A grant of immunities

Translated letter:

In the name of the lord Amen.  I, Grzymyslawa, duchess of Poland, by the mercy of God, greetings to all prelates of the church as well as the princes of Poland and noble men.  The highest study in human matters is to cultivate justice and not change what has been established by any good prince.  Since, therefore, every kind of freedom was conferred by duke Boleslaw, and Kazimir of good memory, and my husband Leszek, formerly duke of Poland, on all the men of [St.] Andre’s Abbey, you should know that that renewed freedom has been reinforced by us.  Therefore we establish that they are not subject to the payment of cattle, nor do they pay for tenure, which is called “stroza,” nor are they constrained to any castle construction by anyone, nor must they participate in any expedition, and they cannot be summoned to judgment by any castellan, only by my letters with my seal and the duchess before me, when I was near Pilica or Vislicia (Wislica), and they will not be summoned otherwise for judgment, nor are they compelled to go in “preseka,” which is cutting of woods, nor are they forced to conduct “powoss.”  If anyone should breach this my decree, he would not only pay us six marks, but also should not doubt that he would be cut off from our grace.  This also we make known to all in the present as well as future, that everything that the present page contains, noted before witnesses in that page or charter, I have indissolubly enforced by the protection of my seal with the seal of the lord Ivo, bishop of Krakow.  This was enacted in the 1228th year from the incarnation of the lord, first indiction, in the month of March, in a meeting celebrated in Skarissowia.  These are the witnesses:  Pachoslaus palatine, Mark palatine, Jacob castellan of Sandomierz, Mistuy castellan of Wislica, Dobesius castellan of Malogosth, Nicholas chancellor, Matthew subchancellor, Prandota, provost of Tarsc(Tarczyn?), Creslaus his brother, Woychech castellan of Lublin, Gregory provost of St. Florian, Miroslaus castellan of Polanczyk, Abraham brother of Marc, and many others whose names we do not know.

Original letter:

In nomine domini Amen. Ego Grzymyslawa diuina miseracione ducissa Polonie, tam omnibus ecclesie prelatis, quam cunctis Polonie principibus, uirisqe nobilibus salutem.  Summum in rebus humanis studium est iusticiam colere, et cuiuslibet boni principis constituta non immutare. Cum ergo omnimoda libertas a duce Boleslao, et a bone memorie Kazimiro, et a marito meo Lescone, quondam duce Polonie, omnibus Andrzeiowiensis Abbacie hominibus collata fuerit, eandem libertatem a nobis renouando corroboratam sciatis. Igitur constituimus, ut ipsi nec solucioni de bobus subiaceant, nec custodiam, que stroza  dicitur, soluant, nec ad aliquod castrum construendum ab aliquibus constringantur, nec alicui intersint expedicioni, et a nullo castellano ad iudicium prouocentur, solummodo cum sigillo meo et literis meis ante me ducissam, cum citra Pilciam uel Visliciam  fuerim, et non alias iudicandi prouocentur, nec in preseka, quod est incisio nemorum, ire cogantur, neque powoss ducere coarctentur. Hoc quicumque constitutum meum infregerit, non solum sex marcas nobis soluturum, uerum eciam gracia nostra se cariturum non ambigat. Hoc quoque notum facimus tam presentibus, quam futuris, quod hec omnia, que presens pagina continet, coram testibus in eadem pagina uel cartula denotatis, indissolubiliter sigilli mei cum sigillo domini Iuonis episcopi Cracouiensis, munimine roboraui. Actum est hoc anno ab incarnacione domini M.° cc° xx° viii°, indiccione prima, mense Martij, in colloquio in Skarissowia celebrato. Isti sunt testes: Pachoslaus palatinus, Marcus palatinus, Iacobus castellanus Sendomiriensis, Mistuy castellanus de Wislica, Dobesius castellanus de Malogosth, Nicolaus cancellarius, Matheus subcancellarius, Prandota prepositus de Tarsc, Creslaus frater suus, Woychech castellanus de Lublin, Gregorius prepositus sancti Floriani, Miroslaus castellanus de Polancz, Abraham frater Marci, et alij fuerunt multi, quorum nomina ignoramus.

Historical context:

Gremislava grants immunities to the Cisterican monastery in Jedrzejow.  The text is known from a copy made in in 1533 at the monastery of Jędrzejów.  I am grateful to Talia Zajac for the reference to this charter.

Printed source:

Kodeks dyplomatyczny Małopolski, vol. 1: 1178-1386,  Monumenta Medii Aevi Historica Res Gestas Polonii Illustrantia Tomus III continet: Codicem Diplomaticum Poloniae Minoris, 1178-1386 , ed. Franciszek Piekosiński (Kraków: Akademia Umiejętności/Academia Literarum Craoviensis, 1876),  no.11, p.17.

Date: