A LITTLE-KNOWN CASIMIR’S III DOCUMENT FROM 1367 CONFIRMING PURCHASE BY OTTO OF PILCZA OF TWO VILLAGES NEAR ŁAŃCUT

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to research and publish the text of a little-known royal document of 1367 about the confirmation of the purchase by the governor of the of the Rus Otto of Pilcza of two villages near the city of Łańcut from the brothers Ostanko and Dershniak of Ozhovicze. Presentation of the circumstances of the transaction and biographies of its participants. Methodology. To prepare the introductory article, which is based on a comparison of information gleaned from the published document and already open sources, general historical research methods were used, primarily chronological, historical-systemic, retrospective, and the method of comparative studies. An attempt to reconstruct the biographies of the participants of the agreement was made using the prosopographic method. Paleographic and descriptive methods were used for the diplomatic analysis of the source text. Scientific novelty. An unpublished legal document of 1367 on the history of land relations in Rus during the reign of king Casimir III has been brought to the attention of researchers. The text of the royal document with accompanying commentary is published for the first time. Conclusions. On February 11, 1367, the chancellery of the Polish king Casimir III, at the request of the brothers Ostanko and Dershniak of Ozhovicze, issued a document by which the king approved the agreement to sell the villages of Kosina and Mikulice to the governor of the Rus Otto of Pilcza for 200 kopas of Bohemia groschen. The content of the document reveals hitherto unknown representatives of the Ruthenian nobility, and also provides valuable information about the process of forming the Łańcut possessions of Otto of Pilcza.