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Letter #2657

Ioannes DANTISCUS, Tiedemann GIESE, Georg von BAYSEN (BAŻYŃSKI), Jerzy KONOPACKI (von KONOPAT) sr, Mikołaj DZIAŁYŃSKI (von DZIALIN) & Achatius von ZEHMEN (CEMA) to Sigismund I Jagiellon
s.l., 1543-08-[20]

English register:

At the joint request of the members of the Royal Prussian Council, during the recent wedding of his son [Sigismund Augustus], the king promised to address the matter of repairing of dikes on the river in the Vistula Lowlands. They now remind him of the promise, in response to a request made by the Gdańsk (Danzig) City Council, which had been addressed to each of them separately.

[The councillors of] Gdańsk also complain about a certain Englishman who is seeking for himself privileges that are contrary to the rights of the city, and who has not hesitated to trouble the king in this matter. They have asked the senders to intercede with the king so that the privilege granted to Gdańsk by Casimir Jagiellon and confirmed by the present king may be upheld. According to this privilege, the city has the right to determine whether or not to grant citizenship to individuals from outside the community.

Wishing to spare the king the trouble of reading separate letters from each of them, the authors have resolved to write jointly concerning the request addressed to them.




Manuscript sources:
1fair copy in Latin, in secretary's hand, BCz, 284, No. 135, p. 307-310
2office copy in Latin, in secretary's hand, AAWO, AB, D. 70, f. 202r-v
3copy in Latin, 18th-century, BCz, 60 (TN), No. 40, p. 147-149

Auxiliary sources:
1register in Polish, 20th-century, B. PAU-PAN, 8250 (TK 12), f. 53

 

Text & apparatus & commentary Plain text Text & commentary Text & apparatus

 

BCZ, 284, No. 135, p. 310

Serenissimo Potentissimoque Principi et Domino, domino Sigismundo Dei gratia regi Poloniae, magno duci Lithuaniae, Russiae, Prussiae Mazoviaeque domino et heredi, domino nostro clementissimo

BCZ, 284, No. 135, p. 309

Serenissime Potentissimeque Rex et Domine, domine clementissime.

Post devotissimorum servitiorum nostrorum in gratiam Serenissimae Maiestatis Vestrae humillimam commendationem.

Quod Serenissima Maiestas Vestra nuper in nuptiis serenissimi filii sui, regis et domini nostri clementissimi, de constituenda ratione reparationis et conservationis aggerum utriusque insulae subsidioque in id opus praestando ad communes dominorum consiliariorum harum terrarum preces clementer est pollicita, id ei ut ad memoriam revocaremus, spectatus senatus Gedanensis, cuius praecipue interest maturius consultum his rebus esse, suis litteris nos singulos rogaverunt. Quod ne eis negaremus, non solum illius civitatis, sed etiam communis harum terrarum et ipsius Maiestatis Vestrae ac totius regni necessitas written over ttss written over tes nos commonuit. Rogamus igitur supplices Maiestatem Vestram, dignetur ad eas res exsequendas, quae iam olim urgere et periculum minitari videntur, regium animum apponere ac nos omnes spei de benignitate regia conceptae reddere compotes, quo et illa Vestrae Maiestatis civitas mole istarum curarum pressa consolationem aliquam a Maiestate Vestra accipiat.

Queruntur iidem cives molestari se a quodam Anglicanae nationis viro, quem aiunt apud ipsos civitatis ius adversantibus privilegiis ea importunitate petere, ut etiam Maiestatem Vestram propterea concitare non vereatur. Cum autem illi iura sua ita defensa cupiant, ut ne tamen impingant in animum Vestrae Maiestatis confidantque nostra intercessione utrumque se consequi posse, nostrum hoc fraternum officium imploraverunt, quod eis privilegio scripto intentibus visi sumus honeste negare non posse dolentes praesertim ab homine exotico subditorum Maiestatis Vestrae fratrum nostrorum iura infestante hoc incendium excitari. Rogamus autem humillime eandem Maiestatem Vestram dignetur ob honorem serenissimi divae memoriae Casimiri regis, patris sui, qui huius privilegii auctor esse dicitur, illius civitatis suae eiusque privilegiorum a se etiam confirmatorum clementem rationem habere ac ita aestimare casum illum, ut si peregrinis hominibus haec fenestra aperta fuerit ac facultas data irrumpendi in privilegia civilia subditorum Maiestatis Vestrae, hoc exemplo fore, ut plurimae eiusmodi interpellationes iurium nostrorum et dissensiones non parvae nascantur, praesertim quando isto, quod nunc in controversia est, privilegio universae communitati concesso, non solum aut admittendi ad civitatem aut refutandi advenas potestas plena data, sed etiam admittendorum delectus permissus esse dicatur, quo iure se privari communitas illa non posset non aegerrime ferre. Sperandum autem est Maiestatem Vestram plus subditorum suorum rationibus, quam exoticorum ambitioni consulturam esse.

Ne vero nostris singulorum litteris legendis Maiestati Vestrae molestiam conflaremus, visum est communi scripto a nobis, qui in hac precatione convenimus, sigillato rem agere apud Serenissimam Maiestatem Vestram.

Cuius gratiae nos subditissime commendamus, precantes illi a Divina clementia diuturnam prosperamque valetudinem et felices rerum omnium successus.

Dat(ae) or Dat(um)Dat(ae)Dat(ae) or Dat(um) mense Augusto anno Domini MDXLIII.

Eiusdem Serenissimae Maiestatis Vestrae BCZ, 284, No. 135, p. 308 subditissimi servitores

Ioannes episcopus Varmiensis has praeter morem ab aliis prius subscriptas postremo subscripsit

Tidemannus episcopus Culmensis manu propria subscripsit

Georgius a Baisen palatinus Marieburgensis etc. manu propria subscripsit

Georgius a Conopat palatinus Pomeraniensis manu propria subscripsit

Nicolaus a Dzyalin castellanus ms. castalaus(!) castellanuscastellanus ms. castalaus(!) Culmensis manu propria subscripsit

Achacius Czeme castellanus Gedanensis manu propria subscripsit