Confirmation of the rights and privileges of the city of Lwów by King Władysław IV

Władysław IV, 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, elected Grand Duke of Muscovy. To all and singular whom it may concern, we make known by this our letter. Although at the present General Assembly of the Sejm of our happy Coronation, we have graciously—as befits our royal authority—approved, confirmed, and ratified for all estates of this most famous Kingdom of Poland, both ecclesiastical and secular, as well as for our cities in general and in particular, the rights, privileges, liberties, concessions, and all prerogatives justly and rightly granted by our Most Serene Predecessors, kings and dukes of this Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Ruthenia, Prussia, and other provinces and lands annexed to the same great Kingdom of Poland, by an oath solemnly taken by Us according to the holy rite in the main cathedral church, as well as by public letters proclaimed with the force of law, so that no one can any longer doubt the certainty, fullness, and power of each of them; yet, because we are not accustomed to deny anyone that confirmation of rights also separately and individually for their greater durability: therefore, to the Distinguished and Famous Mayor, Councilors, Reeve, Jurors, and Citizens of the entire Community and Suburbans belonging to our city of Lwów—whose loyalty, integrity, and skill in good governance have proven to be abundantly attested both always elsewhere and especially during the turbulent periods of our Most Serene Predecessors and our most beloved deceased father, kings of Poland, as well as during frequent invasions of Tatars and other cruel enemies, in preserving, governing, strengthening, and defending this city of Lwów—earnestly and humbly requesting this from Us through their envoys, we have deemed it proper to do so willingly and to satisfy this following the example of our predecessors, as a matter noble and consistent with justice. Therefore, all and singular rights of the same city of Lwów, privileges, liberties, immunities, prerogatives, letters, inscriptions, donations, resignations, cessions, exchanges, gifts, exemptions, incorporations, confederations, customs, decrees, precedents, trials, and judgments, both those taken over and all acts of both office and court, performed also during the recently passed interregnum; as well as the original [acts] of the same city of Lwów, according to the original letters of Władysław, Duke of Opole and heir of Ruthenia, and Casimir the Third, disposing of one hundred and seventy Frankish hides under German law, foundations, locations, extreme boundaries, losses, gains, wastelands, as well as city ordinances, resolutions of the commonalty, resolutions of the council, and all sanctions, laws, legal powers, jurisdictions, exemptions, observances, customs, rents, demarcations, purchases, deposits, staple rights, bridge tolls, customs, annuities, and all acts of commissions and inquisitions, made and expedited exclusively for the benefit of the same city of Lwów, arbitral awards, homages, settlements, cedulars, muniments, statutes, in any way concerning our said city of Lwów, whatever are contained both in the books of the Kingdom and have obtained the power of approval at General Sejms, as well as those [granted] by Louis called Loysz, Hedwig, Casimir the old, Władysław the second Jagiełło and Władysław the Third, son of Jagiełło, [kings] of Poland and Hungary, John Albert, Alexander, Sigismund the First, Sigismund Augustus the Second, Henry, Stephen, and the Most Serene once Sigismund the Third, our most beloved father, deceased in recently passed years, kings and dukes of Poland; furthermore all liberties, immunities, prerogatives: namely concerning German, or Magdeburg law, and city jurisdictions, exemptions from all courts whatsoever, of the Sejm, of the lords barons, voivodes, castle courts, tenants, tribunals, and General Sejms of the Kingdom, and from other subordinations; exemptions from customs, both land and water, within the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania; as well as from all border levies of the nature of any customs, serving this our city of Lwów, and graciously granted from gate and bridge tolls, which said rights were generously granted, approved, confirmed, and ratified to this our city by the dukes and kings of Poland, our predecessors, and which we wish to have here as promised word for word—in all and singular their points, positions, conditions, clauses, articles, titles, knots, obligations, and entire wording, from the fullness of our royal authority we have deemed worthy of approval, ratification, renewal, pardon, and confirmation, and also by the protection of this our letter, according to law and the actual state of affairs, we renew, graciously grant, and confirm. Determining that all of them and singular, described and contained in the original letters and privileges, should obtain the power and authority of perpetual durability. And furthermore, under our royal word, we promise and by this letter guarantee that we shall recognize all these and singular rights of our city of Lwów itself and liberties, prerogatives, ordinances, and customs, from of old preserved and observed in this our city of Lwów, as well as decrees and privileges, in everything as valid, unshakable, and pleasing, eternally and forever, and shall fully, completely, and inviolably observe, protect, and implement them. We also wish and promise to protect and defend all and singular Lwów citizens and inhabitants, suburbans and peasants belonging from of old to the said city and its jurisdiction, and their individual goods, both jointly and privately held, possessed, and actually jointly covered, against all wrongs, violence, burdens, and inconveniences whatsoever from any persons, of any estate, dignity, and condition, and our officials, especially starosts, present and future, and we shall not allow the admission of any new inventions among them, nor shall we permit anyone to do so, but preserving them and their goods within their limits, boundaries, and borders according to ancient custom, just as they were preserved by our Predecessors, the most famous kings of Poland—we shall preserve, protect, and cause them to be preserved. We shall not detach any of their goods belonging to the city and city jurisdiction from the same city of Lwów and its jurisdiction, nor shall we allow them to be detached in vain. In faith and testimony of which our seal has been appended to this. Given in Kraków, at the General Assembly of our happy Coronation, on the second day of the month of March, in the Year of our Lord one thousand six hundred and thirty-third, and in the first year of our reigns. Władysław King [Note on the right side of the plica:] [Signature illegible / chancellery] [On the plica on the right:] General confirmation of the privileges of the city of Lwów [Seal:] [Great Crown Seal of Władysław IV impressed in red wax, in a wax bowl, suspended on a red silk cord] [Verso:] [Note at the top:] 4135 / No. 21 [Note in reddish ink:] From bundle 101. [Large calligraphic inscription in reddish ink:] Fifth rubric / G. F. Number 14. [Archival note:] Confirmation of the rights of the city of Lwów / Of the Most Serene Władysław IV, King of Poland, year 1633. [In the middle:] No. 11. / C [Bottom left:] chest 10 [Bottom right:] Year 1.

