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Elblag Town Records

Repository

Archiwum Państwowe w Gdańsku
State Archives in Gdansk
Gdansk, Poland
www.gdansk.ap.gov.pl

Record group


Elblag Town Records
Akta miasta Elbląga
Reference code	:	PL/10/369/1
Period	:	1260-1772
Extent	:	4109 items, 75.0 metres

Abstract

The record group comprises all kinds of materials pertaining to the town of Elblag: political and trade treaties and agreements; reports from meetings of the representatives of town of the Hanseatic League; chronicles and histories of Elblag, Gdansk, the German Teutonic Knights Order in Prussia and the Kingdom of Poland; privileges of Pomeranian princes, masters of the German Teutonic Knights Order in Prussia and the Kings of Poland; law codes of Elblag, Prussia and Lübeck; administrative and diplomatic correspondence; diaries of diplomatic journeys; reports of the Town Council; lists of mayors, town officers and judges; genealogical papers; lists of town citizens; and testaments. Besides, there papers concerning a host of other sbjects, such as: wars and Swedish sieges; occupation of the town and contributions; town fortifications; sea trade; corn trade; the presence of the English trade company in Elblag and Königsberg (Kaliningrad); customs in the Danish straits; customs and excise in Königsberg, Pilau (Baltijsk) and Elblag; harbour taxes; prices and measures; money value and exchange; harbour privileges for Elblag; law regulations for the town and harbour; sea shipping from Elblag; shipping on the Vistula River; Town Council financial issues; guilds; religious controversies and disputes; church history; monasteries in Elblag and Gdansk; schools; hospitals; social assistance and relief; music and theatre; calendars; public buildings; the Arthur's Court in Elblag; villages and the town's territory; fishing; and rent charges.

Relevant contents


Period	:	1450 - 1800
Countries involved	:	Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, The Netherlands, Various countries
Languages	:	Latin, Low German

Relevant papers are to be found among the records of both the Town Council and various town offices (all nos. start with 369/1/).

A: TOWN COUNCIL / BOARD

5-17, 196-223, 312-320, 378-426, 1295-1297, 1299-1306, 1308-1316, 1318-1325, 3972, 3973, 3977-3798, 4038-4052, 4078-4080: Town law codes from Lübeck, town regulations, privileges for Elblag, harbour privileges, law regulations for the town and harbour, and diplomatic correspondence, 1237-1836.
18-111, 1206-1282: Reports from meetings and resolutions of the Town Council of Elblag on diplomatic, commercial, religious and administrative issues; judicial decisions on criminal cases and claims ensuing from property rights cases; papers of the appellate court; and legacy cases of merchant families from Königsberg (Kaliningrad) and Gdansk, 1424-1771.
131, 132: List and books of Citizins from Elblag, 1415-1664, 1700-1821.
131-195, 4036-4037: Correspondence on citizenship issues and certificates from the town court for foreigners who applied for town citizenship, including many merchants and sailors from Elblag, Königsberg, Pillau (Baltijsk), Gdansk and Braniewo, 1415-1821.
224-311: Papers concerning conflicts between the Town Council of Elblag and guilds, the Polish Royal garrison in Elblag and the kings of Poland on financial, fiscal and payment issues; judicial cases and appeals; and copies of diplomatic correspondence with Königsberg and Warsaw, 1559-1593, 1700-1704, 1765-1770.
321-336, 1040-1048: Correspondence of the Town Council of Elblag on diplomatic and military issues; and papers concerning the occupation of Elblag by the Brandenburg-Prussian army, and political conflicts between Prussia and Poland, 1657-1771.
427-465, 1294, 4053: Reports from meetings of regional Royal Prussian town representatives; reports from meetings of the parliament of the Polish Kingdom; proposals for fiscal changes; correspondence of Elblag representatives at the Polish royal court in Warsaw; and correspondence of Elblag with other towns, such as Tolkmicko, Gdansk, Königsberg, Lübeck and Riga, 1466-1770.
466-494: Papers concerning the town defence system, the town army, town and harbour fortifications, the participation of the Elblag town army in wars with the German Teutonic Knights Order in Prussia, Sweden, Prussia and Russia, and war supplies for the town army and town fortifications, 1520-1771.
476: List of supplies for war ships of the Polish Royal Navy, 1635.
495-528, 610, 614-617, 649, 4054-4057: Correspondence of Elblag on trade issues with other states and territories, including Denmark, Prussia, Germany, Russia, Kurland, Sweden and West Pomerania; and correspondence with towns such as Stockholm, Tolkmicko, Gdansk, Königsberg, Lübeck, Riga and Szczecin, 1469, 1478-1770.
529-581, 4058: Correspondence of the Town Council of Elblag on diplomatic and military issues, and papers concerning the occupations of Elblag by Russian Army and war supplies for the Russian Army, 1700-1765.
582-666, 4059, 4060: Correspondence of the Town Council of Elblag on diplomatic and military issues; papers concerning occupations of Elblag by the Swedish army, defence of the town and harbour, legations from Elblag to Stockholm, sea shipping issues, the release of Elblag ships arrested in Gdansk in 1598, trade relations with Sweden, Swedish-Polish wars; correspondence on merchants from Pillau and Riga; and papers concerning negotiations with Sweden and supplies for the Swedish army, 1594-1712.
613, 619, 642: Correspondence on the value of money, foreign currencies issues and the mint in Elblag, 1634-1636.
667-788, 790-807, 1055-1079, 4061, 4068-4070: Papers concerning economic and financial issues of Elblag and town debts; reports of town officers on town debts issues; reports of meetings of town officers; budgets; payments of town debts; bonds and payments for corn; trade correspondence with Polish Royal officers; and papers concerning war supplies (of armaments) from Sweden, 1554-1771.
1128-1174: Papers concerning sea trade and shipping issues; correspondence with kings of Poland and Royal Prussian towns on sea trade and shipping issues; law regulations of trade; papers concerning merchants' trade relations, beer, salt and corn trade, and taxes of sailors and shipowners; concessions for shipbuilding; papers concerning controversies on trade and shipping issues, and the sea trade of salt from Halle through the harbour of Pillau; report about the history of sea shipping in Elblag since 1383; correspondence with the Prussian State on the salt trade from Halle; papers concerning controversies between the Shipowners Guild in Elblag and the Shipowners Guild in Königsberg; trade correspondence with Denmark; and correspondence with Hanseatic League towns, including Lübeck, Gdansk and Braniewo, 1470-1770.
1171-1191: Correspondence on sea trade and shipping issues of the English Eastern Trade Company; correspondence with offices of this company in London and Hamburg; privileges and rights of the company in Elblag; and reports on English shipping from Elblag, 1582-1639.
1192-1205, 4071-4077: Papers concerning taxes and customs, regulations and lists of taxes, and customs tariffs; correspondence with Denmark on customs tariff in the Danish straits; and correspondence with Prussia on customs tariff in Pillau, 1520-1760.
1283-1292: Outgoing correspondence of the Town Council of Elblag, 1690-1699, 1703-1708, 1721-1723, 1731-1732, 1737-1738, 1741-1742, 1752-1760.

