1. The Charter of Ban Kulin to the Ragusans, 1189
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. I, Kulin, Ban of Bosnia, swear to be a true friend to you, o prince Kr'vash, and to all Ragusans from now on and forever, and to keep true peace with you, and true faith, as long as I am alive. All Ragusans who go through my domain trading, wherever anyone wants to move or wherever anyone passes, I will in true faith and with a true heart keep without any damage, unless someone of his own will gives me a gift, and let there be no violence against them by my officers, and as long as they are in my lands I will give them advice and help as I would to myself, as much as I am able, without any evil intention, so help me God and this holy Gospel. I, Radoje, the Ban's clerk wrote this document by the command of the Ban, one thousand and one hundred and eighty and nine years from the birth of Christ, in the year one thousand eighty-nine, in the month of August, on the twenty-ninth day of the beheading of John the Baptist.
2. Charter of Ban Stjepan II Kotromanić to the Ragusans on the cession of Ston and Pelješac, 1333
In the name of the holy and indivisible Trinity, amen. In the year of the Lord one thousand three hundred and thirty-three, the first Church year, on the 15th day of the month of February. Stjepan, by the grace of God, is the Ban of Bosnia, Soli, Usora and the sovereign Lord of the entire land of Hum. If we love our godly friends and servants, and give them our grace with love, as is usefully unchanged, we show them individual goods. Therefore, we inform everyone, present and future, that, taking into account the sincere loyalty and kindness, as well as the previously mentioned services, which they magnificently did to us and our predecessors of the municipality, the Ragusans and their ancestors, and which, with God's consent, they will do for us in the future, for us and our sons, heirs and descendants in the male line until the end of the world, we give and donate to the municipality of the Ragusans, to the above-mentioned dear and pious friends, the entire Stonski rat with Prevlaka and all that belongs to it with the properties that are located above and below it, with all the rights and jurisdiction known to belong to it, with all the villages, plains, mountains, forests, woodlands, waters, pastures, groves, fines and reconciliated feuding families, all the way to the top of Lojšta, to hold, own and manage them at their own will as their own possessions. And that the said municipality and the Ragusans can build and fortify Rat and Prevlaka, and that they can dig a canal across Prevlaka from sea to sea and wherever they like, according to their will. And if ever Rat and Prevlaka, or any part of them, or the land and property standing within the walls, are disturbed to the said municipality and the Ragusans, in general or in particular, one or more places, the said Ban is bound for his sons and descendants and heirs that he will help the said municipality and their people to defend themselves and get rid of troubles with all their strength until the end of the world. In return, the municipality and the Ragusans promise, committing themselves to all the assets of the said municipality, that they will give and pay taxes and tribute to the Ban, his heirs and descendants in the male line, for the said Rat and Prevlaka every year in Dubrovnik on the day of St. Blaise in the amount of five hundred perpers in the currency that will be used in Dubrovnik at that time, until the end of the world. And if the Ban, his sons and male heirs do not rule the land of Hum, the said municipality should pay the said five hundred perpers every year on the day of St. Blaise until the end of the world. If it happens that the Ban or his sons or his male heirs want to come and settle in Dubrovnik, we, the municipality and the Ragusans, undertake to allow them to do so and give them a brick house to live in as long as they stay in Dubrovnik without any payment. And we, the municipality and the Ragusans, also undertake that in Ston, Prevlaka or on the islands, which the said Ban gave and gifted to us, we will not accept or hide his squires who betrayed and rebelled against the Ban or his sons or his heirs in the male line until the end of the world. We, the said Ban Stjepan, swear in our own name and in the name of our sons and heirs in the male line, on the holy divine gospel and the four evangelists, the 12 apostles and on all the relics that are in Dubrovnik, that we and my sons and heirs in the male line will firmly maintain and do nothing contrary to this nor deny the promise, in any way for any reason. And in the same way, we, the prince and the Ragusans, in the name of us and our descendants and heirs in the male line until the end of the world, swear by the holy divine gospel, the four evangelists and the 12 apostles and by all the relics that are in Dubrovnik, that we will firmly maintain and do nothing contrary to this nor deny the promise, in any way for any reason. For testimony and fuller confirmation of correctness, we have confirmed and sealed this written document with our golden hanging seal. Given in the town of Srebrenik, in the presence of squires Vitan Tihoradić, Radoslav Hlapović, Miloš Vukašić, Hrvatin Stjepanić, Stjepan Druščić, Tvrtko Ivanović; the parties to this are Divoš Tihoradić, Štetko Hlapović, Ragusan Mihael Menčetić. Regarding the above, four identical documents were written, two were written in Latin and the other two in Slavic, of which the Ban received two, one in Latin and the other in Slavic, and the municipality and the Ragusans also received the remaining two, one in Latin and the other in Slavic.
