The article discusses the early life of the Moldavian voivode Petru Rareș before 1527—before he assumed power in the principality. According to some historians, he may have been identical with a confident Piotr who was in Poland then and was a pretender to the Moldavian throne. However, an analysis of the sources shows that such an identification is not possible, and Petru Rareș cannot, under any circumstances, be equated with Piotr, who may have been a son or grandson of Peter Aaron. The article also attempts to clarify the origins of Petru Rareș. He was born between 1482 and 1487 from an illegitimate relationship between Stephen the Great and Maria of Hârlău, who at the time was married to a fishmonger nicknamed Rareș. The voivode’s mother came from the Cernat family of boyars, who owned estates near the fish-rich Lake Brateș. It is likely that before taking power in Moldavia, Rareș managed a fishery. The article also addresses Rareș’s attitude toward his predecessor, Stephen the Younger, and his council, arguing that he could not have been his rival or contender for the throne.

The origins of the castle of the bishops of Kamień Pomorski in Nosowo go back to the late 13th century. Before 1364, the castle was in the hands of the Holk family, a Kołobrzeg patrician family. The turning point in the history of the building occurred in 1364, when, in dramatic circumstances, it fell into the hands of Bishop Jan. The castle did not serve as a residential function in the Middle Ages. A castle administrator (Vogt), appointed by the Ordinary of Kamień Pomorski, held office there. From the 60s-70s of the 14th century until the 20s of the 16th century, these were representatives of the leading West Pomeranian noble families, including above all the Krankspar, Podewils, Kameke, Versen and Münchow. Their task was to control the southern border of the bishop’s dominion with the Białogard land belonging to the ducal family of the Griffins, and in the first instance to ensure the free floating of timber on the River Radew. This was crucial in view of the Kamień Pomorski bishops’ revenues and the need for timber in the economy of Kołobrzeg (the local salinas and timber trade).

The article concerns issues related to the names and genealogy of the Árpáds, which are important for determining the origins of Władysław Herman's first name and date of birth. Among the issues considered are the baptismal name of Herman's uncle – Béla I, which was supposed to be Vojtěch/Adalbert, the family relations of the Árpád dynasty in the context of the creation of their dynastic tradition, the names given to Béla's sons: Géza/Magnus and Ladislas, as well as their dates of birth.

The article discusses the seals of the rulers who reigned in the Principality of Niemodlin in two periods of its history. The first, covering the years 1313–1382, corresponds to the times when a separate line of the Piasts of Niemodlin, represented by Bolesław Pierworodny and his two sons Wacław and Henryk, existed. The second, falling in the years 1382–1455, marks the reign of their relatives from Opole. It started with the joint reign of Jan Kropidło, Bolesław IV and Bernard who were brothers. In 1400, Bernard started his independent reign. A total of 15 types of seals have survived the times covered by the study, most of which, namely 11, are seals of arms depicting an image of the Opole eagle on a shield inclined to the right or set straight ahead. Jewelled helmets are always adorned with those with tilted shields. Before 1382, plumes had been attached to helmets instead of the Opole eagles. The same eagle as a jewel also appears on three helmet-and-jewel seals, two of which belonged to Boleslaw IV and one to Bernard. The only type of portrait seal, exposing the bust of the woman of property holding in her hands the symbols manifesting the origin and princessly dignity, namely the family coat of arms and the helmet with the Opole eagle as a jewel, was used by Princess Eufemia, the wife of Bolesław Pierworodny. In the period up to 1382, each Duke of Niemodlin had only had one great seal, while Boleslaw and Henry had also used the second seal as a minor seal and a counterseal. A separate counterseal was additionally at Bolesław’s disposal. He was also the only one who in the early period of his reign replaced the great seal and introduced a more representative seal instead of the seal matrix. The later rulers of Niemodlin, with the exception of Jan Kropidło who had many types of seals at his disposal due to his episcopal dignities, did not have an elaborate sphragistic system. Boleslaw IV used two larger seals but at a certain point he used only one, which entailed the withdrawal of the second seal from use. He also used a smaller seal as a counterseal. However, it is impossible to clearly determine the legal value of Bernard’s three seals. After all, all three were used as the main seals. The oldest seal, which could also be regarded as a minor seal, was the only seal Bolesław IV possessed in the first two decades of his reign. He also used it to close his letters. Bolesław’s helmet-and-jewel seals showed a crowned eagle for the first time in the heraldry of the Opole Piasts. Bernard’s helmet-and-jewel seal and his younger seal of arms also showed crowned eagles. From then on, it settled permanently among other rulers of the Opole line. The Opole eagle itself, displayed on a shield or as a helmet jewel, replaced the traditional image of a ruler and became its synonym.

