The Nomination Procedure of the Officials of the City of Polotsk in 1498 –1563
The Nomination Procedure of the Officials of the City of Polotsk in 1498 –1563

Summary/Abstract: The article presents the problem of the nomination of the officials of the city of Polotsk in the years 1498-1563. In 1498 Grand Duke of Lithuania Alexander I Jagiellon granted Magdeburg law to Polotsk, which entailed the creation of offices at the local level: Vogts, Landvogts, mayors, town councilors and aldermen. People holding the functions represented the interests of burghers. The basic aspects of the introduction of Magdeburg law in Polotsk (including the nomination procedure of the officials of the city) were presented in the hospodars’ privileges issued in the years 1498 and 1510 by Alexander I Jagiellon and Sigismund the Old. In the period from 1498 to 1563 there took place visible changes of the whole system of the city authorities, which resulted not only from the privileges of the Grand Duke, but also from the practice of their application.

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