B: TOWN OFFICES

Polish Royal Representative in Elblag

1346, 1347: Correspondence between the office and Elblag, and records of court cases in legacy issues, 1605-1757.
1348-1374, 1408: Reports of mayors, amd papers concerning taxes and payments of people who received citizenship of Elblag, 1659-1660, 1710-1711, 1721-1722, 1725-1749, 1752-1762, 1769.

Interior Financial Office

1379-1782, 4082, 4083: Account books; budgets of the town; payments at the custom Office from ships and cargo; and papers concerning excise from beer and wine trade, weekly fairs, the town weight, harbour piers and cranes, reconstruction of the harbour canal, roadstead and municipal buildings, and the maintenance of fortifications around the town and harbour; and reports of legacies, 1454-1466, 1500, 1530, 1532-1533, 1546-1551, 1553-1554, 1558, 1561-1563, 1565, 1576, 1579, 1582-1583, 1585, 1587, 1589-1591, 1594, 1596-1601, 1604, 1608-1613, 1615-1774.

Exterior Financial Office

1905-1907, 1914-1927, 1931-2076: Reports of the board of the Exterior Financial Office; account books; budgets of the town; payments of customs and taxes from ships and cargo; and papers concerning the maintenance of the harbour canal and roadstead, 1602-1626, 1630-1674, 1676-1701, 1703, 1707-1731, 1734-1741, 1744, 1747-1753, 1755-1767, 1769-1773.

Fishermen's Office

2222-2325: Reports of the board of the Office; lists of officers; fishing regulations; papers concerning contracts with fishermen; and account books and bills, 1479-1481, 1485-1487, 1490-1772.

Harbour Tax Office

2826-2863, 2906: Payments from ships and cargo; correspondence with the Polish royal court in Warsaw; pay-ledgers of customs and taxes in the Elblag harbou, 1585-1607, 1612-1613, 1615-1772.
2864-2905: Lists of customs tariffs in the Elblag harbour, 1594, 1597, 1599, 1611, 1613-1617, 1622, 1624, 1636-1637, 1641, 1643, 1645-1659, 1664, 1668, 1674, 1676-1677, 1686, 1694-1695, 1698-1701, 1706, 1708, 1710-1711, 1713-1716, 1719-1720, 1722-1723, 1733.

Customs Office

2908-2910, 4097-4099: Bilateral settlements and correspondence on customs payments for Elblag ships in the Pillau strait; and report on the Polish royal court sea trade through the Elblag harbour, 1457-1747.

Board of Roadstead

2911-2918: Papers concerning the maintenance and deepening of the harbour canal and roadstead; and bills for the deepening of the interior harbour waterways and the harbour canal, 1525, 1600-1602, 1669-1773.

