General confirmation of the rights and privileges of the city of Lwów by King John III Sobieski

[recto:] JOHN III, BY THE GRACE OF GOD, KING OF POLAND, Grand Duke of Lithuania, Ruthenia, Prussia, Masovia, Samogitia, Kiev, Volhynia, Podolia, Podlasie, Livonia, Smolensk, Severia, and Chernihiv, etc. We hereby make known to all and each, whom it may concern. It is among the primary concerns for the prosperity of kingdoms and rulers to consider the adornment and preservation of cities. Furthermore, this cannot be fulfilled more easily and happily than when the benevolence and grace of rulers strengthen with benefits and confirm with their right hand the privileges and immunities of cities, not allowing them to be weakened or undermined by the cunning invention of new laws or perversely fertile minds. Hence, it rests in our heart that all cities of our Kingdom should be fortified at the dawn of our reign with the testimony of royal grace and benevolence. And although we have already confirmed and approved their rights and immunities by a general diploma included in the book of laws, nevertheless, we have deemed that the same privileges and immunities, granted by our Most Serene Predecessors, should also be approved and confirmed by our special privilege. And whereas among other cities of our Kingdom, our city of Lwów distinguishes itself by numerous merits towards the Commonwealth, our Predecessors, and our Majesty, with an unshakable fidelity tested by so many adversities – weary from so many sieges by enemies: Cossacks, Muscovites, Tatars, and recently Turks, yet not succumbing to so many misfortunes, it rose above them, overcame these crises with admirable courage, and until now, fearless, with a truly lion-hearted magnanimity, it restrains and repels the power of the Ottomans so that they do not advance further and break into the interior of the Kingdom, and its citizens, famous no less for martial virtues than for learned ones, cultured and civic-minded, have hardened themselves for every kind of refinement within the borders of the Commonwealth and beyond – as therefore the aforementioned city [...] has gained glory through courage and constant fidelity towards the Commonwealth and our Majesty, so it has deserved our special grace. Therefore, graciously acceding to the request submitted to Us on behalf of the Voivode and the Illustrious Magistrate of the said City by its envoys, the noble and famous Marcin Anczewski and Aleksander Józefowicz, our secretaries and physicians and also councilors, and Michał Grygerowicz, the syndic, we have deemed it worthy to approve, renew, ratify, and confirm all and individual rights, older and newer privileges of the said City, Magistrate, estates, and the entire Community (of both the Roman Catholic, Greek, and Armenian rites), as well as prerogatives, liberties, immunities, resolutions, decrees, constitutions, exemptions, and customs granted and confirmed to the same City from time immemorial by our Most Serene Ancestors and Predecessors, both in general and in particular [...], and hitherto maintained and observed by custom; and in particular the privileges of equalization [in rights] with the principal cities of the Crown and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania: Kraków and Wilno; rescripts and decrees by reason of the general staple of Lwów; the right of escheat after burghers and newcomers who died without a will or without heirs; the rights of patronage and collation of hospitals and clergy at churches of the Roman and Ruthenian rites; the exemption of the Magistrate and citizens of Lwów from all commission courts, as well as starosta, castle, land, and voivodeship tribunals; furthermore, royal decrees issued between the Magistrate and the Starosta, between the Magistrate and the Commonalty, between the same Magistrate and the Armenian and Ruthenian nations, decrees of the City issued against suburbanites and others, as if they were inserted here in their entirety in their wording, in all their points, clauses, conditions, and reservations – as we, by the fullness of our royal power and authority, by this our letter approve, renew, ratify, and confirm, so that neither the generality may in any way detract from the particularity, nor the particularity from the generality. And we recognize the same rights, privileges, resolutions, decrees, immunities, exemptions, and liberties of our often-mentioned City, as legally and lawfully granted and confirmed by long custom, as having the force and weight of due permanence forever, promising that We and Our Most Serene Successors will inviolably preserve the said Magistrate, Commonalty, citizens, and inhabitants of Lwów of any religion and nation in the enjoyment of all and each of them. In witness whereof, we have ordered this letter, signed by our royal hand, to be strengthened with the seal of the Kingdom. Given in Kraków at the General Assembly of our happy Coronation, on the 3rd day of the month of April in the Year of Our Lord 1676, the first year of our reign. [Signatures:] John King [m.p.] [On the fold on the right:] Stanisław [...] Royal [...] [On the fold on the right, header text:] General confirmation of the rights and privileges of the city of Lwów. [verso:] General confirmation of the rights and privileges of the city of Lwów by the Most Serene John the Third, King of Poland, under his happy coronation. Kraków 1676. [Oblata note on the left side:] On the Wednesday next after Cross Sunday in the Year of Our Lord 1676. Upon the personal submission of the noble and famous Wojciech Ropiński, vice-mayor, and Jan Stefan De Neva Ubaldini, councilor of the city of His Royal Majesty of Lwów, to the acts of the said [...] royal [court], the [acts] of confirmation of privileges by the Most Serene King of Poland happily reigning John the Third [...] were testified and included by the [...] Lwów Castle Office [...]. [Old signatures and archival notes:] No 14to C, Cav[?] Fasc 101 No 14 N 116 [In the upper right corner of the verso in pencil/ink note:] Taken from [...]

[recto:] IOANNES III DEI GRATIA REX POLONIÆ, Magnus Dux Lithuaniæ, Ruthiæ, Prussiæ, Masoviæ, Samogitiæ, Kijoviæ, Volhyniæ, Podoliæ, Podlachiæ, Livoniæ, Smolensciæ, Severiæ, Czerniechoviæque etc. Significamus præsentibus literis nostris quorum interest universis & singulis. Ad Regnorum regnantiumq[ue] pertinet felicitatem Civitatum ornamenta, conservationem inter præcipuas reponere curas. Porrò hoc alia ratione facilius feliciusq[ue] impleri non potest, quam cùm favor et benignitas Principum Privilegia immunitates Civitatum beneficijs firmat, stabilitq[ue] dextera, neq[ue] permittit ut callida novarum legum, aut ingeniorum pravè fæcundorum enerventur aut labefactentur inventione. Inde & pectori nostro hæc insidet solicitudo, ut omnes Regni nostri Civitates in his regiminis nostri auspicijs Regia gratiæ benignitatisq[ue] recreentur testificatione. Atq[ue] liceti jam Jura et immunitates earum Generali Diplomate volumini legum inserto confirmaverimus & approbaverimus. Nihilominus speciali etiam Privilegio nostro eadem Privilegia immunitatesq[ue] à Serenissimis Prædecessoribus n[ost]ris concessas approbandas et confirmandas esse existimavimus. Cùm vero inter alias Regni N[ost]ri Civitates plurimis erga Rempublicam, Nostros Prædecessores ac Maiestatem nostram meritis eminet inconcussa totq[ue] adversis probata fide Civitas Nostra Leopolie[n]sis, tot hostium obsidionibus Cosacorum, Moschorum, Scytharum, nuperq[ue] Turcarum fatigata, neq[ue] succumbens tot casibus maior, cryses has admirabili superaverat fortitudine, et hucusq[ue] impavida quia Leonina magnanimitate Ottomanorum sistit moveturq[ue] potentiam ne ultra progrediantur et in viscera Regni prolabatur, Cives quoq[ue] non bellica magis quam literata laude præclari, culti, civiles, et ad omnem formam elegantiam ultra&[?] intra&[?] Orbes Poloni induraverunt. Prout utaq[ue] Civitas prænominata læteris fortitudine constantiq[ue] erga Rempublicam Maiestatemq[ue] N[ost]ram fidelitate pertinere sibi paravit gloriam, ita & singularem Nostram promeruit gratiam; atq[ue] supplicationi nomine Palatini et Sp[bi]lis Magistratus eiusdem Præ[dictæ] Civitatis per Interuuntios suos Nobiles et Spectabiles Martinum Anczewski, Alexandrum Iozephowicz Secretarios & Medicos nostros uti Consules, tum Michaelem Grygerowicz Sindicum Nobis facta facile annuentes, omnia & singula prædictæ Civitatis Magistratus Ordinum totiusq[ue] Communitatis tam Romana Catholica quam Græca et Armenorum religionis Iura, Privilegia antiquiora et recentiora, tum etiam prærogativas, libertates, immunitates, Plebiscita, Decreta, Constitutiones, exemptio[n]es consuetudines à Serenissimis Maioribus et Antecessoribus Nostris ab immemorabili tempore eidem Civitati tam in genere quam specu[?] concessa, confirmata et usu usq[ue] ad hoc tempus tenta ac observata, atq[ue] specifice