Arengi i motywacje w dokumentach arcybiskupa halickiego Jakuba Strepy

Abstract

Arengas and Motivations in Documents Issued by Jakub Strepa, Archbishop of Halicz

Against the background of research focused on late mediaeval Polish diplomatics, intensively progressing in recent years, studies about the chancery of the archbishops of Halicz–Lwów remain exceedingly scarce. The presented article is a small step towards a comprehensive presentation of this topic. An analysis of the provenance, ideological contents, and literary models of the arengas as well as the motivation of the documents issued by Jakub Strepa is to serve both an assessment of the skills of the staff of his chancery and a determination of the self–presentation of the drawer.

Documents originating from the period of the activity of Jakub Strepa as the archbishop of Halicz (1392 – about 1409) total 23 (including three issued with a seal of the metropolitan bishops as a notary instrument). More than a half contains an arenga, introduced only in documents with a complete formulary (with a single exception) and indulgence privileges.

This small group contains both preambles borrowed from the copious resources of formulas applied in other European and Polish chanceries as well as arengas without identified original models, and thus probably the original compositions of the documents’ editors. Attention is drawn by the careful selection of the formulas, i.e. preambles matching the dispositions. In certain instances it becomes outright impossible to understand an arenga separated from the contents of the whole document (e.g. in a document of 16 January 1398).

The dominating preambles are of a religious character: in the case of indulgence privileges use was made of Christological and Marian themes, while documents confirming grants and foundations contain the motif of „salvation by works”. Several documents applied memorative (memoria–oblivio) arengas. Less attention was paid to the obligations of the bishop’s office – such reflections can be encountered in the narrations of Strepa’s documents, in particular in the motivation formulas.

In the light of the arengas and obligation motivations Jakub Strepa appears to be predominantly a priest fulfilling his duties with „fatherly love” and concerned with the salvation of the flock entrusted to him.