3. Charter of Ban Tvrtko Kotromanić confirming the privileges of his predecessors to the Ragusans, 1367
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen. From the birth of the Lord in the year 1367 and our lordship the fourteenth summer of the month of June by the first day of the book: We Tvrtko, by the grace of God, Ban of Bosnia came to our house in the city of Dubrovnik and confirmed the faith with our brothers and the Dubrovnik nobility, in which faith they were with our uncle Mr. Ban Stjepan. We, Ban Tvrtko and our nobility, Prince Vlaj Dobrovojević and high dignitary Sladoje and Prince Vukota Pribinić, confirmed our faith at that time, swearing on the relics and on the Holy Gospel, swearing that our house with Dubrovnik is one house forever, as it was one house with our uncle, with Ban Stjepan, so Dubrovnik is one house with us forever. As long as it is of our posterity and theirs, may these two houses never be separated until the ages of eternity, but may both be one house. And those who had a law with our uncle, with Ban Stjepan, and which writings of those laws and those books we confirmed with our oath and our writings and our seal, so that there is unity between us forever and ever and we will not leave Dubrovnik and our brotherhood forever and ever, as long as there is our seed and theirs, and they have not started evil, which would be infidelity towards the King of Hungary. This was written by Dražeslav the student, with his own hand, native Bojić, the earth is my mother, and my fatherhood is my grave, we are from the earth and to the earth we go. And all the laws and charters and writings that Dubrovnik had with the older gentleman, with our uncle, with Ban Stjepan and with his parents and with the ancestors, all of that was confirmed by us, Ban Tvrtko.
4. Charter of King Tvrtko I to the Ragusans in 1378
It is pious [and] worthy to praise with true faith and to offer the desired word to one's benefactor, Bishop Christ, since when everything created and revealed would be in praise of divine providence, which has mercy on the human race, which it created according to the pure image of its deity, and gave him power and reason, to be [above] his earthly creature and to understand it and create judgment and justice in the midst of the earth. Also, to me, to my slave, for the mercy of his deity, he gives me the gift to blossom an offspring noble rooted in my family and to honour me with a double wreath in order to manage the scope of lordships, first in the God-given land mainly Bosna, then my Lord god honoured me to inherit the throne of my great-grandparents, Serbian lords, because these great-grandparents of mine, having reigned in the earthly kingdom, also moved to the heavenly kingdom. I, on the other hand, seeing the land of my ancestors left after them and not having my own shepherd, went to the Serbian land, wanting to strengthen the throne of my parents. And there, going as crowned from God with a crown given to me to the kingdom of my ancestors, to be pious in Christ Jesus and appointed by God, Stefan, the King of Serbs and Bosnia and Coastland and Western Sides. And then I began to reign with God and make the throne of the Serbian land, wanting what had fallen to rise and what had been destroyed to strengthen. And when I came to the lands of Coastal, approaching the glorious and benevolent city of Dubrovnik, honest majesty of Dubrovnik came before our Majesty, with all glory and honour, and reminded our Majesty of its laws, treaties and charters, which they had with the great-grandparents of our Majesty, with the Lords of Bosnia. This and these nobles spoke about it before our Majesty: Marin Menčetić, Mihail Bobaljević, Dobre Kaličiević, Mateo Žurgović, Žun Gradić, Nikola Gundulić. These nobles also wanted to confirm to our Majesty their laws and agreements that they had with the great-grandparents and parents of our Majesty, with Bosnian lords and lord ban Stefan. And for the love and unity of our and our predecessors that we had with the city of Dubrovnik and the nobility of Dubrovnik, because of that our majesty wrote and confirmed and better regulated all the laws and treaties and charters and trade freedoms they had with the Bosnian gentleman. And then he reminded our Majesty the above-mentioned nobles of Dubrovnik and the treaties and laws and charters that the city of Dubrovnik had with the lords of Serbia and Raška. And while I fulfilled my former love and harmony with the city of Dubrovnik