Rytm pracy w kancelarii księcia wschodniopomorskiego, Mściwoja II (1266–1294)

Abstract

The article analyses all the documents issued by the 13th-century chancellery of MestwinII, an East Pomeranian Duke, year by year, as well as in particular months and days.These data have been processed statistically in order to obtain cyclical and seasonal fluctuationsin the rhythm of work in the Chancellery.The results of the analysis prove that Mestwin’s Chancellery, like all the MedievalChancelleries, generally functioned on a permanent basis. Yet, some cyclical and seasonalfluctuations may be detected, which shows the uniqueness of chancellery work atthe court of the last of the Samborides (German: Samboriden, Polish: dynastia Sobieslawicow).What was noticed in the case of the annual cycles was an increase of documentsissued each year after 1273, which might be associated with a process, speeded up underMestwin, of strengthening the legal role of documents as evidential proof or a way torealise political objectives. Yet, that steady process was disrupted in the years in whichthe number of diplomas issued was decisively higher. Those increases resulted from thecurrent needs of external and internal policies. The analysis of the rhythm of work inparticular years indicates some seasonal fluctuations caused by the year’s seasons, becausefewer documents were issued in autumn and winter. Seasonal fluctuations werealso caused by the liturgical calendar, because the dating of documents were cumulatedduring some ecclesiastical holidays, like Lent or Christmas. It is also probable that theliturgical calendar influenced the chancellery’s activity during the week, as the most documentswere dated on Monday; it may result from the fact that the legal activities madepublic during the Sunday’s Mass were put down on paper on that day. Many documentswere also dated on Sunday, as well as on Friday, which may be connected with the ceremonyof diploma handing in on dies Dominicus.