Vladislaus IV. Dei gratia Rex Poloniae, Magnus Dux Lithuaniae, Russiae, Prussiae, Masoviae, Samogitiae, Livoniaeque etc. Nec non Suecorum, Gottorum, Vandalorumque Haereditarius Rex Electus Magnus Dux Moschoviae. Universis et singulis quorum interest, praesentibus literis nostris significamus. Quod tametsi, in praesenti Comitiorum felicis Coronationis nostrae, Generali Conventu, omnibus inclyti huius Regni Poloniae ordinibus, ac sta= tibus, tam Spiritualium, quam Saecularium, Civitatibus etiam nostris in genere et specie, Iura, Privilegia, libertates, concessiones, ac quasvis praerogativas, per Serenissimos Antecessores nostros, Regni huius Poloniae et Magni Ducatus Lithuaniae, Russiae, Prussiae, aliarumque Provinciarum ac Regionum, eidem amplissimo Poloniae Regno adnexarum, Reges ac Principes, iuste, ac rationabiliter concessas, iure iurando, per nos Sacris et solemni caeremonia, in summo Cathedrali templo praestito, etiam literis publicis in vim legis promulgatis datis benigne, prout authoritati nostrae Regiae par erat, approbaverimus, confirmaverimus, et ratificaverimus, adeo ut nihil amplius quisq[ue] de certitu= dine, plenitudine, et soliditate, uniuscui[us]q[ue] addubitare possit; Nihilominus tamen, cum singulariter, et seorsim eandem confirmationem Iurium, pro maiori eorum subsistentia, negare nemini soleamus: Itaq[ue] Spectabilibus, et Famatis, Proconsuli, Consulibus, Advocato, Scabinis, totiusq[ue] Communitatis Civibus, ac Suburbanis ad nostram Civitatem Leopoliensem pertinentibus, quorum fides, integritas, et in bene administrandi scientia, cum semper alias tum praecipue sub temporum turbulentis interstitijs Serenissimorum Antecessorum, patrisq[ue] nostri desideratissimi praedefuncti, Regum Poloniae, atq[ue] frequentibus Tartarorum, et aliorum immanium Hostium incursionibus, invenienda, gubernanda, mu= nienda, ac defendenda, illa Leopoliensi Civitate abunde testata apparuit, per Internuncios suos, id a Nobis obnixe, et submisse postulantibus, hoc idem libenter uti in re honesta, et aequitati consona, exemplo praedecessorum nostrorum faciendum, ac praestandum esse duximus. Itaq[ue] omnia ac singula iura, Civitatis eiusdem Leopoliensis, Privilegia, libertates, immunitates, Praerogativas, literas, Inscriptiones, Donationes, Resignationes, Cessiones, permutationes, praesen= tationes, eximiones, incorporationes, Confederationes, consuetudines, Decreta, Praeiudicata, Processus, ac sententias, tam tralatas quamuis, tam Officii, quam Iudicii Actus, etiam sub interregno proxime praeterito celebratos; atq[ue] primarias Civitatis eiusdem Leopoliensis, iuxta originales Ladislai Ducis Opoliensis et Russiae Haeredis, atq[ue] Casimiri Tertii, literas, de Centum et Septuaginta Mansis, seu laneis Franconicis iure Theutonico disponentes, fundationes, locationes, extremitates, emer= gentias, exorientias, vastitates, tum et Ordinationes Civiles, Plebiscita, Senatus consulta, ac sanctiones quaslibet, Iura, Ioralia, Iurisditiones, Exemptiones, observantias, consuetudines, census, determinationes, emptiones, depositiones, stathalia, aggeralia, Theolonea, Rensiones, Actusquevis Commissorium ac Inquisitorium, pro parte tantum eiusdem Civitatis Leopoliensis peractis, expeditos, Arbitramenta, omagia, pacta, cedulas, munimenta, statuta, dictam Civitatem nostram Leopoliensem quoquomodo concernentia, quaecunq[ue] tam in voluminibus Regni continentur, vimq[ue] approbationis in Conventibus Generalibus per medium reditus obtinuerunt, quam quae a Ludovico alias Loysz, Hedvigi, Casimiro antiquo Vladislao se= cundo Iagellone, et Vladislao Tertio Iagiellonis filio Poloniae et Hungariae, Ioanne Alberto, Alexandro, Sigismundo Primo, Sigismundo Augusto Secundo, Henrico, Stephano, et Serenissimo olim Sigismundo Tertio patre nostro desideratissimo, annis proxime elapsis, vita functis, Regibus, et