Leonard Jan Józef Lepszy

“ German colonization, on a large scale, was begun; lords both temporal and spiritual vied with each other in founding German settlements. The consequence of this important fact was the substitution of money payments for the old system of bartering or exchange. Thus, the old Polish law, with services due to the landlord and tributes paid in natural products, became more and more oppressive, and among both landowners and peasants the tendency prevailed to establish farm rents instead. ”

“ In spite of the proverbial saying, Civis Cracoviensis nobili par, the social position of the citizens of Cracow in their relation to the nobility was considerably lowered in the fifteenth century. The patricians, of course, remained on good terms with both the king and the nobles, and defended the rights and privileges of the city, but they looked down contemptuously on the "populace," and did not care at all for its struggles to obtain a firm legal standing in society. ”

“ At the diet of Korczyn, Tenczynski's family took their revenge on the city: in spite of Queen Elizabeth's personal intercession, six of the most distinguished citizens were beheaded. The aversion of the nobles to the foreign element was constantly growing, and exerting itself more and more effectively. For a long time there was to be no agreement between these two classes, but the national assimilation of the townspeople made rapid progress from this time. About the middle of the sixteenth century by far the greatest number of the town's inhabitants are entirely Polish. ”

“ Mary's, also migrated there; till the sixteenth century it held the position of a secondary school. In the beginning of the fourteenth century this school even endeavoured to arrogate to itself the rights of a University: ordinances had to be issued against it, forbidding the seven Liberal Arts to be taught there, as this right was reserved to the Cathedral school. During the second half of the fourteenth century more and more schools were founded, which helped Cracow citizens to gain a higher education. ”

“ On this, Clement appealed to the common people to right him, and succeeded in stirring them up to sedition. The mob stormed Tenczynski's house, followed the magnate, who had fled, to the vestry of the Franciscan Church, killed him there, and cast the mutilated body out into the street. ”

“ By virtue of this charter the burgesses Getko (i.e.) Gideon) Stilwojt, Jacob, sometime justice at Neisse (in Silesia) , and Ditmar Wolk, founded a new settlement and were granted large benefits to that end, such as complete administrative autonomy in municipal matters, independent jurisdiction under Magdeburg law—with the provision that final appeals were to be made to Magdeburg itself—and the right of legislation; the sphere of action of the municipal administration being, of course, limited to the territory and the inhabitants of the town. ”