Town Court and Municipal Police Office (Wette)

2911-2918, 2978-2987, 3969, 4100: Reports from court trials; civil and property cases of Elblag citizens; legacies; criminal cases; and papers concerning the supervision of the office of wholesale and retail trade, weekly fairs, guilds, regulations for Elblag merchants and foreign merchants, town citizenship, and corn, linen, beer, cattle and food trade, 1531, 1541-1772.

War Commissary Office

3066, 3008-3019, 4102, 4103: Inventories of war supplies, and armaments and ammunition in the town armory; and bills and expenses for war supplies, 1417-1452, 1530-1750, 1762, 1767.

Guilds

3363, 3366, 3370, 3371: Privileges and rights of guilds in Elblag; correspondence between guilds and the town council; trade regulations in Elblag; controversies and correspondence between guilds in Elblag and guilds in Königsberg on the freedom of trade in Königsberg; privileges of merchants in Elblag; concessions; and protests against increasing taxes and excise, 1428-1698, 1700, 1728.

Beer Producers Guild in Elblag

3387-3410, 3449-3461: Law regulations and rights for breweries; papers concerning beer trade in Elblag and abroad; correspondence on beer export issues; and papers regarding taxes from breweries, 1625-1645, 1654-1656, 1664-1665, 1670, 1678, 1703, 1710, 1730, 1733, 1735-1753, 1762, 1770.

Merchants Guild in Elblag

3584-3620, 3622-3631, 3636-3643: Law regulations and trade rights in Elblag; papers concerning trade of overseas goods; regulations for harbour cranes and the town weight; town taxes; correspondence with merchants on trade and shipping issues; papers concerning losses in salt trade and harbour depots; list of taxes for the storage of cargo in the Elblag harbour; papers concerning controversies on sea shipping regulations, salt, coffee, snuff and herring trade, and controversies between shipowners, sailors and merchants from Elblag and Königsberg, 1613, 1643, 1660, 1692-1693, 1702-1741, 1744, 1746-1753, 1755-1756, 1762, 1765, 1768, 1770.

Shipowners Guild in Elblag

3650-3676: Law regulations and rights for the guild; royal privileges for sailors and shipowners; correspondence on sea trade and shipping issues; controversies on sea shipping regulations; controversies with shipowners from England, the Netherlands, Gdansk and Königsberg; list of carriage charges for sea shipping; controversies between shipowners and the Ship Carpenters Guild in Elblag; standards for shipping; lists of sailors with pecuniary penalties; lists and descriptions of types of ships; ship purchases contracts; inherited assets of sailors; lists of customs payments in the Pillau strait; and papers concerning taxes and ships arrested by the Russian army, 1590-1612, 1629, 1639, 1647, 1650-1665, 1668, 1675, 1681-1704, 1710, 1720.

Fishermen Guild

3677: Correspondence on a fire in the fishermen harbour in Elblag, 1681.

Fish Traders Guild

3689-3698: Law regulations and rights for the guild; papers concerning the fish trade; controversies between fish traders from Elblag and Braniewo, Gdansk, Tolkmicko and Königsberg; and court cases, 1635-1773.

New Town in Elblag

3980-3984, 3993-4006: Town law code and privileges; controversies between the New Town and the Old Town of Elblag; and criminal and civil court cases, 1503-1774.
4007-4020: Financial issues, account books and bills, 1543-1564, 1567, 1570-1588, 1591-1592, 1648-1649, 1651-1652, 1656-1657, 1665-1666, 1668-1669, 1755-1756, 1760-1761, 1763-1764, 1772-1773.

Accessibility

Inventory.

The materials have to be consulted on microfilm (nos. E-41981-46089).

Record creator / provenance

The town of Elblag was founded by the German Teutonic Knights Order in Prussia in 1237. It received the Lübeck town law code in 1246. In 1340, the Knights Order founded a new centre to compete with the Old Town: the New Town of Elblag. During the Thirteen Years' War (1454-1466), between the Polish kingdom and the Knights Order, Elblag (like Gdansk) choose the side of the Polish Kingdom and supplied the Polish royal army, whereafter the town became one of the main harbours of the Polish Kingdom. In 1478, the King of Poland granted a privilege reuniting the Old and New Town, with a common town council.

During the Swedish-Polish Wars, Elblag was occupied twice by the Swedish army, from 1626 to 1636 and from 1655 to 1660. At those periods, Elblag was a very important harbour for war supplies of the Swedish army. During the Northern War and in the eighteenth century, the town was occupied by Russian Army three times: 1710-1712, 1733-1736 and 1758-1762. After the first partitions of the Polish Kingdom, in 1772 Elblag was incorporated into the Prussian State. The old Town Council was replaced by the Prussian Board in Elblag. Prussian regulations liquidated old town institutions like old Town Council, town courts and town military guards. Most of their functions were taken over by the Prussian Royal administration.

Custodial history

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