A Source Book for Mediæval History: Selected Documents illustrating the History of Europe in the Middle AgeThatcher, Oliver J. (Oliver Joseph)
History
A Source Book for Mediæval History: Selected Documents illustrating the History of Europe in the Middle Age
Thatcher, Oliver J. (Oliver Joseph)
Europe -- History -- 476-1492 -- Sources; Middle Ages -- Sources
4. In the third place, the king asked them how he should proceed to
punish the contumacy of the king of Bohemia. It was decided that the
count palatine of the Rhine should send a freeman to summon the king of
Bohemia to appear before the count palatine at a certain place and on a
certain day, which should be six weeks and three days from the day when
the decision was rendered, and to answer the accusation of contumacy
brought against him by the king. If the freeman who was chosen to carry
the summons swore that he did not dare appear before the king of Bohemia
or enter his lands because he had good grounds to fear personal injury,
it would then be sufficient for the diet to pass an edict summoning the
king of Bohemia and for the count palatine to proclaim this summons
publicly in the city or town of his that was nearest to the kingdom of
Bohemia. To allow this matter to be settled in an orderly way, however,
eighteen days in addition to the original six weeks and three days were
to be allowed for the answer to the summons, so that the king of Bohemia
should appear before the count palatine at Würzburg nine weeks from the
19th of November, that is, on the 20th of January; otherwise he should
be proceeded against according to the law.
5. It was decided also that the king of the Romans ought to take
cognizance of all civil and criminal cases arising on and after the day
of his coronation, and of all civil cases (_i.e._, those involving
inheritances, fiefs, possessions, and property) arising even before his
coronation, if they had not been settled by decision of the court, by
compromise, or by some amicable agreement.
6. In regard to wrongs which date from the quarrel between the empire
and the papacy in the days of the emperor Frederick (seizure of
property, injuries, and damages committed by one party against the
other), the king proposes to confer with the pope and to try to reach
some agreement with him that shall be just to both parties.
7. The king urges and requests all those who have seized or burned or
destroyed the property of others during the time from the death of
emperor Frederick to the coronation of the king [_i.e._, Rudolf], to
make compensation and come to some amicable agreement with those whom
they have injured; and he also requests the injured not to refuse to
accept such arrangement. If the parties cannot agree, the king will
himself decide the cases. This does not refer, however, to public
plunderers of churches and holy places, or to those who have made open
war, all of whom are to be brought to justice immediately. Likewise all
cases pending before the king or his officials ought to be settled
within a reasonable time.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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