Die innere Korrespondenz der Johanniter im schlesich-polnischen Ordenszweig in der zweiten Hälfte des 15. Jahrhunderts auf Grund des Formelbuches aus dem Nationalarchiv in Prag

Abstract

The inside correspondence of the Knights Hospitaller in Silesian-Polish branch of the order in the second half of the 15^th century based on the collection of the letters in National Archives in Prague

In the National Archives in Prague, Fond “The Great Priory of Bohemia”, is stored a fascicle writen in the end of the 15^th century from the Silesian commandery of the Knights Hospitaler in Striegau (Pol. Strzegom). In the last quarter of the 15^th century, two commanders of Striegau were also lieutnenats to the prior of Bohemia for Silesia and Poland. The various materials from the time of their holding office were copied in this fascicle. Among them, we find almost 100 letters written by the Knights Hospitaller from the Silesian-Polish branch of the order or by the priors of Bohemia. There are the letters from priors to lieutenants and to each other, from the lieutenant to commanders, and from the brethren to one another. The correspondence between the lieutenant and the commanders of Löwenberg (Pol. Lwówek) is especially intensive in this fascicle.

The contents of these letters concern various problems of the internal life of the order. The most important problems are the obligation to pay the responsiones and the difficulties of each commander to fulfill this duty. In these letters we can find also the other problems: the offences of the brethren such as drunkennes, the difficulties to fullfill all the services because of the illnesses of brethren, conflicts between the brethren and with the municipal authorities, management of the order’s property, appointing the brethern to the posts in the order’s hierarchy, and others. A very important problem is the way of the sending of these letters and the frequency of these correspondence.