and its esteemed nobleman, I did mercy, wrote and renewed and better fulfilled in every freedom and purity to keep these treaties and laws firm and unchanged and charters and trade freedoms and never to be taken away. After this word and our confirmation, he promised the city of Dubrovnik and the nobles of Dubrovnik that they would legally give our Majesty Serbian income, which they also gave to Serbian gentlemen, and that they would give our Majesty every future Dmitrov's day two thousand perpers under this treaty, law and manner, as long as our Majesty holds and masters this coastal land: Trebinje, Konavle and Dračevica. And with this promise, our Majesty promises the nobles of Dubrovnik that Dubrovnik merchants and goods pass freely throughout our country and state, and that no one should defend themselves against them, and that no one should reach for them or their goods or keep them, neither the lord nor the small lord, nor anyone small or large. If anyone dares to spoil our word, and take something from them in the realm of my kingdom, that I have to pay it to them from my chamber, and that I have to look for the culprit. And I undertake to protect and guard their government from attack, from theft, from all malice and force, and I also undertake if there is anyone to speak or force the city of Dubrovnik for the income they have to give to the kingdom, to have a kingdom for me to defend them from and to help them not to do any damage to their government or trade. And God forbid, it happens for a while and this country is not in the area of my kingdom: Trebinje, Konavle and Dračevica, or my kingdom does not fulfil and does not make many words, and does not pay merchants, or do not watch the government, or manage them, let it be a pity for that income, that the kingdom will not ask them for that income, nor anyone else after me, nor that they are obliged to give it. And after all this promise my kingdom with the God-given kingdom of my mother, Mrs. Kira Jelena and Mrs. Queen Kira Dorothea and the chosen nobleman of my kingdom, and there would be nobles in my kingdom: Prefect Branko Pribinić, courtier Vukosav Stefković, Dobrašin Stefanović, duke Vlatko Vuković, prince Vukašin Milatović, prince Priboje Mastnović, prefect Bjelak Sanković, founder Tvrtko Vlađević, Vukac Vladisalić. And so we promise that there will be faithful and wholehearted love between the kingdom and between the city of Dubrovnik and its ruler, as the great-grandparents and parents of the kingdom of Serbia and Bosnia had with him. And for this word and for this justice written above, the kingdom promises me on the holy gospel and before the honourable cross of Christ and the mother of the kingdom, and with me the queen and the eloquent nobleman, that this word and this promise be written firmly and steadfastly to eternity: whoever dares to live up to this word and promise of ours to which we have committed and written, let him take upon himself and on his soul those curses which we have mutually uttered before the holy gospel, and may the kingdom give me this never falsify, until when the city of Dubrovnik and the nobles of Dubrovnik falsify this and by some unbelief they and their children and their heirs lose. And I also pray for reading, whoever God puts after me on the throne of my kingdom, not to confirm this, but moreover, to better fulfil and confirm it and to strengthen it better. And this promise and writing records and confirming the kingdom in front of the city of Dubrovnik in Žrnovnice in the year after the birth of Christ in 1378 in April 10th day. And after all that was done, the venerable nobles of Dubrovnik Dobre Kalićiević and Mateo Žurgović came to the glorious court of our kingdom in Trstivnica, and I Mrs. Kira Jelena and Mrs. Queen Kira Dorothea, seeing the promises and conditions of Mr. King with the city of Dubrovnik, and this is better confirmed, we swore before the holy gospel and before the holy cross of Christ in the church of St. Gregory and our nobleman, with these and these: Duke Vukac Hrvatinić, Prince Vukota Pribinić, Prince Hegen Dragoslal, Vlatko Vojevodic, prefect Vukac Črnugović, Radoslav Pribinić, Vukmir Semković, Hrana Vuković, Purća Hrvatinić, Bjelica Ižesalić, prefect Dinica. And so we promised and swore in everything written above that it is firm and unwavering for days and forever. And this ended on the 17th day of June. And logofet Vlade wrote it. Stefan Tvrtko in Christ God king of Serbs and Bosnia and coastland.
