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Magdeburg rights

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Magdeburg rights(German:Magdeburger Recht,Polish:Prawo magdeburskie,Lithuanian:Magdeburgo teisė;also calledMagdeburg Law) were a set oftown privilegesfirst developed byOtto I, Holy Roman Emperor(936–973) and based on the Flemish Law,[1]which regulated the degree of internal autonomy within cities and villages granted by the local ruler. Named after the city ofMagdeburg,these town charters were perhaps the most important set ofmedievallaws inCentral Europe.[2]They became the basis for theGerman town lawsdeveloped during many centuries in theHoly Roman Empire.[2]The Magdeburg rights were adopted and adapted by numerous monarchs, including the rulers ofBohemia,Hungary,Poland,andLithuania,a milestone in the urbanization of the region which prompted the development of thousands of villages and cities.[1]

City charter ofKraków,Poland's medieval capital; inscribed inLatin.

Provisions

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Being a member of theHanseatic League,Magdeburg was one of the most important trade cities, maintaining commerce with theLow Countries,theBaltic states,and the interior (for exampleBraunschweig). As with most medieval city laws, the rights were primarily targeted at regulating trade to the benefit of the local merchants and artisans, who formed the most important part of the population of many such cities. External merchants coming into the city were not allowed to trade on their own, but were instead forced to sell the goods they had brought into the city to local traders, if any wished to buy them.

Jews and Germans were sometimes competitors in those cities. Jews lived under privileges that they carefully negotiated with the king oremperor.They were not subject to city jurisdiction. These privileges guaranteed that they could maintain communal autonomy, live according to their laws, and be subjected directly to the royal jurisdiction in matters concerning Jews and Christians. One of the provisions granted to Jews was that a Jew could not be compelled to be aGewährsmann/informant; that is, he had the right to keep confidential how he had acquired objects in his possession. A Jew with this right could voluntarily divulge who had gifted, sold, or loaned him the object, but it was illegal to coerce him to say. Other provisions frequently mentioned were a permission to sell meat to Christians, or employ Christian servants. By at least some contemporary observers, the parallel infrastructure of Jews and gentiles was considered significant; in medieval Poland'sroyal citydevelopment policy, both German merchants and Jews were invited to settle in Polish cities.

Spread of the law

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Modern major city Year
Leipzig 1165
Wrocław 1242
Szczecin 1243
Poznań 1253
Kraków 1257
Lublin 1317
Bydgoszcz 1346
Lviv 1356
Vilnius 1387[3][4]
Brest 1390[5]
Kaunas 1408[5]
Łódź 1423
Kyiv 1494
Grodno 1496
Minsk 1499
Mogilev 1577
Vitebsk 1597
Smolensk 1611
Vinnytsia 1640
Homel 1670

Among the most advanced systems of old Germanic law of the time, in the 13th and 14th centuries, Magdeburg rights were granted to more than a hundred cities, inCentral Europeapart fromGermany,includingSchleswig,Bohemia,Poland,Pomerania,Prussia,theGrand Duchy of Lithuania(following theChristianization of Lithuania), including present-dayBelarus[6]andUkraine,and probablyMoldavia.In these lands they were mostly known asGermanorTeutoniclaw. Since the local tribunal of Magdeburg also became thesuperior courtfor these towns, Magdeburg, together withLübeck,practically defined the law of northern Germany, Poland and Lithuania for centuries, being the heart of the most important "family" of city laws. This role remained until the old Germanic laws were successively replaced withRoman lawunder the influence of theReichskammergericht,in the centuries after its establishment during theImperial Reformof 1495.[citation needed]

Implementation across Europe

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Act of granting of Magdeburg rights toKobylinin Poland by KingWładysław II Jagiełło

The first town to be granted Magdeburg rights in Poland wasZłotoryjain 1211. Soon many towns were vested with the law includingWrocław,Opole,Inowrocław,Sandomierz,Gniezno,Poznań,Bochnia,Głogów,Bytom,Sieradz,Kraków,Legnica,Opatów,Konin,Piotrków,Racibórzin the 13th century, whereasSzczecinandStargardwere granted the rights in 1243 by the duke of Pomerania. The Law of Magdeburg implemented in Poland was different from its original German form.[7]It was combined with a set of civil and criminal laws, and adjusted to include theurban planningpopular across Western Europe – which was based (more or less) on the ancient Roman model. Meanwhile, country people often ignorant of the actual German text, practiced the old common law of Poland in private relations.[7]Local variants of Magdeburg law were created, such asŚroda lawbased on the rights granted toŚroda ŚląskabyHenry the Beardedin 1235, Kalisz law, a variant of the Środa law, based on the rights granted toKaliszbyBolesław the Piousbefore 1268, and Poznań law, a variant of Magdeburg rights, based on the rights granted toPoznańby Bolesław the Pious in 1253.

