Uwagi do dyskusji nad najstarszą pieczęcią Krakowa z XIII w.

Abstract

Remarks about a Discussion on the Oldest Thirteenth–century Seal of CracowThe oldest seal of Cracow originating from the pre–1283 period, and known from a lost impression attached to a document from 1303, has recently become the topic of a lively discussion held by Henryk Seroka, Błażej Śliwiński and Marcin Starzyński, interested predominantly in dating the seal’s introduction into chancery practice and interpreting its symbolics. The author of the article proposes new findings concerning the history of the impression from 1303 and subsequently polemicizes with a conviction shared by contemporary scholars, namely, that the first Cracow seal was at the exclusive disposal of the vogt. In his opinion the seal was the common property of the vogt and the town council, and its initiation was connected primarily with a reinforcement of the political status of the town and its self–government authorities at the time of Leszek the Black (1279–1288).