Letter #67
[Ioannes DANTISCUS] to [Sigismund II Augustus Jagiellon]s.l., [before 1546-05-02]
English register:
Reliable news has reached Prussia that, at a general Diet recently held in Cracow (Kraków), the king [Sigismund I Jagiellon] granted the estates of Schlochau (Człuchów) to the voivode of Poznań [Janusz Latalski] and that of Mewe (Gniew) to the voivode of Płock [Feliks Srzeński]. The fact that both estates are to be held by men from the Kingdom of Poland, just as the estate of Roggenhausen (Rogoźno) is held by [Stanisław Sokołowski] of Warzymowo, has caused a considerable stir. Many are of the opinion that the Poles are seeking not only to deprive the Prussians of their privileges, but also to drive them out of Prussia and settle there themselves.
The cities in particular are deliberating and seeking ways to made sure they do not fall into subjection through the grants made to the said two powerful voivodes in contravention of their privileges. They invoke a passage [from the incorporation privilege of Prussia granted by Casimir Jagiellon in 1454] which stipulates that all ecclesiastical dignities and secular offices, as well as castles and landed estates, are to be granted only to indigenes in the strict sense of the term.
The addressee’s ancestors, his father in particular, confirmed these privileges on numerous occasions, including the aforementioned clause, authenticating the acts of confirmation with their own signatures, and yet the present course of action runs counter to those stipulations. For this reason, all are of the opinion that the king no longer has full command of this matter in his advanced age. He has always hitherto scrupulously observed his obligations, yet a privilege has now been issued under the great seal by virtue of which the estate of Schlochau is to be transferred to the voivode of Poznań. The estates of Royal Prussia make an appeal through Dantiscus and the Bishop of Kulm (Chełmno) [Tiedemann Giese], who have already written to the king previously, that consideration of the grant of the estate of Schlochau should be deferred to the Diet [of Royal Prussia] on the feast of Saint Stanislaus [8 May], from which they will send the king a joint position.
The arrival of a document ordering the immediate transfer of the said castle to the voivode of Poznań has caused general dismay. As president of the Council of Royal Prussia charged with oversight of local affairs, Dantiscus felt obliged to report that the present situation might give rise to further unrest in these lands, which are already under threat from heresy, not only in his diocese, but throughout all the addressee’s dominions. He was also prompted to share this information as soon as possible by the fact that the addressee encouraged him to write to him more frequently about matters concerning Royal Prussia which he considers to be significant.
Dantiscus asks the addressee to persuade his father to withhold the grant of the estate of Schlochau until the next Diet [of Royal Prussia]. The councillors would then be able to prevail upon the king, whether through envoys or by letter, to adopt a course of action most befitting him and his majesty.
Dantiscus has drawn up the present note at the addressee’s request. Lest it should one day be used against him, he commends himself to the addressee’s protection.
Manuscript sources:
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Text & apparatus & commentary Plain text Text & commentary Text & apparatus
Perlatum est huc certo serenissimam
Unde potissimum a civitatibus consilia quaeruntur, quae alter ab altero, non privatim modo, verum et publice postulare incipiunt, quid faciendum veniat, ne sic ex insperato opprimantur et in perpetuam servitutem redigantur, ex quo potentes adeo duo palatini iis terris contra pr[i]vilegia intrudantur. Quae aperte haec verba et eam sententiam continent {etc.}:
Item omnes nobiles, militares, cives et incolas
Proinde, Serenissime Rex, domine clementissime, cum serenissimae maiestatis vestrae maiores, praesertim serenissimus
Interim tamen venerunt litterae regiae sub maiori sigillo, ut possessio castri illius domino
Cui humillime supplico sic hoc negotium apud serenissimum
Hanc itaque schedam ad mandatum Serenissimae Maiestatis Vestrae scrip[si], ne mihi aliquando incommodet, ut Serenissima Maiestas Vestra una mecum clementer comm[enda]tam habere dignetur, rogo supplicissime.
[1 ] Quotation from