5. Charter of King Tvrtko I on the abolition of the square for the sale of salt in the county of Dračevica, 1382
I’m very pleased to glorify You just like it should be done with profound faith and to address You with these pious words, oh You holy martyr Stephen. You prayed to God for those who stoned You, saying: “forgive them God, they don’t know what they’re doing”. Because of that, oh my sufferer prey to God to my Lord even more for the one who always evoke You and recognize You as the Christ’s victim. For the one who does all the right things for his God invoking Your help because of Your prey I received God’s blessing and I was granted the honour of the king’s scepter of my parents and my Serbian ancestors, rulers and kings. So I rule and correct all defects in my kingdom according to my parents’ life and imperial rules. Doing so I was given the seaside. The region of Župa Dračevica is the place very suitable to found a town. I called my God then and the holy martyr and archpriest Stephen and I built a town in Holy Stephen’s name on the very place. I named it after the Holy Stephen. My kingdom decided to set there a square for trade in salt. And that news came to Dubrovnik. Soon after they sent me their ruler, the duke Dragoje Gučić with the request not to establish on that place the trade in salt. He also said that Dubrovnik had old contracts with all rulers of Raška not to open squares for trade in salt anywhere at the seaside except in places where they had already existed. After reading of contracts between Dubrovnik and rulers of Raška not to set new squares for trade in salt except on places where they already existed – my kingdom did not want me to change contracts so I had to confirm the earlier contracts with Dubrovnik. My kingdom expressed deep regret to Dubrovnik claiming: not to ever set a square for trade in salt in that town or beneath it. It was said that all these lines in contract were not to be changed by kingdom or by my son or by any member of my relatives until Dubrovnik or its refinement changes it or lose it in one way or another, they or their children and their successors. Witnesses of this: court clerk Mirko Radojević, the duke Vlatko Vlković and the duke Pavle Jablanić. It was signed in the year of 1382 after Christ, the second day of December. It was written in Bišće in Podgrada. STEFAN TVRTKO, BY LORD'S MERCY THE KING OF SERBS, BOSNIA AND COASTLAND.
6. Charter of the Prince Pavle Radinović to the Ragusans, 1397
By the will of God the Father almighty and with the help of the only begotten son and the fulfilment of the most holy spirit, let it be known to every person present and future and let it be eternally and remembered by this Charter and record how Rafael Gučetić came to us, sent by the prince, nobility and all the municipalities of the city of Dubrovnik and brought us a record of how the prince, nobility and all the municipalities of the city of Dubrovnik received and registered me, Prince Pavle Radinović, as their brother and citizen, and that is what we asked them to do for us. For this reason, we, Prince Pavle, the son of the reverend gentleman and the parent of Prince Radin Jablanić, promise and write to the prince, nobility and the municipality of the city of Dubrovnik that I am a faithful friend of Dubrovnik and that I help the city of Dubrovnik and that I protect their merchants and their goods from all evil where as far as I can reach. And that their merchants can freely come with goods and needs throughout my country and wherever they obey us, stay as long as they want and go freely with everything without any detention, guarded and protected. This is witnessed by our noblemen Gojić Gaočić, Čeprnja Gradisalić, Vukša Gaočić, and from Primorje Vukosav Kobiljačić, Ljubiša Bogdančić, Vukosav Poznanović, the year after the birth of Jesus Christ one thousand three hundred and ninety-seven in the month of March on the twenty-fifth day of the annunciation. For the greater authenticity, we placed our seal and student Radosav Milosalić made a written when we were in Konavle on Ljuta.
