Functional Analysis of Privileges in Document-Communication System of Royal Chancellery of the Jagiellonian Dynasty Lviv Defense Policy During Its Pre-Source Existence (Information Potential of Archival Funds Tsdial of Ukraine)

 Functional Analysis of Privileges in Document-Communication System of Royal Chancellery of the Jagiellonian Dynasty Lviv Defense Policy During Its Pre-Source Existence (Information Potential of Archival Funds Tsdial of Ukraine)

Тetiana N. Bilushchak.

Abstract. The funds of the Central State Historical Archive of Ukraine in Lviv have been analyzed. It is turned out that the most significant information potential regarding the Jagiellonian dynasties Lviv defense policy is fund: 52, 131. One of the types of documents created by the Royal Chancellery, namely privileges as a result of the activity of the document-communication system of the defense policy of Lviv of the Jagiellonian dynasty, was researched. During the document processing, privileges in the content have been systematized as those issued for the restoration of the city’s defense capability, for protection against attacks by Turkish-Tatar troops and for natural disasters elimination. On the basis of them, the analysis of the functions they performed during their pre-source existence was made. The analysis of documents in the period of its pre-source existence makes it possible to consider it as a real phenomenon, and as a fact of the historical process. Another benefit of this research is that, depending on the role that privileges have played in the past, its significance in the source base is largely determined. The more significant the primary social function of the source (the impact on subsequent historical events, processes, phenomena, breadth of scope, etc.), the more important the value of the source as the information bearer. Thus, the following functions were clarified as informational, social, communicative, administrative, legal, and historical functions, which acquired privileges after their operational acting role and were sent to Central State Historical Archive of Ukraine in Lviv for preservation. The paper gives examples of the Jagiellonian dynasty privileges and the dynamics of their issuance during the defense capabilities and fortifications construction enhancement in Lviv for natural disasters or enemy attack protection. The study found that the urban privileges granted by monarchs at different times were the main research source into the kings’ policy to strengthen Lviv’s defense capabilities. The informative value of the sources consists of the possibility to trace the emergence of Lviv as an important defense and strategic center by analyzing the document content. The city fortifications are first mentioned in the privileges of Vladislav II Jagiello. During the reign of the successors of Vladislav II Jagiello – Casimir IV and Jan Olbracht, a large-scale construction of new fortifications, walls and towers was completed. The privileges of the successor kings Jagiel are typologically similar and granted for the same purpose as Vladislav II Jagiel himself.

Keywords:  document-communication system, Jagiellonian dynasty, medieval Lviv, defense fortifications, archival sources, privileges, functional analysis.

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