The rulers of Volyn cities of the 16th – first half of the 17th centuries: number, personalities, powers
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15407/uhj2018.03.023Keywords:
councilors, council, town, Magdeburg law, Volyn.Abstract
The article deals with the functioning of the main organ of municipal self-government on Volynian towns – the council. It appeared in the towns along with the introduction of Magdeburg law and was called upon to deal with the problems of urban life. Specific examples show when and how elections took place in individual cities, because there was no common established procedure in this matter. It was found out that, as a rule, the number of the councilors was four, but in some cases five to six people are mentioned simultaneously in the sources. The time the councilors stayed at their posts was not always limited to one year, because some of them carried out these duties for several years. The sources made it possible to trace the combination of the posts of councilors with the duties of landvogts and vogts. These same posts were often crossed by the councilors after the end of the work in the council. The membership in the city council was beneficial for the burghers, but there were cases of their refusal from this honorary duty, motivated, as a rule, either by poor health and old age, or by material disinterest. Functional duties of the councilors assumed, apart from judicial powers, the protection of citizens of the town jurisdiction from the competition of residents of thecastle and spiritual jurisdiction. The councilors supported the craft and trade activity of the burghers, disposed of the collected funds and reported on their use, kept order in the city and put the city guards on, engaged in fire safety in the city, sent their colleagues to the King and the Sejm to lobby the interests of the city. It was possible to find out, in some cases, rivalry and confrontation between the councilors among themselves. They actively engaged in business activities. Having the real power of the district, the councilors sometimes abused it.
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