Konflikt karczmarza z Myszewa z radą Starego Miasta Elbląga
The Conflict of the Owner of an Inn in Myszewo (Mausdorf) with the Council of the Old City of Elbląg (Elbing)

The Contribution to the Legal and Political Autonomy of Towns in Prussia at the Beginning of the 15th Century

Summary/Abstract: The article is devoted to the conflict between Peter Steynort, a miller from the Dzierzgoń [Christburg] commandry and the inhabitants of the Old City of Elbląg in the years 1411-1412. The details of the conflict are known from the claim put forward by Steynort to the Grand Master. In the first part of the article the conflict is described against the legal and political conditions in Elbląg at the beginning of the 15th century, while the second part includes the edition of the source. In June 1410 Peter Steynort purchased on credit an inn in the village of Myszewo [Mausdorf] situated in the patrimony of the Old City of Elblag. A month later the inn was burnt down by the Lithuanian-Ruthenian troops taking part in the siege of Marlbork [Marienburg]. In March 1411 Peter Steynort returned to Myszewo, but refused to pay off 140 marks for the inn and two hides of land saying that the commander had not agreed to the transaction. The essence of the conflict was the discrepancy between the rule of territorial jurisdiction and personal jurisdiction along with the right to exemption. The authorities of Elbląg had full rights to execute the judicial power on the territory of the city and the patrimony. On the contrary, Peter Steynort believed that he could not carry out legal actions without the permission of the commander. The source material published here shows the daily activities of the city’s courts and the belief shared by the Elbląg elites about the right to the legal-political autonomy of the city.

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