Confirmation of Magdeburg rights forBiržaiby King Władysław IV Vasa

Following the formation of thePolish–Lithuanian unionin 1385, Magdeburg rights spread to Lithuania, first granted to the chief cities ofVilnius,[3]BrestandKaunas,although more slowly than earlier in Poland, especially late in the east and inprivate towns.[8]In the 15th and 16th centuries, the rights were granted to many other towns, including, chronologically,Trakai,[9]Grodno,Kyiv,Polotsk,Minsk,[10]Novogrudok,[11]Rechytsa,[12]Slonim,[11]Barysaw,Mogilev,Mazyr,Mir,[11]Pińsk,Alytus,Nyasvizh,[13]Šiauliai,Biržai,Lida,[13]KėdainiaiandVitebsk.Magdeburg rights in Lithuania were initially modeled after the Polish cities ofKrakówandLublin,and then after Vilnius.[10]

Act of granting of Magdeburg rights toPragain Poland by KingWładysław IV Vasa

Hundreds of towns in Poland and Lithuania, some now located in Belarus,LatviaandUkraine,were formerly governed on the basis of the location privilege known as the "settlement with German law", excluding local variants of Magdeburg rights, with some of the more notable cities being, chronologically,Lublin,[14]Zielona Góra,Tarnów,Olkusz,Sanok,Bydgoszcz,Rzeszów,Lwów,Będzin,Kielce,Krosno,Wieliczka,Częstochowa,Jarosław,[15]Przemyśl,[16]Chełm,Kazimierz Dolny,Łódź,Kamieniec Podolski,Łuck,Żytomierz,Rivne,Kowel,Siedlce,Leszno,Tarnopol,Rydzyna,Augustów,Płoskirów,Zamość,Daugavpils,[17]Brody,[18]Orsza,[19]Biała Cerkiew,Nowogród Siewierski,Czernihów,Nizhyn,Krzemieńczuk,Vinnytsia,Poltava,Stanisławów,Jēkabpils,[20]Suwałki,Białystok,Uman,Palanga,Telšiai,CherkasyandMarijampolė.[21]The rights reached the easternmost cities of thePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth,includingRoslavl,[22]Smolensk[23]andStarodub,[24]now part ofRussia.The advantages of the Magdeburg rights were not only economic, but also political. Members of noble families were able to join the citypatriciateusually unchallenged.[7]There were cases of changing the type of municipal rights, such as inBłoniefrom Magdeburg toChełmno rights,and inBielsk PodlaskiandTykocinfrom Chełmno to Magdeburg rights.

Most towns ruled by theTeutonic OrderandDuchy of Masovia,as well as some cities under direct Polish and Lithuanian rule, obtainedChełmno rights,a local variant of Magdeburg rights, which prevailed in the area roughly corresponding to today's northeastern quarter of Poland, including the current Polish capital ofWarsaw.In addition to this, many towns in theDuchy of Pomeraniain modern north-western Poland and other Baltic port cities were grantedLübeck law,thus the original Magdeburg law was relatively rare in what is now northern Poland.

In the medievalKingdom of Hungary,the first town to receive the Magdeburg rights wasSzékesfehérvárin 1237, followed byTrnava(1238),Nitra(1248),Levoča(1271) andŽilina(1369). Towns and cities includingBardejov,Buda,BratislavaandKošiceadopted the Southern German Nuremberg town rights, rather than the Magdeburg rights.

In 1832, the city ofChernivtsiwas granted Magdeburg rights by the Austrian authorities.[25]

Heritage

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Monument to the Magdeburg Rightsin Kyiv

The old towns ofKraków,Lviv,VilniusandZamość,considerably developed under the Magdeburg rights, areWorld Heritage Sites,andKazimierz Dolny,Lublin,Paczków,Poznań,Przemyśl,Rydzyna,Sandomierz,Stary Sącz,TykocinandWrocławare also designatedHistoric Monuments of Poland.[26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35]

There are memorials to the Magdeburg rights inKyiv,Minsk,Tetiiv,VeiviržėnaiandVinnytsia.

