Metadata: Duchy of Opole-Racibórz
Collection
- Country:
- Poland
- Holding institution:
- State Archive of Wroclaw
- Holding institution (official language):
- Archiwum Państwowe we Wrocławiu
- Postal address:
- ul. Pomorska 2, 50-215 Wrocław
- Phone number:
- (+48 71) 328 81 01; (+48 71) 328 83 95
- Web address:
- http://www.ap.wroc.pl/
- Email:
- sekretariat@ap.wroc.pl
- Reference number:
- PL 82/8
- Title:
- Duchy of Opole-Racibórz
- Title (official language):
- Księstwo opolsko-raciborskie
- Creator/accumulator:
- Administrative authority of the Duchy of Opole-Racibórz
- Date(s):
- 1301/1825
- Language:
- German
- Czech
- Latin
- Extent:
- 9 linear metres (405 folders)
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Physical condition:
- good
- Scope and content:
-
The collection consists of materials collected by the administration of the Duchy of Opole-Racibórz. The resource comprises two groups:
I. Documents:
1. Duke’s attitude toward his subordinate duchy: family affairs, homage/tributes, finance, frontier affairs, attitude to neighbours, domains; 1321–1653.
2. Estates (social classes): Jewish affairs; 1427.
3. Finances/treasury: indebtednesses; 1454–99.
4. Military affairs: release from bondage; 1394.
5. Duchy of Opole: landed property – documents re. respective localities, chronologically; 1304–1762.
6. Duchy of Racibórz/Ratibor: landed estates; 1303–1702.
II. Files/dossiers:
1. Duke’s attitude toward his duchy: monetary affairs, brewing industry, property cases, urbaria [lists detailing the landowner’s properties and his serfs’/bondservants’ obligations]; 1500–1795.
2. Estates (social classes): dietine (sejmik), minutes of conventions, bondservice regulations ; 1558–1742.
3. Duchy management: Starost‘s record, sale and purchase registers, testaments/wills, mortgage registers, signature registers, chancellery and archive issues, tax assessment [ingrossation] registers; 1551–1825.
4. Legal and judicial system: complaint and verdict registers; 1558–1632.
5. Finances/treasury: taxes, enforcements, liens/pledges; 1620–1742.
6. Military affairs: construction of the fortifications in Koźle, supplies for military purposes; 1740–79.
7. Annex: urbaria of estates/property, 1532–1720.
Jewish-related items are quite numerous and can be found in the following units (inter alia):
Ref. no. 36: ‘Acta varia von Münzsachen’, 1551–1737, p. 137.
Ref. no. 37: ‘Kontrakte wegen Überlassung des Münzwexel zu Breslau und Ausprägung von Gold und Silbermünnzen’, 1604–76, p. 76.
Ref. no. 38: ‘Acta von Verpachtung der Breslauschen Müntze’. Bd. 1, 1622–30, p. 229.
Ref. no. 39: ‘Acta von Verpachtung der Breslauschen Müntze’. Bd. 2, 1630–48, p. 189.
Ref. no. 40: ‘Acta von Verpachtung der Breslauschen Müntze’. Bd. 3, 1650–1790, p. 202.
Ref. no. 51: ‘Liber quartusintabulatorumobligationum’, 1753–64.
Ref. no. 55: ‘Signaturbuch’, 1771–7.
Ref. no. 68: ‘Acta von Bestellung des jüdischen und der anderen Briefträger’. vol. 1, 1655–1737, p. 324.
Ref. no. 69: ‘Acta von Bestellung des jüdischen und der anderen Briefträger’. vol. 2, 1737–9, p. 261.
Ref. no. 79: ‘Land- und Hypothekenbuch’, 19th century.
Ref. no. 80: ‘Ingrossationsbuch, Kreis Falkenberg’, 1810–23.
Ref. no. 88: ‘Ingrossationsbuch, Kreis Lublinitz’, 1810–18.
Ref. no. 93: ‘Ingrossationsbuch, Kreis Oppeln’, 1800–14.
Ref. no. 102: ‘Ingrossationsbuch, Kreis Ratibor’, 1805–6.
Ref. no. 108: ‘Ingrossationsbuch, Kreis Rosenberg’, 1810–18.
Ref. no. 112: ‘Ingrossationsbuch, Kreis GroßStrehlitz’, 1820–5.
Ref. no. 125: ‘Ingrossationsbuch, Kreis Cosel’, 1820–5.
Ref. no. 304: ‘Acta miscellanea anthaltend Judensachen’, 1569–1739, p. 114.