7. Charter of King Ostoja to the Ragusans
O mighty power of the Holy Spirit, God glorified in the three, in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, from the three most holy glories to you, because I was baptized in you and with you I received the divine grace, making me worthy to inherit the throne of my ancestors, the lords of Serbia and Bosnia, because my ancestors reigned in the earthly kingdom and moved to the heavenly kingdom. I, having seen the land of my ancestors, left without its shepherd of their tribe, I was chosen, with the help of God and the pureness of his Mother, I was gifted with a God-given crown of the kingdom, to be in Christ the God of faith and appointed by God, Mr. Stjepan Ostoja, the King of the Serbs, Bosnia and Coastland and Western Sides. Then I began to reign with God and make the throne of the kingdom, doing mercy by writing down the cities and places to each one according to their merits. Seeing in all of them the heartfelt love and faithful service to the parents and forefathers of the kingdom and to the kingdom itself, the rulers of the famous city of Dubrovnik, and on my first arrival in the kingdom, they gave me gifts with great respect and with great, heartfelt and unalloyed love. And there appeared before the kingdom honourable husbands, the nobility of Dubrovnik and the nobles who were sent to the kingdom by the nobility and municipality of the city of Dubrovnik, namely Žunj Žurgović and Mihoč Rastić, and with them Nikola Gučetić. They mentioned the kingdom to me, the said nobility and the municipality, speaking about the lands that are and which are from Kuril to Ston, to their place, because those lands my ancestors, the nobility of Raška and Bosnia, promised to them and that is why, for their faithful service, as it is said, we, by the grace of God, King Stjepan Ostoja, with the free will and with the consent of the lords and nobles of the kingdom, gave those lands as a heritage to the noble lordship and the entire municipality of the city of Dubrovnik with grace and with the fortification of the land from Kuril to Ston with all the villages and hamlets and with the people and with all boundaries and rights and with waters and with pastures with trees and with forests and with bushes and with every other property and with all territorial dominion of those said lands and villages. Namely these villages, first Kurilo, Osojnik, Ljubač, Gromača, Orašac, Trsteno, Mrčevo, Brsečevo, Mravinac, Dugo, Malkove and other Malkove, Slano, Trnova, Podgora, Čepikuće, Podimoč, Kotezi, Zaton, Visočani, Točilnik, Smokovljani, Ošle and Topola and those villages written above with all their possessions, we gave them forever and ever in a noble manner until the end of the world, where they and their children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren can be free forever as long as the world exists, they as true and noble lords are given the above-mentioned villages and possessions, and when the kingdom was created by grace, the lords of the kingdom were there, namely Duke Hrvoje, Prince Pavle Radinović, Duke Sandalj, high dignitary Batalo and Duke Vlatko Tvrtković, Duke Vukašin Milatović, Duke Pavle Klešić, Prince Priboje Masnović, Prince Radoje Radosalić, Prince Radoje Dragosalić, Prince Vojislav Vojvodić, Prince Vukašin Zlatonosović, Prince Kovač Dinjičić. And the kingdom swore and guaranteed to me with the above-mentioned lords that this letter and deed created by the kingdom for our dear friends will be strong and unimpeachable forever, may the kingdom protect them from all grief and disturbance as our dear brothers and friends. And whoever God chooses to rule after us, I beg you as your lord and brother, do not break this document, which I gave for true love to the nobility of Dubrovnik for their service and honour. Whoever transgresses, let him be cursed by the Lord God Almighty and by his most pure Mother and by the twelve holy supreme apostles and by the four evangelists and by the seventy elect and by all who have pleased God from ancient times, let him be an ally of Judas, the betrayer of Christ, and by the kingdom that he is cursed forever. Written in Usora in our famous army in Lišnica, in the year of Christ's birth in 1399, on the 15th day of January. It was given by the hand of Stjepan Dobrinović, the student of the kingdom, amen. KING STEFAN OSTOJA, THE KING OF THE SERBS, BOSNIA AND COASTLAND
8. Charter of Duke Sandalj and his brothers Vukac and Vuk ceding their part of Konavale to the Ragusans, 1419
