19 November 1335

 

In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Let it be known to all through the present document that we, Casimir, by divine grace King of Poland, desiring that peace and tranquility of lands be cultivated, order, promise, and accept that in the event that any possible reason of discord should surface and any damage occur between our princely liege lords, subjects and captains on one part, and princely liege lords of Lord John, King of Bohemia, near the borders of our kingdom, or any subjects near the same borders on the other part, the concord between ourselves and the King of Bohemia cannot be suffered in any way, but ought firmly to remain valid. Causes of such discord ought promptly and rationally to be ceased by the captains deputed by us and the King of Bohemia, even if the captains shall desire to keep our grace and to avoid decrease in their honour. But in the event that any of the subjects of our kingdom, in the land of the princes of the aforementioned King, the Lord of Bohemia, whether fort or castle owners, occasion to commit such lootings, the prince or the captain, whichever has jurisdiction over such affairs, is obligated to force those who have committed the lootings to give satisfaction. If he makes no attempt to force them, it shall be he who ought to give satisfaction after he has been named and complained against to his king. If those who have committed lootings, their lord, either the prince, the captain or the bishop having jurisdiction over them, should be disobedient to and unwilling to give satisfaction, the lord, whom their castles, forts and lands belonged to, ought to lay siege and capture their castles, forts and lands. And were the lord not sufficient for that, those whose lands also suffered lootings are obligated to help him, as they might, requesting the monarchs' help as well. After these castles or forts have been besieged and captured, they must be destroyed, unless the castles or forts are located at borderland territories; thus their liege lord must judge whether he desires to destroy them or, since he has settled peaceable men in them for his own and the lands' good, could keep and maintain them, while the lands and goods of those who had committed the lootings shall fall freely to the liege lord, whose lands these castles belonged to. In case looters from our kingdom should have passed the lands of princely liege lords of the King, Lord of Bohemia to commit the crimes, we desire and order the princes and captains of our kingdom to obstruct them effectively. Otherwise damages done by the looters shall be compensated for from their own property. The looters in the kingdoms of Bohemia and Poland and in all lands of every princely subject shall be proscribed. Moreover, after compensation of the act and the damage of such crimes, the vicious and dishonoured men ought to be rejected, outcast, and contemptible, and their voice shall be stained and reprobate, and not listened to by princes and good men. Moreover, we especially order, promise and keep imperishably that those who will be proscribed either in the kingdoms of Hungary, Poland or Bohemia, or in the lands of princely loyal subjects in all these kingdoms and lands, must be kept effectively proscribed in that way. If anyone should be found at such aforementioned places utmost sentence shall be executed upon him. As testimony of this matter, the present document is issued and confirmed by our seal. Concluded at Visegrád, in Hungary, on the day of St. Elizabeth, in the year of the Lord 1335. - On the fold: To be put to the agreements.

Charter issued on November 19, 1335, with the seal of Casimier the Great (Original: National Archives, Prague)

 

"19 November 1335" In: Rácz, György (ed.): Visegrád 1335. Bratislava, 2009, pp. 107-108.