Source catalogue

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.

The sender addresses the noble sirs and mentions the appointment of the suffragan bishop of Lviv, as well as the addressees’ merits and goodwill. The manuscript is damaged and illegible in many places; the details of the matter and the names cannot be reconstructed with confidence. The letter is dated in Warsaw, 9 December 1723. The sender’s signature is illegible.

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 document records a royal verdict issued at the General Sejm in Kraków, which annuls the proceedings of the Lwów castle court against the city authorities of Lwów initiated by Waśko Łahodowski. It confirms the privileges exempting Lwów burghers from the jurisdiction of foreign courts and orders that they be summoned exclusively before their proper municipal court.

The sender addresses the Most Honorable Voivode. He writes about a matter concerning estates, a dispute, and actions taken by the addressee; he also mentions other people and asks for help. Much of the manuscript is difficult to read, so the details of the matter and names remain undetermined. The letter was dated in Radymno on 20 December 1698; the signature has been read uncertainly as Jerzy Donhoff.

King Sigismund II Augustus confirms the verdict of the General Sejm in Kraków, which dismissed the lawsuit brought by the nobleman Wasiek Łahodowski against the authorities of Lwów before the castle court. The document confirms the privilege exempting Lwów burghers from foreign jurisdiction and orders that they be sued exclusively before the municipal court.

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.

The sender addresses the honorable voivode and benefactor, probably Jan Jabłonowski. The sender writes about a matter involving people identified as Domaradzki and [surname reading uncertain], refers to earlier proceedings, and makes a request to the addressee; details and some names remain uncertain. The letter ends with the date from Lviv, 30 January 1699. The sender’s signature is illegible.

Pope Julius III informs the Lviv Chapter about filling the archiepiscopal see in Lviv, vacant after the death of Archbishop Piotr, with Feliks Ligęza. He orders the Chapter to accept the elect as their father and shepherd and to obey his ordinances.

The sender refers to a castle court circular and a letter from the Lwów aldermen to the addressee. He mentions a matter concerning the privileges of the city of Lwów and asks that they be preserved; the details of the argument are difficult to read. The letter is dated at Żyrawów (place-name reading uncertain) on Christmas Day 1680. The signature is read as Adam Drzewski; the accompanying abbreviation is unclear.

Pope Julius III notifies the suffragans of the Archdiocese of Lviv of the appointment of Feliks Ligęza as Archbishop of Lviv following the death of Archbishop Piotr Starzechowski and orders them to show the new metropolitan due obedience. The document contains later entries of oblation before the Bishops of Przemyśl and Chełm from 1555.

Pope Julius III notifies the clergy of the city and diocese of Lviv of the appointment of Feliks Ligęza as the new Archbishop of Lviv following the death of Piotr Starzechowski. He orders the clergy to receive the new shepherd with respect and obedience under penalty of ecclesiastical sanctions against the disobedient.

The sender responds to the addressees’ request concerning a townhouse rented for residential use. He also mentions continued use of the property and payment for it, but many details are difficult to read. The letter was most likely dated at Połonne on 23 August 1688; the sender and addressees remain unidentified.

King Sigismund II Augustus grants the nobleman Jan Dobrzeliński the life-long use of a royal garden located below the Lviv castle. After the death of the beneficiary, the possession of the garden is to return in full right to the monarch and his successors.

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.

King Sigismund II Augustus abolishes the burdensome tribute in kind of live fish, hitherto paid by the burghers of Lwów to the royal castle, replacing it with a fixed monetary fee collected from vessels containing fish brought to the city market. He orders the Starosta of Lwów and his officials to strictly observe the newly established market tax.

The sender addresses «Sirs and Brothers» and presents a matter concerning rights, hereditary estates, and family claims. The sender mentions a dispute, possible claims, and obligations; details are difficult to read because of strong show-through from the other side. According to the archival description, the letter dates to 6 December 1725; the place and sender have not been identified.

King Sigismund II Augustus confirms the privilege of King Władysław III of Varna from 1444, which mandates that the nobility and clergy sell Lviv real estate to Lviv burghers within one year. Additionally, the monarch introduces mandatory official valuation of encumbered properties by the magistrate under oath and prohibits the artificial inflation of mortgage debts beyond the estimated value.

Kazimierz Dłużewski writes to Jan Jabłonowski, Voivode of Ruthenia, about the planned election of the Chełm chamberlain. He asks that a sejmik not be convened, citing the unsuitable candidacy of the Chełm standard-bearer and the nobility’s freedom to choose. The letter was written in Lublin on 1 June; the year 1698 comes from the inventory description.

King Sigismund II Augustus establishes the order for the sale of Malmsey and Muscatel wines imported from Greece in Lviv, ordering foreign merchants to display them on market carts for four weeks before they can be stored in the cellars of townspeople. The regulation was intended to curb speculative practices by foreign traders and prevent the artificial inflation of wine prices.

King Sigismund II Augustus grants the burghers of Lviv permission to redeem the royal villages of Kożyce, Jamelna, and Jaromierka, along with an inn, a pond, and a mill, from the wife of Krzysztof Gnojeński. The document guarantees the city peaceful possession and use of these estates for a period of twenty years from the moment of taking formal possession, subject to the monarch's repayment of the pledge sum after that time.

King Sigismund Augustus resolves a dispute between the Lviv burghers and the Starosta of Przemyśl, Spytek Jordan, ordering the bridge toll on the San River to be paid only when using the bridge built for the salt mines, with the right to free passage via fords. He simultaneously confirms the full exemption of Lviv residents from other customs duties and transit fees in accordance with ancient privileges.