Ref. no. 305: ‘Acta von Einrichtung der Juden-Kosignationen’, 1657, p. 21.
Ref. no. 306: ‘Quittung der jüdischen Personal Accise’, 1723, p. 2.
Ref. no. 307: ‘Verbot den Juden andere Ommobilien als Branntweinhäuser zu verkaufen’, 1725, p. 6.
Ref. no. 308: ‘Betrift die Aufnahme von Juden in den Orten, wo noch keine vorhanden’, 1726–40, p. 10.
Ref. no. 309: ‘Acta betr. den stabilitirten Numerus der Juden in Breslau und die Abschaffung der nahe bei den Kirchen wohnenden’, 1725, p. 36.
Ref. no. 310: ‘Acta von nachgesuchter Toleranz verschiedener Juden in Breslau’, 1728–40, p. 122; inter alia: cc. 1–d 33: case of Lazarus Hirschel, etc. [interesting dossier re. the family’s problem, their privileges and position in the city – correspondence between the emperor and the city’s authorities], 1729–31 and cc. 34–121 case re. shammes of Pińczów [interesting dossier re. the institution of shammes; attempt to suspend the shammes of Pińczów and related correspondence explaining the essence, origins[?], privileges, etc.], 1733–8.
Ref. no. 311: ‘Kaiserliche Konfirmation verschiedener Juden in Breslau besonders des Schamis [sic]’, 1729–38, p. 122.
Ref. no. 312: ‘Quittung und Verfügungen betr. die Erhebung und Verpachtung des Judenzolles’, 1722–7, p. 2.
Ref. no. 555: ‘Acta von einer durch einen polnischen Juden in Breslau öffentlich herumgetragenen zum Schimpfe der katholischen Religion geprägten Münze’, 1696–7, p. 15.
Ref. no. 568: ‘Untersuchung über das von dem jüdischen Buchdrucker Sabbathi Lachinzu [sic] Dührenfurth gedruckte skandalöse Büchlein Scharthion (porta Syon)’, 1712, p. 32.
Ref. no. 570: ‘Acta betr. des jüdischen Buchdruckers zu Dyherenfurth [Dyhernfurth] Absuchen Assistenz wider die verbotene Einschleppung der Bücher….', 1700–32.
- Archival history:
- The materials contained in the collection were produced and collected by the Duchy administration. Before World War 2, the resource formed part of the Staatsarchiv Breslau; during the war, for the sake of protecting them, the files were dispersed and kept in various localities; some were destroyed, including, probably, a portion of Jewish-related items. After World War 2, the files were included in the State Archive of Wroclaw, the legal successor of the former German-owned archive.
- Administrative/biographical history:
- Resulting from the division of the Silesian province among the sons of Ladislaus (Władysław) II, a duchy emerged that encompassed Upper Silesia (without Opole Land) and the merged lands of the Krakow province (Oświęcim, Bytom, Chrzanów, Pszczyna, Zator). As early as 1202 Opole Land was made part of the Duchy of Racibórz, the town of Opole becoming its capital. After Duke Ladislaus’s death in 1281, the Opole province was fragmented into four duchies: Opole, Cieszyn-and-Oświęcim, Racibórz, Bytom and Koźle. The early fourteenth century saw further division of the Duchy of Opole – this time, into Opole, Strzelce and Niemodlin domains. The Duchy of Racibórz retained its ‘administrative independence’. In 1335, Leszek, duke of Racibórz, paid homage to the Bohemian Crown; after his death in 1340, the rule of Racibórz was taken over by Opole dukes. Bolko, duke of Opole, received his duchy from the Bohemian king as a fiefdom. The Duchy of Opole-Racibórz continued to be held by the Piast house until 1532. After the Opole branch of the Piasts died off, the duchy was directly taken over by kings of Bohemia; in 1740–1, the Prussians established their domination over the whole of Silesia, including the duchy.
- Access points: persons/families:
- Hirschel, Lazarus
- Lachin, Sabbathi
- Subject terms:
- Legal matters
- Minting
- Printing
- Privileges
- Real estate
- Residency issues of Jews
- Synagogues
- System of arrangement:
- The collection consists of books/registers and unbound items, manuscript and printed.
- Access, restrictions:
- The collection is available in the reading room of the State Archive of Wroclaw.
- Finding aids:
- A register and microfilm are available at the archives.
- Yerusha Network member:
- Emanuel Ringelblum Jewish Historical Institute
- Author of the description:
- Anna Grużlewska, Leszek Ziątkowski; University of Wroclaw; 2015
