Związki Pszczyny i mieszkańców tego miasta z Krakowem na przełomie średniowiecza i czasów nowożytnych .......... 281

THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN PSZCZYNA AND ITS RESIDENTS AND KRAKOW IN THE LATE MIDDLE AGES AND EARLY MODERN ERA

Pszczyna, an old, small town in Upper Silesia, has an especially interesting history. As a town located on the trade route from Krakow to southern Europe, for centuries it was influenced by Krakow. The ties between the local townspeople and Krakow are confirmed, among other things, by the Krakow municipal records, as well as the Pszczyna municipal records, preserved from 1466 onward, called the ’Pszczyna Protocol’ due to the various entries they contain dating from 1466–1543. Pszczyna is one of the few Upper Silesian cities where municipal records from the 15th century have survived. At that time, Pszczyna was a private town, first belonging to the Silesian Piasts, then to the Přemyslids of Opava, and in the period investigated here, first to the Podiebrad family, then to Kazimierz of Těšín. In 1517, the duchy and the town were taken over by the Turzo family. These were not favourable times, as it was a period of wars and invasions. The town was located on an old trade route. This article shows the connections of Pszczyna, mainly its inhabitants, with Krakow in the late Middle Ages and at the beginning of the modern era, within the time limits generally defi ned by the aforementioned ’Pszczyna Protocol’. These were mainly, but not solely, trade relations. For the period in question, there are ten cases of Pszczyna residents being granted Krakow municipal rights. The former residents of Pszczyna also played a role in the history of Krakow. They were jurors, councillors in Krakow, townspeople, and house owners. People from Pszczyna travelled to Krakow using town funds, not only for commercial purposes. In a aperiod of only fifteen years examined, nearly thirty such trips were recorded.