The City Court of Lublin and the Crown Tribunal in the Second Half of the 17th Century

Abstract

The author describes a hitherto unknown aspect of the Old Polish court practice: the entrusting of cases by the Crown Tribunal to the city court of Lublin. The analysis concentrates on the practical aspects of the problem. The author presents a typology of the crimes tried, penalties imposed and tortures used by each type of court. The material shows clear differences between the cases within the city court’s jurisdiction and those entrusted to it by the Crown Tribunal. The author concludes by stressing that the practice described departed from established legal norms. This suggests that it is necessary and important to study the Old Polish court practice, which often diverged from the norms.