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen. We, Mr. Duke Sandalj Hranić, by the grace of God, the Grand Duke of Bosnia, since we hold my ancestors in great glory and nobility as ours. And then, for our service of grace, the cities and parishes and lands that we received from the Bosnian kingdom were given to us and written down in our noble Bosnian Parliament and state of Bosnia and confirmed and established by the kingdom and all the Bosnian Parliament and also by the kings of Hungary and the Emperor of Turkey confirmed by their magnificent documents. And by the grace of God in full power with my brother prince Vukac and with prince Vuk ruling and enjoying and from that giving and distributing to my servants noble people according to my will I gave and wrote in the heritage to all. Having seen and reflected in the hearty recesses of my heart, the great love and cordiality of the Prince, the nobility and all the municipalities of the city of Dubrovnik, which they have always shown very mercifully and immeasurably in all respect towards our firsts and towards our lordship, and they have shown and done as well as according to the written acts that we received from them. Even now, the honest love and friendship that they had and showed in our time is visible. And since we found out that the below-mentioned parish was first of all their heritage and noble, we wanted to be grateful for all that and we wanted to repay them with respect, we Duke Sandalj with my brothers Prince Vukac and Prince Vuk and Stjepan son of Prince Vukac, wholeheartedly and unanimously for their love we have given and gifted with mercy forever and ever to the Prince, nobility and all the municipality of the city of Dubrovnik half of the parish of Konavle and Vitaljina and Donja Gora, everything with everything that we still held and owned in that parish, the district of Konavle. What was and is ours with everything we gave and donated, with all villages and hamlets and with people and with pastures, trees, forests, hayfields, bushes and with waters and with all the boundaries and rights of the districts, and with all the rights and property of the said parish, we gave them in the heritage and to the noble city of Dubrovnik and its lordship and all the municipality forever and ever that they, their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren are willing and free to rule them as true and noble lords forever and ever. And we, the said Mr. Duke Sandalj and the said our heirs in the male line who are in our heart, the respected and true heirs of us and our tribe in the male line by blood, promise and commit to the city of Dubrovnik and its nobility that we will defend with all our power the said parish from all violence and evil people so that they can rule and possess it peacefully. And we further promise the said Prince and nobility and municipality that we will not harm them or take away anything that belongs to them, because of the will of no man in this world, neither for fear, nor for any treasure, nor for any other cause that could be in the world, but be warm and true friends forever as they promised the same to us. And they, the Prince and nobility and municipality of the city of Dubrovnik, seeing our great love and cordiality, wanted to be grateful for the sweet love and cordiality that exists between us, to the honour and exaltation of the said us, graciously receiving in Dubrovnik the aforementioned half of the parish of Konavle as it was said, and so gave me other palaces in Dubrovnik. Those palaces were originally owned by their lord Simet Gradić, and those palaces are close to my other palace and they support each other, they promised me at to build and decorate those two palaces their own expense to be very beautiful, famous and honourable. And they also gave and gifted to us, the above-mentioned Mr. Duke Sandalj and his brothers and nephew and our heirs and our tribe in the male line, inheritance in the Dubrovnik parish worth three thousand perpers. These houses and inheritances can never come to us and our tribe for less, nor for any reason be taken from our hands forever and ever, nor for any war, nor for any debt nor for any matter in this world. All this was given to us and presented as a gift, as was said above, and the city of Dubrovnik, the nobility and all the municipality pledged to me, Mr. Duke Sandalj. And if my heir was to be found by my heart, as a respected and legitimate heir and heir by blood through the male line, a respected and rightful heir, and then the heir of Prince Vukac and Prince Vuk and Stjepan, the son of Prince Vukac, and their heir who is the right one in the male line and a respected heir, and a close blood relative to our tribe, Dubrovnik will give to such heir forever and ever as long as they rule the said half of Konavle parish. And if there is ever a war in that said part of Konavle, they will not prevent the king of Bosnia and Hungary and the emperor of Turkey and us from ruling and enjoying, and it will always be possible, as it was said, to give the said five hundred Dubrovnik dinars to us every year forever and ever. And for everything written above, whatever we, Mr. Vojvoda Sandalj, Prince Vukac, Prince Vuk and Stjepan son of Prince Vukac, for us and for our heirs and for our tribe, that they may be our true and respected heirs by male line by blood relation, have given and