The Privilege of Koszyce or Privilege of Kassa
[Clifford Rogers (editor): ''The Oxford Encyclopedia of Medieval Warfare and Military Technology'', Oxford University Press, 201]
/ref> was a set of concessions made by Louis I of Hungary to the Polish szlachta (nobility) in 1374. The privileges were granted in Kassa, Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...
( pl, Koszyce; now Košice, Slovakia
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). In exchange, one of Louis's daughters (Catherine
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, Mary
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or Jadwiga) was to ascend the throne of Poland after his death.
The szlachta obtained the following privileges:
*release from the obligation to pay tribute, with the exception of a nominal or token two groschen
Groschen (; from la, grossus "thick", via Old Czech ') a (sometimes colloquial) name for various coins, especially a silver coin used in various states of the Holy Roman Empire and other parts of Europe. The word is borrowed from the late L ...
from one field, to the monarch;
*release from the duty to build and repair castles, except for those nobles holding territory in eastern Poland, where the threat from Russia
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was significant;
*the restriction of eligibility for certain offices to persons of Polish (as opposed to Lithuanian, Hungarian, or other) ethnicity;
*payment of soldiers' wages to the ''szlachta'' who personally fought in military campaigns;
*release from the duty to build towns and bridges;
*release from the duty to provide food, lodging, and other accommodations for the king and his court when he was traveling within the kingdom.
Louis's promising of the privileges was a success, as his youngest daughter Jadwiga eventually succeeded her father as monarch of Poland after the Greater Poland Civil War
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. Hungarian influence in Poland waned, as one of the conditions for Jadwiga's ascention to the Polish throne was the end of the Polish-Hungarian Union __NOTOC__
Personal union between the Kingdom of Hungary and the Kingdom of Poland was achieved twice: under Louis I of Hungary, in 1370–1382, and under Władysław III of Poland in 1440–1444. An earlier union was also accomplished by Wencesla ...
. Louis might have intended for the privileges to be rescindend, but his death prevented that from happening.
The privileges gave a significant power boost to the ''szlachta'' and influenced the Polish government for centuries.
References
External links
Multi-language translation of the document
{{DEFAULTSORT:Privilege Of Koszyce
History of Košice
1370s in law
1374 in Europe
14th century in Poland
14th century in Hungary
Legal history of Poland
Succession acts