Diploma Andreanum

The Golden charter is a document that represents the constitutive law ceremony of the Hungarian kings of the group of settlers of the Transylvanian Saxons. It was issued in 1224 by Andrew II is the most extensive and most elaborate statute, which German settlers in Eastern Europe was ever granted. It was the legal basis for the right of Sibiu, which was initially applied in the Seven chairs and later on the entire crown land in Transylvania.

Content

• It was determined that all the people of Broos to Draas should form a political unit. As a representative of the king acted the so-called king judges who first used by the Hungarian King, later elected by the active citizens of each chair and were only confirmed by the king.

• As a suburb of the province (main chair) served Sibiu, the other counties are the chairs Sighisoara, Mühlbach, Großschenk, Reußmarkt, Reps, Lesch Kirch and Broos.

• The local judges should be elected from among the people in the communities. Eben same applied to the parish priest.

• Only the king of Hungary, or that certain of him judge may judge the settlers, which has its own attached on customary law ( Eygenlandrecht ) to apply (sic). Only when cases can not be decided within the settler community, the royal court may accept those.

• The Hermannstadt province undertake annually to a discharge of 500 Cologne silver marks. The clergy site deserved the tenth, a quarter of the Bishop of Transylvania.

• Tax and duty-free treatment of Sibiu merchants in the Hungarian territory of the Reich.

• The forests, meadows and water ( Almende ) are made available to settlers free.

• No part of the Hermannstadt province should ever be given to a landlords. This should apply for all time on.

• Further, the equipment of royal campaigns with soldiers is regulated. Depending on the case must be made 50 to 500 armed men.

Wording

The German translation of the dispositive part:

" Since our loyal guests, the Germans beyond the forest, jointly Our Majesty have fallen at your feet and humbly pointed by their actions that they their Freitums with which they had been called by Our grandfather, the much pious king Geysa, entirely would be deprived of, if not our royal majesty as usual her eye merciful judge on them, which is why they have been able to afford a service over great poverty of the royal majesty, we want to listen to their just complaints gracious, and will, therefore, that at present, and be known future that We the grace trail of our predecessor following to move at heart, have returned to them the former Freitum. so much so that the entire people of Waras to Boralt, together with the Székely area of ​​the country Sebus land from a was popular and was under a single judge, with simultaneous lifting of all counties except the Sibiu. Anyone but Sibiu always like to be Graf, may in these counties [ as a judge ] only those use who live constantly among them, and the people shall to choose to which appears to be the best for this office. There shall not dare to buy coins in Sibiu county. For this, they should be required to pay 500 marks of silver annually for the benefit of our court. We want that no Prädiale or another, who lives within its borders, is exempt from the charge, unless he possessed about a privilege. Also We grant them that they have to pay the money that they have to pay us in the future in any other weight than in those silver marks to them Our father Bela, pious memory, has determined is 4 1/2 Fertonen Sibiu weight and a Cologne penny, so it follows no difference in weight. You should not refuse the messenger, which will use the Majesty on the collection of that money to pay for their spending Lot 3 on each day that they may dwell there is. There are 500 armed men are made to be lodged with an army ride the King within the Empire military service. Outside of the realm they must provide 100 armed when the king himself draws [ in the field ]. But if he sends one of his great outside of the empire, it was in support of a friend, either in their own right, they have to send 50 armed men. Neither may the king over the stated number out [ armed ] request, nor shall they be required to send such. They should choose their pastors free and imagine the person elected. They should give them tithes, and in all church laws they are to them according to ancient custom to answer questions. We also want to give orders and earnestly that no one should judge them, except us, or Sibiu Graf, We shall use them in place and in good time. But when they stand before a judge, so shall this may depend only under common law. Also, nobody may to our court, unless the case can not be decided by their own judge. other than the above mentioned, above, we have given them the forest of the Vlachs and Bissenen including its waters shared with the mentioned Vlachs and Bissenen so that they are enjoying this freedom and having to make no services. In addition, we have allowed them to live a lot seal that was clearly known to us, and our Great. If one of them wants to invite someone for money matters in court, he should be able to name only such persons as witnesses before the judge, who live within its borders. We free them entirely from any foreign jurisdiction. According to ancient Freitum We grant them all every 8 days the free collection of salt to the feast of St. George, the feast of St. Stephen and the feast of St. Martin. In addition, we grant them that no customs masters must not obstruct it, neither one way nor on the return trip. But with all the purpose of hearing ends and use of the water with their rivers, which alone is able to forgive the king left the forest, we all, the poor as the rich, to free use. We also want to order and power of royal authority that none of our big a village or an estate venture to ask of the king's majesty. But if any calls, so they should, according to the protection granted to them from Us Freitum raise an objection. Above and beyond, we determine for these faithful, that if it been happening that We are on a journey army to them, We shall give only three hospitality. But if the voivode is sent to Royal benefit to them or through their territory, then they should not refuse to give hospitality twice to one on arrival and on departure. Also we add the above-mentioned freedoms of those named, that their merchants must travel back and forth iron everywhere in Our Kingdom -free and free of all duties, where they may enforce their right to appeal to the Royal highness. We command, that they also all markets are free of taxes. For the above, but fixed and unchangeable remain for the future, we have reaffirmed that document with the protection of Our double seal. If in 1224. Months after the Incarnation of the Lord, in the 21st year of Our Reign "

Area of ​​impact

The rights and privileges of the charter initially related only to the Hermannstadt province ( seven chairs and the main chair Hermannstadt). Specifically, it says: a Waras usque in Boralt. So "by Broos to Draas ". There was from 1224 so-called Sibiu freedom ( " libertas Cibiniensis "). This was soon extended to the surrounding residential areas. 1315 were added to the two chairs of Medias and Schelk, 1366 the Beszterce area ( Nösnergau ) and finally in 1422 the Burzenland. The area was on the libertas Cibiniensis was designated crown land.

Development

The Saxons settled the securitized freedoms repeatedly confirmed and extended, but they always came back to political issue in the dispute with the two other estates in Transylvania, the Székelys and the Hungarian nobility. To particular pressure occurred after the annexation of Transylvania by Austria. The Empire would not tolerate these special rights for a relatively small population, but succeeded in Saxony until 1867 settlement with clever tactics and influence (see Samuel Brukenthal ) to preserve their autonomy largely. It was not until 1876, the crown land was formally abolished, the old rights extinguished permanently.

Swell

• L. Binder, C. & E. Gollner, K. Gündisch: History of the Germans in the territory of Romania. Volume One: 12th Century to 1848 Criterion Publishing, Bucharest, 1979. .
• Ernst Wagner: History of the Transylvanian Saxons. An Overview. 6th revised and expanded edition. Word and World Publishing, Thaur near Innsbruck 1990.