The article constitutes a supplement to the critical edition of entries documenting admissions to the urban law of Proszowice (Karol Nabiałek, Registrum hominum ius civile susceptorum. Rejestr przyjęć do prawa miejskiego Proszowic z XV wieku, „Średniowiecze Polskie i Powszechne”, 2018, 10(14), pp. 144–191). In Proszowice, no separate book was maintained exclusively for recording admissions to urban law. Instead, entries confirming the acceptance of new freemen (citizens) were incorporated into the town books among notes on various municipal matters. Initially, these were recorded in the council book and, from the latter half of the fifteenth century onward, in the bench court books. This dispersed method of registration resulted in a fragmented archival record. Consequently, the edition of these entries required their systematic identification within the municipal registers. It has since become evident that previous research was incomplete in scope. Further examination of the Proszowice town books has revealed 31 additional entries documenting admissions to municipal law, dated 1435, 1436, 1444, 1488, 1489, 1490, 1491, 1495, 1497, 1502, 1505, 1506, and 1507. Until now, all known attestations of the conferment of municipal law in Proszowice were confined to the fifteenth century. This supplement, however, includes eight newly identified entries from the early sixteenth century. The entries are presented in accordance with the editorial principles set forth and applied in the original edition to which this supplement relates.

The article explores the potential for studying castles of Central Europe in the context of their display of biblical, Jerusalem-related motifs. These motifs served various purposes, but above all they legitimized the users of the castles – rulers of various ranks (kings, princes, church dignitaries) or members of the noble elites. The common reference to the authority of David, Solomon, Judah, and other biblical rulers invite us to recognise in the castle architecture not only Christological themes – evident mainly through the resemblance of the castle chapels to Anastasis – but also allusions to the topoi of Templum Salomonis, Turris Davidi or Aurera Porta. Such associations were sometimes conveyed indirectly, e.g. through the reception of the Paris Sainte-Chapelle as an interpretation of the Temple of Solomon, or through similarly “programmed” constructions of the Templars known from Western Europe (Paris, Tomar). Such references have already been identified in some cases (e.g. Prague Castle, Wawel, Malbork, Budziszyn, Blatná, Ząbkowice Śląskie, Legnica), while others still await deeper analysis and interpretation aimed at materializing sighs for the biblical personal models of David and Solomon (e.g. Buda, Wrocław, Siedlęcin, Rožmitál). Many studies on buildings in Outremer and in Western and Southern Europe are developing in this direction. The research potential of the topic seems to be enormous and the role of this article is also to indicate alternative research perspectives within castellology that move beyond the still dominant focus on chronology, typology or social context.

The article examines the szos królewski (royal urban tax) – the principal urban tax in late medieval Poland – a subject previously studied in detail only by Stanisław Kutrzeba and Michael Ludwig. Kutrzeba derived the szos from fourteenth-century voluntary contributions made by royal towns, which gradually became compulsory. Ludwig, by contrast, saw its origins in extraordinary state taxes known since the thirteenth century, which, due to the privileges of the estates, came to apply solely to royal towns. Drawing on documentary evidence and analogies from neighbouring regions, this study supports Ludwig’s interpretation. The article also explores the mechanisms of szos collection in the fifteenth century. According to earlier scholarship, the tax was initially decreed by the king and, from the mid-fifteenth century, fell under the authority of the Sejm (the Polish representative assembly), thereby extending to all towns. However, analysis of primary sources reveals that the king and the Sejm shared fiscal authority – sometimes in conflict – and that full control by the Sejm was not achieved until the late fifteenth century. Contrary to Kutrzeba’s conclusions, the szos in the fifteenth century was paid as a lump sum, with the towns themselves responsible for its collection. The frequency of szos levies increased markedly after the death of Władysław Jagiełło, mirroring the pattern of land taxation. The growing regularity of tax collection in the latter half of the fifteenth century led to the emergence of a fiscal apparatus in which royal clerks served as collectors and starosts oversaw enforcement. During this period, szos rates and their relationship to land taxes became standardized, a process formally completed by the end of the century. After roughly fifty years of development, the szos królewski had become an integral element of the Polish fiscal system.

Bishop Jan Grotowic of Kraków (d. 1347)
was one of the leading figures of the Polish episcopate during the reign of the last Piast rulers. This text reviews Dorota Żywczak’s 2022 biography of the bishop, offering a critical examination of several aspects of his life and career, including his efforts to restore the Kraków metropolitan see, the composition of his episcopal entourage, and certain minor inaccuracies in the interpretation of primary sources. At the same time, Żywczak’s work is acknowledged as a valu­able contribution, addressing a notable gap in the scholarship on the medieval Polish episcopate.

In memory of the recently deceased Czech medievalist and castelologist, Professor František Musil.

Przedmiotem artykułu jest wspomnienie o Jacku Laberscheku (*24 X 1950, †31 III 2023), historyku, mediewiście, związanym zawodowo z Pracownią Słownika Historyczno-Geograficznego Małopolski w Średniowieczu Polskiej Akademii Nauk w Krakowie. W szczególności tekst dotyczy jego działalności naukowej i dorobku.