.

A letter survives with a request addressed to a high-ranking recipient. Words concerning a matter and satisfaction can be discerned, but show-through and difficult handwriting prevent a reliable identification of its subject, course or outcome.

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 addresses the recipient as Monseigneur and writes that they will comply with his instruction and show the queen a letter. The sender mentions a person or matter whose details cannot be read with confidence and asks for support for it. The letter ends with a humble courtesy formula; a separate final page bears the address of an unidentified dignitary. The date, place, and sender's identity are uncertain.

King Sigismund II Augustus approves the legal custom of Lviv, decreeing, following the example of Kraków, that all actions, records, and donations made before the Lviv municipal council office have perpetual force equal to acts of a public court. The monarch also confirms the validity of all entries previously made in this manner.

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.