A grant of immunity

Translated letter:

In the name of the holy and individual trinity.  Amen.  Since antiquity and oblivion of a long tract of time beget antiquity and oblivion, indeed the diminishing of things done, therefore it is necessary that a thing worthy of memory should be commended to writing by which aging antiquity may be more often renewed.  We, that is Boleslaw, by the grace of god duke of Kraków and Sandomierz, with our beloved mother Gremislava, make known to all in the present and future who will look at the present writing providing for the timely salvation of our souls and those of all our posterity, we grant to lord Symon, provost of Kryzanowice, of the Premonstratensian order and all his successors and the lords living and serving the lord there, to place a market town by Teutonic right and those tenants staying there be ruled under it by law of the new jurisdiction of the diocese of Wratizlavia (Wroclaw?) and we make the aforesaid town free from all charges, namely from ztrosa, povoz, ztan, podvody, povolove, and targove, and wherever they go in the jurisdictions of our land they will not pay tolls, they will not be held to build a castrum or [participate in military] expeditions …, they will not receive dog-keepers, falconers, or other violent collectors.  Moreover none will be held to respond nor to appear if invited, unless before their provost, to judge before the official according to his right, in large or small cases, or namely to be hanged or beheaded or put on the wheel.  And we have taken care that the present writing, in order to have the strength of stability be enforced by the protection of our seal.  Whoever might attack this deed of ours should know that he will incur the anger of almighty god.  Given/dated in the year of grace 1247, on the day of the annunciation of St. Mary in Korczyn.

Original letter:

In nomine sancte et indiuidue trinitatis.  Amen.  Quoniam longi tractus temporum pariunt antiquitatem antiquitas obliuionem obliuio vero rerum actarum exinantionem.  Eapropter necesse est ut res digna memorie scripto debeat commendari quo canescens antiquitas crebrius valeat renouari.  Nos quoque dux Bolezlaws dei gratis Cracouie et Zandomirie cum dilecta matre nostra Grimizlaua notum facimus omnibus tam presentibus quam futuris presens scriptum inspecturis quod animarum mature saluti nostrarum prouidentes et totius nostre posteritatis concedimus domino Symoni preposito de Crizanouiz, premonstratensis ordinis et suis omnibus successoribus et dominabus ibidem degentibus et domino famulantibus locare uillam forensem iure theuthonico ut sub eo hospites ibidem manentes regantur iure noui fori diocesis Wratizlauiensis et facimus liberam villam prefatam ab omnibus exactionibus uidelicet a ztrosa a pouoz a ztan a poduodj a povolove a targove et ubicunque per fora nostre terre transiuerint non soluant thelonea, non teneantur ad edificationem castri non ad expeditiones non ad ….. non recipiant caniductores, non falconarios, non aliquos violentos exactores.  Nulli preterea teneantur respondere, nec inuitati comparere, nisi coram suo preposito, iudicare coram ipso sculteto suo iure, siue in magnis, siue in paruis causis, siue uidelicet ad suspendendum siue decolandum, siue rotandum.  Et presens scriptum ut robur firmitatis obtineat sigilli nostri curauimus munimine roborari.  Quicunque hoc factum nostrum irritauerit indignationem omnipotentis dei se nouerit incursurum.  Datum anno gratie MCCXLVII in die annuntiationis beate Marie in corchin. 

Historical context:

Bolesław and his mother grant to the Premonstratensian provost Symon extensive immunities for his estate of Krzyżanowice, including rule by Magdeburg Law.  I am grateful to Natalia Zajac for alerting me to this document.   A castrum is an administrative unit with a castle/fortification at its center.  For information about taxes and obligations of peasants settled according to German law, see Piotr Górecki, Economy,  Society, and Lordship in Medieval Poland, 1100-1250 (New York:  Holmes and Meier, 1992).

Printed source:

Codex Diplomaticus Poloniae quo continentur privilegia Regum Poloniae, magnorum Ducum Lithvaniae, Bullae Pontificum … v.3, ed. Julian Bartoszewicz (Warsam, 1858), 52-53, #25.

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