Privilegia Coæquationis cum primarijs Regni et Mag[ni] Duc[atus] Lituaniæ Civitatibus Cracoviensi et Vilnensi; Rescripta Decreta ratione depositorij gnli[?] Leopolien[sis]; Iuris Caduci post cives & advenas, intestatos, aut sterilitier è vita decedentes; Iuris Patronatus & Collationis Spitaliu[m], personar[um] ad Ecclesias ritus Romani et Ruthenorum; Exemptionis Magistratus et Civium Leopolien[sium] à Iudicijs Commissarialibus quibuscunq[ue], tum etiam Tribunalibus Capitanealibus Castrensibus, Terrestribus, Palatinalibus; Insuper Decreta Regia inter Magistratum et Capitaneum; inter Magistratu[m] et Communitatem; Inter Eandem M[a]g[ist]ratu[m] et nationes Armenorum et Ruthenorum; Decreta Civitatis ex parte contra Suburbanos prælata; aliaq[ue], acsi hic integrè de tenoribus eorum inserta sint, in omnibus eorundem punctis, clausulis, conditionibus, exceptionibus approbanda, innovanda, ratificanda et confirmanda esse duximus, uti quidem de plenitudine potestatis, authoritatisq[ue] Nostræ Regiæ præsentibus literis nostris approbamus, innovamus, ratificamus et confirmamus, ita ut nec generalitas specialitati nec specialitas generalitati quidquam deroget; Eademq[ue] sæpedictæ Civitatis Nostræ Iura, Privilegia, Plebiscita, Decreta, immunitates, exemptiones, libertates, uti Iure ac legitimè concessas et usu longo firmatas, vim ac robur debitæ firmitatis perpetuo habere declaramus, et circa usum omnium et singulorum dictum Magistratum, Communitatem, Cives et incolas cuiusvis religionis nationisq[ue] Leopolie[n]ses Nos et S[ere]nissimos Succores n[ost]ros integrè conservaturos pollicemur. In cuius rei fidem præsentes manu Nostra Regia subscriptas Sigillo Regni communiri mandavimus. Dat[um] in Conventu Generali felicis Coronationis N[ost]ræ die III Mensis Aprilis Anno D[omi]ni MDCLXXVI Regni n[ost]ri I[mo] Anno. [Podpisy:] Ioannes Rex [m.p.] [Na plicy po prawej:] Stanisl[aus] [...] Reg[iae] [...] [Na plicy po prawej, tekst nagłówkowy:] Confirmatio Generalis Jurium et Privilegiorum Civitatis Leopolien[sis]. [verso:] Confirmatio Generalis Jurium & Privilegiorum Civitatis Leopoliensis per SS[is]si[m]um Joannem Tertium Regem Poloniæ, sub felici Coronatione eiusd[em]. Cracoviæ 1676. [Nota oblaty z lewej strony:] Feria Quarta post Dominicam Rogationum proxima Anno D[omi]ni 1676. Ad personalem Nobilium et Spectabilium Alberti Ropiński Proconsulis, Joannis Stephani De Neva Ubaldini Consulis Civitatis Sacræ Regiæ Maiestatis Leopoliensis relationem, Actis d[i]cti Regii fassi et inserti sunt confirmationis Privilegiorum per Serenissimum Regem Poloniæ feliciter regnantem Joannem Tertium [...] per Officium [...] Castren[sis] Leopoliens[is] [...]. [Dawne sygnatury i noty archiwalne:] No 14to C, Cav[?] Fasc 101 No 14 N 116 [W prawym górnym rogu verso ołówkiem/atramentem notatka:] Wyjęto z [...]