Letter #1579
[Ioannes DANTISCUS] to [Mauritius FERBER]Cracow (Kraków), 1537-02-11
English register: Dantiscus recounts further events from the Diet in Cracow. He cannot write to Ferber more extensively, as he promised in his previous letter, because he is busy packing before his departure. Last Sunday the young king (Sigismund II Augustus) took the oath before the estates. Most of the Crown deputies left ostentatiously on the Saturday before the swearing-in. The king (Sigismund I) has promised the Prussian Council’s delegates that he will pledge on behalf of his son, in a special memorandum, that the existing privileges enjoyed by Royal Prussia will be maintained. If Sigismund Augustus should fail to comply after his father’s death, the Prussians will be able to consider themselves freed of the obligation of loyalty towards him. A document containing the appropriate provisions (the “Confirmation of rights and privileges”) has been delivered to the Crown estates. The Prussian councilors are worried that they have not received it yet, and will spare no effort to obtain it. The king has rejected the objections against the Prussian Council submitted by the Prussian gentry and has given the gentry’s envoys a sharp response (cf. IDL 1594). The sentence passed by Dantiscus in Elbląg on the matter of the widow Vagslagerinn (Woszczkowa) has been upheld by the king. The dispute between the residents of Płock and Toruń, concerning the right to transport herring up the Vistula, has been resolved. Two members of the Royal Council: the Poznań voivode (Łukasz Górka) or his son the Poznań castellan (Andrzej Górka,) and the Inowrocław voivode (Janusz Latalski), have been appointed to help the Prussian Council (at the next assembly) in mitigating the disputes between the gentry and the Prussian cities. The posts of Grand Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor are to be given to the bishop of Przemyśl (Piotr Gamrat) and the nephew of the deceased Cracow castellan Szydłowiecki (Paweł Wolski). The bishop of Płock (Jan Chojeński) is departing for his diocese. The Warmia provost (Paweł Płotowski) is trying to justify his conduct to Dantiscus. Since Płotowski has not managed to harm him, Dantiscus finds it easy to accept his remorse. Dantiscus plans to leave Cracow the next day. He fears that now the weather has changed, the Vistula could thaw, so he has abandoned his plan to travel across Mazowsze straight to Warmia. He will travel to Lubawa first, and from there go on to meet Ferber. That’s when they will discuss all relevant matters in detail.
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Text & apparatus & commentaryPlain textText & commentaryText & apparatus
Reverendissime in Christo Pater et Domine, Domine mi observandissime. Salutem et mei commendationem plurimam.
cf.
Causa
Ad sopiendam controversiam gravaminum, quae nobilitas nostra cum magnis et parvis habet civitatibus, deputati sunt unanobiscum consiliarii
Sigilla dabuntur domino Premisliensi(!)[6] et
Decreveram, ut cf.
Nova, quae habeo, ex adiunctis intelliget, coram omnia diffusius, ut spero, b[revi] expositurus Dominationi Vestrae Reverendissimae, cuius paterno amori me commendo, Deumque precor, ut eandem quam diutissime sospitet pro[spe]retque in omnibus. 1537-02-12⌊Cras1537-02-12⌋ Deo bene favente hinc sum itu[rus].
Ex
[1 ] The state of research on the issue of Sigismund II Augustus confirming Royal Prussia’s privileges is discussed by Anna Sucheni-Grabowska in the article “Jagiellonowie wobec Prus Królewskich i Książęcych 1525-48” (cf. SUCHENI-GRABOWSKA 1978 p. 413-416 ⌊Sucheni-Grabowska, p.413-416cf. SUCHENI-GRABOWSKA 1978 p. 413-416 ⌋)
[2 ] The Royal Prussian gentry’s legation to the 1536/37 Diet included: Chełmno district judge
[3 ] Anna Woszczkowa (Waxschlagerinn) was in litigation with her late husband’s family (cf. e.g. cf. AT 17 No. 63, 164, 445 ⌊AT, vol. XVII, No. 63, 164, 445cf. AT 17 No. 63, 164, 445 ⌋, cf. AT 18 No. 252, 438 ⌊AT, vol. XVIII No. 252, 438cf. AT 18 No. 252, 438 ⌋)
[4 ] Dantiscus is doubtless writing about the sentence passed at the assembly in Elbląg in the autumn of 1536
[5 ] The demand that royal commissioners take part in the Prussian springtime assembly in 1537, to help resolve disputes, was contained both in the gravamina submitted at the 1536/37 Diet and in the opinion about them issued by the Prussian Council. The commissioners were
[6 ] Contrary to Dantiscus’ expectations, Gamrat did not receive the seal; on February 16, 1537 the then Płock bishop, Jan Chojeński, was nominated for the post of Grand Chancellor
[] Acc. to printed lists of officials based on entries in the books of the Crown Register, Wolski was nominated for the post of Vice-Chancellor as early as January 3, 1537 (cf. cf. Urzędnicy 10 No. 635 ⌊UrzCentrPol No. 635cf. Urzędnicy 10 No. 635 ⌋)