Principibus Poloniae, Insuper quasvis libertates, immunitates, Praerogativas: videlicet super Ius Theutonicum, seu Magdeburgense atq[ue] Iurisditiones Civiles ab omnium Angulorumq[ue] quo= vismodo Iudiciorum, Comitialium, Baronum, Palatinorum, Castrensium, Tenutariorum, Tribunalitium et Conventuum Generalium Regni, caeterorumq[ue] subiectionum Exemptiones super Theolonea, tam Terragena, quam Aquagii, intra Regnum Poloniae, et Magnum Lithuaniae Ducatum. Tum et super Finitimas quasvis in vim Theolonei cuiuslibet exactiones eidem Civitati nostrae Leopoliensi servientia, atq[ue] super Portalia, Aggeralia benigne data, qua praedicta Iura tati nostrae liberaliter, per Duces, Principes, et Reges Poloniae, Antecessores nostros concessa, approbata, confirmata, et ratificata sunt, et quae hic de verbo ad verbum promissa habere volumus, in omnibus et singulis eorum punctis, posi= tionibus, conditionibus, clausulis, articulis, titulis, nexibus, ligamentis, ac toto tenore de plenitudine, authoritatis nostrae Regiae approbanda, ratificanda, innovanda, gratificanda, et confirmanda duximus, quemadmodum praesen= tium literarum nostrarum patrocinio, prout Iuris est, et re ipsa earundem habetur, innovamus, gratificamus, et confirmamus. Decernentes ipsa omnia, et singula, in originalibus literis, ac Privilegiis descripta, et contenta, vim, et robur perpetuae firmitatis obtinere debere. Et insuper in verbo nostro Regio promittimus, et praesentibus literis spondemus eadem omnia, et singula, ipsius Civitatis nostrae Leopoliensis Iura, et libertates, Praerogativas, ordinationes, et con= suetudines, in eadem nostra Leopoliensi Civitate antiquitus tentas, et observatas, Decreta item et Privilegia per omnia rata, firma, et grata, perpetuo, et in aevum habere, et plene integre ac inviolabiliter observare, et manu tenere, ac eis satisfacere in effectum. Volumus etiam, et promittimus omnes et singulos Cives, et incolas Leopolienes, Suburbanos, et Villanos ad dictam Civitatem, et Iurisditionem eius ex antiquo spectantem, et pertinentem, atq[ue] singula eorum bona, tam nomine communi quam privato tenta, possessa, et realiter cum confusione apprehensa, ab omnibus iniuriis, violentijs, gravaminibus, et angariis quibuscunque, quorumvis personarum, cuiuscunq[ue] status, digni= tatis, et conditionis, atq[ue] officialium nostrorum, praecipue capitaneorum, nunc et pro tempore existentium, tueri, defendere, nec alias novas adinventiones, inter eos admitti sinemus, nec quenquam permittemus, sed eos, bonaq[ue] eorum, in suis metis, limitibus, et graniciebus conservando, iuxta antiquam consuetudinem, prout per Antecessores nostros inclytos Poloniae Reges fuerunt conservati, conservabimus, et manu tenebimus, atq[ue] conservari faciemus. Nulla bona eorum ad Civitatem et Iurisditionem Civilem pertinentia, ab eadem Civitate Leopoliensi, et Iurisditione ipsius alienabimus, aut alienari adinan permittemus. In cuius rei fidem, et Testimonium, Sigillum nostrum praesentibus est appensum. Datum Cracoviae in Conventione Generali felicis Coronationis nostrae Die Secunda Mensis Martij, Anno Domini Millesimo Sexcentesimo Trigesimo Tertio Regnorum vero nostrorum Anno Primo. Vladislaus Rex [Nota z prawej strony plicy:] [Podpis nieczytelny / kanclerski] [Na plicy po prawej:] Confirmatio Generalis Privilegiorum Civitatis Leopoliensis [Pieczęć:] [Wielka pieczęć koronna Władysława IV wyciśnięta w czerwonym wosku, w misce woskowej, zawieszona na czerwonym jedwabnym sznurze] [Verso:] [Nota u góry:] 4135 / N 21 [Nota czerwonawym atramentem:] Ex Fascic: 101. [Wielka inskrypcja kaligraficzna czerwonawym tuszem:] Rubr[ica] Quint[a] / G. F. N[umero] 14. [Nota archiwalna:] Confirmatio Iurium Civitatis Leopoliensis / Serenissimi Vladislai 4ti Regis Poloni[ae] A[nn]o 1633. [Pośrodku:] N. 11. / C [U dołu po lewej:] arca 10 [U dołu po prawej:] A 1mo.