Source catalogue

An order to carefully secure the belongings of a deceased Turkish merchant until further instructions. Those claiming rights must present a letter from the Turkish ruler to the King.

The King supports the request of the Jews of Lwów to extend the expiring trade agreement with the city authorities. According to the information provided to him, the agreement does not harm the city's rights or revenues; he recommends its continuation and the allowance of trade on the existing terms.

The King recalls the privilege allowing his servant Dominik Montelupi to trade in all cities of the Crown and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania throughout the year. The authorities of Lwów restrict him based on their own laws and privileges. The King recommends a settlement without waiting for a royal court ruling and again demands that Montelupi not be forbidden from selling both during and outside of fairs.

The King responds to a complaint from the burghers of Lwów regarding new obligations entered into the lustration. He orders that merchants and craftsmen not be burdened beyond the law and that such entries be removed, despite extracts having already been issued to the starosta.

The King orders the return to the Jews of Lwów of goods brought to the fair and seized by the magistrate, who did not wait for the dispute to be resolved. Until a verdict is reached, he forbids hindering their trade.

The King reports a complaint from Jews in the suburb regarding attacks by students and other unruly persons, the robbery of houses, goods, and money. He orders the magistrate to ensure order and punish the perpetrators as an example.

The city is to send representatives familiar with the value of foreign goods to Warsaw by May 27, 1643. They will support the parliamentary commission cooperating with the treasurers in setting prices.

The King thanks Lwów for its resistance against the troops of the Transylvanian Voivode and requests a loan of 100,000 zlotys. The security is to be the customs revenues collected under lease; the treasurer will provide details.

The King accuses the authorities of Lwów of supporting persons harming customs revenues, driving away guards, and letting goods pass without clearance. He orders the prevention of abuses and the punishment of merchants acting under the protection of lords. He threatens proceedings by the Crown Instigator before the royal court.

Based on the report of the Crown Court Marshal, the administrator of customs, the King accuses the Lwów interpreter Mikołaj Bajdułowicz of harming customs revenues and inciting others. He demands his removal from office and the appointment of a successor; in case of delay, he will appoint a suitable person himself.

The King orders both commissions to cooperate in recovering the silver of the Żółkiew church, taken from the deposit in the Lwów Cathedral during the Turkish siege. The items or their fair equivalent must be recovered, and those guilty of illegal trade in them must be judged.

The King forbids the magistrate from taking arbitrary actions against Jewish merchants whose shops have been closed. The dispute is to be settled by the royal court.

A separate letter instructs the starosta of Lwów to stop the city's actions that harm merchants before the royal court's verdict.

The Hospodar sends his customs officer from Chernivtsi to Lwów for materials for the upcoming holidays and asks that his servant be allowed to transport the purchases safely and duty-free, as his predecessors were allowed. He promises reciprocal favors.

Jerzy Ghica asks the councilors of Lwów to announce the upcoming fair in Jazłowiec to foreign merchants and city residents. He informs them of the merchants' fears regarding new fees and the protection guarantee received, after which he ordered his merchants to set off. He also asks for confirmation and encouragement from Lwów.

A German register from 1863 describes the Sultan's intervention regarding Omar, an agent of the court merchant Mahmud: the recovery of debts for goods sold to Polish merchants while returning from Russia. The full Ottoman original was not translated.

The Magistrate of Brody complains about the detention of goods and the collection of tolls by the people of Lwów. According to the complaint, several dozen armed men detained the merchants' oxen in Toporów, demanding 1300 zł; later, 300 zł was taken in Lwów for the detained goods. A request to the Crown Standard-Bearer for the protection of the city's privileges.

The authorities of Old Warsaw sympathize with the people of Lwów regarding the burdens imposed by Becal. They inform about stopping the fee of 2 zlotys for every 100 zlotys, which the customs administrator demanded from merchants going to the Jarosław fair. They also describe an independent intervention against the increase of 'hiberna', despite the lack of cooperation from the delegates of Lwów and Kraków.

Gdańsk conveys the complaints of its own merchants trading in Lwów: violation of old rights, fees, closing of warehouses, accusations of unauthorized contracts, and inspection of books despite the lack of evidence. It asks for the removal of abuses, reserving the possibility of turning to the King. The truthfulness of the complaints was presented conditionally.

In connection with confirmed news about the plague in Hungary, Transylvania, and on the borders of Poland, Gdańsk establishes the requirement of reliable health certificates for persons and goods entering the city. It asks Lwów to inform residents and neighbors, comply with the regulation, and show similar preventive care.

Gdańsk recalls the earlier warning about the plague in Hungary and Transylvania and conveys news about its beginnings in some nearby places in Poland. It demands reliable health certificates for arrivals and goods, specifying the conditions for their issuance.

After receiving news about a renewed plague in Hungary, Gdańsk renews the ordinance from about two years ago. The entry of persons and the admission of goods are made conditional on reliable documents of origin from healthy places free from suspicion of infection.

Gdańsk informs about reports it considers reliable regarding the beginnings of the plague in some parts of Poland. It announces the requirement for documents of origin for persons and goods from healthy places and asks Lwów to disseminate the ordinance and take preventive measures.

The authorities of Kalisz certify the delivery of the royal universal regarding the collection of one hundred thousand zlotys for the needs of the King and the Republic, as well as the accompanying letter from the authorities of Lwów. The document does not confirm the payment made nor does it state the share of Kalisz.

The councilors of Kamieniec return to the correspondence and the royal decision regarding the passage of caravans, merchants' goods, and the staple rights of Lwów. They ask for compliance with the agreements and the presence of people guarding the merchants and goods. They mention an attached copy of the royal letter under their own seal; detailed transit clauses remain partially illegible.