A long letter to a recipient styled as a Count. The sender reports on matters and correspondence, names several people, and returns to issues requiring a decision or further action. Dense handwriting and show-through make the details difficult to read; the full subject and names cannot be established reliably. Near the end, the place is probably Warsaw and the date is 11 October, with no legible year. Page 1 is an archival cover; p. 5 contains the fold and address of the same letter.

The Lviv Metropolitan Chapter authorizes the miller Walenty and his wife Dorota to redeem the third part and the third measure of the Stachyrowski mill from Elżbieta, widow of the councilor Stanisław Berger. At the same time, the Chapter leases them the remaining two parts of the mill for life in exchange for an annual rent, flour deliveries, and the obligation to maintain and repair the mill buildings.

King Sigismund II Augustus confirms the privilege of King Władysław Jagiełło from 1433, granting the village of Wierzbiąż in the Lviv district, along with all benefits, forests along the Dniester, and customs duties, to the canons of the Lviv Cathedral Chapter founded by him. The document guarantees the Chapter perpetual possession of these goods and the right to build dams and ponds.

The sender addresses the recipient as a benefactor. In the surviving, difficult-to-read text, references to a matter, a letter, and a request for action or reply can be recognized; details and people are uncertain. The date written on the letter is 28 February 1692. The outer address leaf preserves a partly illegible form of address.

King Sigismund II Augustus approves the commission act establishing the boundaries between royal villages and the estates of the Lviv Metropolitan Chapter. The issuer grants perpetual legal force to the findings of the commissioners previously appointed by Sigismund I the Old.

The sender wishes the recipient health and prosperity, then discusses matters requiring his attention or assistance. References to people and public affairs can be recognized, but many sentences and names remain uncertain because the sheet is damaged and difficult to read. The address probably identifies Hieronim, a Crown scribe, in Warsaw. The letter is dated 22 February 1597; the sender’s place is unknown.

King Sigismund II Augustus performs a transumpt of three earlier royal privileges for Lviv: Casimir the Great from 1368 (confirmed in 1389) regarding 100 Franconian hides; Władysław Jagiełło from 1415 regarding the so-called areas and Krzywylas; and Władysław of Varna regarding the management of surplus hides beyond the Brzuchowicka river. The document grants the inscribed acts full and undoubted legal force equal to the originals.

The sender addresses a high-ranking recipient and discusses an administrative matter concerning the military, correspondence, and documents or a proclamation. He mentions actions in the area around Lwów and asks that the matter be handled accordingly; some details are difficult to read. The letter bears the notation “N 3570” and the date 28 June, but no year is legible.

King Sigismund II Augustus, at the request of the Metropolitan Chapter of Lwów, confirms the 1396 document of Jan of Tarnów, which settled a dispute over estates in Jamne and along the Godowica River in favor of the Church of St. John the Baptist in the Lwów suburb and the village of Godowica against Dymitr Wieczerza.

Lviv Archbishop Feliks Ligęza confirms the possession of the estates of the Cathedral Chapter and Lviv vicars, including villages, mills, gardens, and urban plots. By his ordinary authority, he incorporates these properties into ecclesiastical immunity, guaranteeing them full ecclesiastical rights and freedoms.

The sender addresses the Voivode of the Ruthenian lands. He writes of his present grief and the comfort offered by the recipient’s favor, and mentions his orphaned state. Some following sentences remain uncertain. The letter is dated 20 January 1699 at a castle whose name is uncertain; the surname in the signature needs checking.

The sender addresses a Most Illustrious Lord and Benefactor. The surviving text is difficult to read, and its specific subject cannot be established. The date notation gives Sambor, 5 June 1637. The address leaf on pp. 3 and 5 contains an uncertain name or title and the designation “to the Samborski.” The inventory card gives a different unit start date.

King Sigismund II Augustus settles an appellate dispute between the heirs of Marcin Hanel and the authorities of the city of Lwów, based on ancient royal privileges and witness testimonies. The document definitively confirms that the villages of Hołosko Wielkie and Brzuchowice lie within the city limits and are forever subject to the jurisdiction of the Lwów authorities.

The sender addresses “gracious Lords,” probably representatives of the Lwów magistracy or aldermen, and wishes them good health. He then discusses his own matter and asks for attention or assistance, but damage and uncertain legibility prevent the precise request from being established. The signature and archival cover tentatively associate the letter with Samuel Drużkowski of Orlik. The closing date refers to St James’s Day in 1593; the place of composition is unknown. Page 3 carries the address on the folded sheet.

King Sigismund II Augustus confirms the previous privileges of kings Alexander and Sigismund I, exempting Lviv burghers of all rites from customs duties throughout the state. He orders officials and tax collectors to strictly observe this immunity under penalty of statutory sanctions.

The sender addresses the recipient as a brother and benefactor. The surviving text contains expressions of regard and further remarks that are difficult to read; the matter at issue cannot be reconstructed reliably. The date notation gives Lublin and 27 May 1691. The external address on p. 4 directs the letter to Lwów, but the recipient’s surname is illegible.

The Lviv Cathedral Chapter approves the redemption by the cathedral preacher Jan Arundinensis of the third part of the Olszowy Mill and a garden in the Krakowskie Suburb, allocating these assets to the endowment of the preacher's office. At the same time, the Chapter leases to him for life the remaining two parts of the same mill under specified rental and economic conditions.

The sender asks a municipal superior to intervene on behalf of Konrad, described as a master craftsman or locksmith (the trade reading is uncertain). He wants the carpenters’ guild to release Konrad from its requirements and stop obstructing his work. The letter is dated 28 December 1737, probably in Łańcut. The craftsman’s full name and the sender’s signature need checking.