See also

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References

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  1. ^abSedlar, Jean W. (1994).East Central Europe in the Middle Ages, 1000–1500.University of Washington Press. p. 328.ISBN0295972904.RetrievedOctober 23,2012.
  2. ^abPeter Stearns."Magdeburg Law 1261: Northern Germany".World History in Documents: A Comparative Reader.New York University Press, 1998.Retrieved28 February2014.
  3. ^abRewieńska 1938,p. 6.
  4. ^Bardach 1980,p. 24.
  5. ^abBardach 1980,p. 25.
  6. ^"Magdeburg Rights granted to Minsk 510 years ago".Belteleradiocompany. 29 July 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 5 June 2011.
  7. ^abcOskar Halecki; W: F. Reddaway; J. H. Penson.The Law of Magdeburg used in Poland.CUP (Cambridge University Press) Archive. pp. 133–136.ISBN1001288025.RetrievedOctober 23,2012.{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help)
  8. ^Bardach 1980,pp. 24–25, 48.
  9. ^Rewieńska 1938,p. 7.
  10. ^abBardach 1980,p. 45.
  11. ^abcRewieńska 1938,p. 11.
  12. ^Słownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich, Tom X(in Polish). Warszawa. 1889. p. 133.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  13. ^abRewieńska 1938,p. 12.
  14. ^"Lokacja miasta Lublina na prawie magdeburskim – 15 sierpnia 1317 r."(in Polish). 16 November 2012.Retrieved6 June2024.
  15. ^Słownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich, Tom III(in Polish). Warszawa. 1882. p. 455.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  16. ^Słownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich, Tom IX(in Polish). Warszawa. 1888. p. 156.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  17. ^"Memorial sign to the King of Poland Stephen Bathory".Retrieved6 June2024.
  18. ^Barącz, Sadok(1865).Wolne miasto handlowe Brody(in Polish). Lwów. p. 7.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  19. ^Słownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich, Tom VII(in Polish). Warszawa. 1886. p. 600.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  20. ^"12. februāris, 1670. gads – Jēkabpils pilsētas dzimšanas diena"(in Latvian).Retrieved6 June2024.
  21. ^Słownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich, Tom VI(in Polish). Warszawa. 1885. p. 146.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  22. ^"Герб города Рославля".Retrieved6 June2024.
  23. ^Słownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich, Tom X(in Polish). Warszawa. 1889. p. 899.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  24. ^Słownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich, Tom XI(in Polish). Warszawa. 1890. p. 247.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  25. ^Dobrzhanskyi, Serhii (2019)."Development of Municipal Self-Government of Chernivtsi in the Late 18th–Early 20th Centuries".Codrul Cosminului(in English and Romanian).25(2): 305–306.doi:10.4316/CC.2019.02.004.
  26. ^Zarządzenie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 8 września 1994 r. w sprawie uznania za pomnik historii.,M.P., 1994, vol. 50, No. 417
  27. ^Rozporządzenie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 25 kwietnia 2007 r. w sprawie uznania za pomnik historii "Lublin - historyczny zespół architektoniczno-urbanistyczny",Dz. U., 2007, vol. 86, No. 574
  28. ^Rozporządzenie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 22 października 2012 r. w sprawie uznania za pomnik historii "Paczków - zespół staromiejski ze średniowiecznym systemem fortyfikacji",Dz. U., 2012, No. 1240
  29. ^Rozporządzenie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 28 listopada 2008 r. w sprawie uznania za pomnik historii "Poznań - historyczny zespół miasta",Dz. U., 2008, vol. 219, No. 1401
  30. ^Rozporządzenie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 10 grudnia 2018 r. w sprawie uznania za pomnik historii "Przemyśl - zespół staromiejski",Dz. U., 2018, No. 2419
  31. ^Rozporządzenie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 15 marca 2017 r. w sprawie uznania za pomnik historii "Rydzyna - założenie rezydencjonalno-urbanistyczne",Dz. U., 2017, No. 662
  32. ^Rozporządzenie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 22 listopada 2017 r. w sprawie uznania za pomnik historii "Sandomierz - historyczny zespół architektoniczno-krajobrazowy",Dz. U., 2017, No. 2273
  33. ^Rozporządzenie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 10 grudnia 2018 r. w sprawie uznania za pomnik historii "Stary Sącz - zespół staromiejski wraz z klasztorem Sióstr Klarysek",Dz. U., 2018, No. 2415
  34. ^Rozporządzenie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 19 kwietnia 2021 r. w sprawie uznania za pomnik historii "Tykocin - historyczny zespół miasta",Dz. U., 2021, No. 768
  35. ^Zarządzenie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 8 września 1994 r. w sprawie uznania za pomnik historii.,M.P., 1994, vol. 50, No. 425

Bibliography

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  • Bardach, Juliusz (1980). "Miasta na prawie magdeburskim w Wielkim Księstwie Litewskim od schyłku XIV do połowy XVII stulecia".Kwartalnik Historyczny(in Polish). Vol. 87, no. 1.
  • Rewieńska,Wanda (1938).Miasta i miasteczka magdeburskie w woj. wileńskim i nowogródzkim(in Polish). Lida.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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