After the reduction of the coin's value, the Podolian Voivodeship established a commission to set prices for goods and equipment. Merchants asked for a postponement of the submission of registers and closed their shops. The commission ordered sales at half the previous price. The magistrates of Kamieniec ask Lwów for information about a similar tariff; further resolution remains open.

Kraków asks for the release of its burgher Ciamer from a re-collection of the donative in Lwów and for the unsealing of his goods. It argues that the merchant has already paid in Kraków, and the universals exclude collecting the same tribute again in another city. It also cites the merchant's account of the current practice and his trade losses.

Kraków claims that Scottish merchants use royal rescripts and protective letters to violate municipal trade laws, evade burdens, and avoid jurisdiction. It describes the case of the merchant Rijdt [?] and the goods taken from him. It asks Lwów for joint actions and the transmission of similar court rulings.

The magistrate of Kraków asks whether in Lwów beer can be brewed only by members of the guild, or also by other burghers for their own needs and for sale. It asks for the rules of collecting the excise tax and copies of laws or decrees granting the freedom of brewing and retail to citizens, not the guild. It also asks about the possibility of importing beer from other places for household needs.

The magistrate of Kraków sends its citizen for detailed news about contagious diseases spreading in Ruthenia, Ukraine, and Podolia. It asks Lwów to inform the envoy, detain travelers and merchants from the affected areas, check passports, and verify certificates of healthy origin for travelers and goods. It demands the authentication of the documents' good origin with an official signature and the city seal before allowing further passage.

Responding to Lwów's inquiry, Lublin provides the fees: one zloty per barrel of wine for the voivode and three groschen for the deputy voivode. It does not indicate a similar burden for other goods. It mentions the levy on food brought from the countryside and contributions from merchants and guilds when setting prices twice a year. It asks that the response remain confidential.

The magistrate of Lublin refers to news about a royal commission examining the case between the Lwów authorities and the Jews trading in the city. It wants to imitate Lwów's actions and asks for an authenticated copy of the decree, exclusively regarding the point on the removal of Jews, to serve as a precedent. It declares it will cover the chancery fees.

The councilors describe the decline of cities, the killing of one mayor and the dragging of another to the castle, the reduction of jurisdiction and lands, and trade difficulties. They call on Lwów to act together before the Sejm and announce a meeting on December 29. The allegations are presented as the authors' claims.

Poznań responds to the news received by mail from Lwów about Becal, whom the senders accuse of oppressing Christian merchants under the pretext of a new constitution. The letter expresses fear that similar actions will also affect Poznań. It announces the presentation of the matter to persons inclined to intervene so that it reaches the king and the Crown Treasurer.

The magistrate confirms receipt of the call for the donation enacted in Toruń and asks Lwów to intervene to exempt Rohatyn. It argues the decline of trade: it rhetorically asks about even one ox sold in Jarosław, a piece of cloth, or a sack of pepper; a small peddler was supposed to bring barely one stone of pepper. It also points to the burdens caused by the army.

The Śniatyn office certifies the testimony of the bailiff about the public announcement of the king's confirmation of the Lwów right of staple at the Piotrków Sejm. It warns against bypassing the staple city and looking for another route. It anticipates the detention of the merchant along with oxen and other goods. The testimony was entered into the records and confirmed with a seal; it is not a report of a completed seizure of goods.

At the request of Krzysztof, a glazier and Lwów burgher acting as a proxy for the Lwów councilors and commoners, the bailiff's testimony about announcing the sub-starosta's order to arriving merchants was recorded. The announcement cites the royal mandate, the Crown constitution, and the universal regarding Lwów trade. It prohibits buying goods and oxen in violation of the regulations and bypassing the usual Lwów road, under penalty of confiscation of goods, half for the king and half for Lwów.

The councilors of Stryj certify that on April 9 they received a royal universal and a reminder from the Lwów magistrate regarding a donation of 100,000 zlotys. As a merchant city, Stryj is allocated 200 zlotys, which are to be sent to Lwów by May 15. They confirm announcing the obligation to the residents, but not its payment.

The authorities of Jazłowiec certify complaints from Eastern merchants regarding the burdens imposed by Lwów translators. According to the merchants, the fees exceed the customs duties entered in the register, and the inspection is repeated. The Jazłowiec magistrate asks the Lwów authorities to stop the abuses, arguing that they also harm the city itself, and confirms the letter with a seal and signatures.

In the records of the Jarosław bench court, a bailiff's report was recorded regarding the announcement at the four corners of the market square of an order to bring goods via regular routes to Lwów and to respect the staple right. The order was announced during a fair at the request of the Lwów authorities, with the authorization of the Crown estates and Mikołaj Herburt of Fulsztyn. It provides for the detention of persons bypassing the law and the seizure of their goods.

The mayor and councilors of Jarosław ask the Lwów council to announce to merchants that the upcoming Jarosław fair will take place at the usual time. They refer to the will and authority of the Marshal and Grand Crown Hetman and their benefactress, and encourage them to arrive with goods without fear of hostile actions. This is an assurance and invitation from the senders, not a confirmation of the fair's progress.

The authorities of Jarosław respond to a letter from Lwów regarding merchant attendance at the fair. They inform that on that day they instructed the bailiff to announce during the market an invitation for safe arrival, without fear of extraordinary extortions. They refer to the promised protection of the Marshal and Grand Crown Hetman and offer New Year's greetings.

A request to Forbes to send the remaining goods to Mościska: two chests tied with ropes and a third one requiring securing. The wax is to remain in the shop for now.

Brzeski responds to the fear of detaining Lviv merchants in connection with the Kamieniec case. He assures the safety of the Lviv citizens; he requires the customary reporting in the city. He mentions a future royal decree.