written down in this document and committed ourselves to everything said for ourselves and for our entire tribe that hears us and heirs as stated, we have sworn on the honourable and life-giving cross of the Lord and on the four evangelists and on the twelve holy supreme apostles and on the 318 saints of the fathers who are in Nicaea and on all the saints who have pleased God and our souls since ages, and everything written and promised to the prince, nobility and municipality of the city of Dubrovnik and to their successors, we will firmly and unwaveringly and undeniably maintain forever and ever, and we and our heirs we will not defile this document. If any of us should do otherwise, through levity or fear or for someone else's will desecrate or corrupt these written oaths, we wish that all curses, oaths and curses fall upon us and our heirs and our tribe and all our successors. And may we be cursed and bound by the living God and the Pure One and all the aforementioned saints and may we be apostates of the true faith and joined to Judas who betrayed the son of God to the crucifixion and may they call us unbelievers before every earthly gentleman. And on the day of our death and passing away and on the judgment day, may we not have mercy before the face of God. And the lords of our tribe, Prince Radivoj Stipković, Prince Radosav Stipković, Prince Radič Stipković, Prince Obrad Hlapomirić, Prince Vlatko Obradović, Prince Ivaniš Ostojić, Prince Ivan Vuković swore to this. And we swore an oath in front of your respected husband, your envoy, in front of Prince Tudroj Bavželić on Stjepan polje under Sokol. And for authentication, we, Duke Sandalj and Prince Vukac and Prince Vuk seal this document of ours with our hanging seals and confirm it. Written in the year of the birth of Christ one thousand four hundred and nineteen, the twenty-fourth day of the month of June. And it was written by Pribisav Pohvalić.
9. Charter of King Stjepan Tomaš to the Ragusans confirming the charters of his predecessors, 1444
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, amen. The Lord, who holds in power the whole world in which kings reign and tormentors hold the lands, looks down from heaven to see the sons of men and hear the voice of all who trust in him. God is one Jesus Christ, and yesterday and today, as well as forever, chose the holy parents and forefathers of our kingdom and glorified them more than those kings on earth and decorated them in the heavens with bright wreaths with all the saints, so that the blessed memory of them would not be silenced throughout the universe. And I was chosen by the will of God and the Most Pure Mother of God and their wishes, Mr. King Stjepan Tomaš, the much-respected memory of the glorious King Ostoja, son and heir by the grace of God, king of all Bosnia, the Lower Regions and whereby I am not different from them, but great-grandson and grandson, son and the true heir of their holy roots. By God's command and decision, I received the state of the kingdom and now on the throne of the kingdom, as king and ruler of all the goods of my first parents, I received respect, glory and many gifts from everyone. And then the noble husbands of the famous city of Dubrovnik, nobility and envoys Nikola Žurgović and Marin Rastić, came to the famous court of the kingdom in Kreševo, with respectable gifts and respect from the said city of Dubrovnik, the nobility and the municipality. And those mentioned envoys begged and requested from us all the conditions, laws and freedoms of the said city of Dubrovnik that they had in the documents and in the charters with the our said parents and forefathers with the Serbian and Bosnian gentlemen, so that we, according to custom, would firmly confirm and establish the said gentlemen freedoms, laws, conditions, charters and records of our first, Serbian and Bosnian gentlemen. And the kingdom, having listened to and understood their lawful, reasonable, decent and true requests, and having consulted and talked with the lord and nobles of the kingdom, granted mercy to the said city, nobility and municipality of Dubrovnik, with this document and charter of ours, for their friendship, we confirmed each and every charter and document of the said Serbian and Bosnian lords and confirmed to them Coastland and Konavle with all their districts, I, Mr. King Tomaš, and all the lords who ruled before me. May the said city of Dubrovnik and its municipality be firm and indisputable by us and our successors and that they are always secure and firm in our and all the said charters, laws, conditions and all kinds of freedoms granted by the said Serbian and Bosnian gentlemen. And the aforesaid nobles and envoys of the city of Dubrovnik and the municipality of Dubrovnik accepted and undertook to give the kingdom Serbian income, two thousand Dubrovnik dinars, every year on Saint Demetrius Day and also every year on St. Blaise's Day to give 500 perpers according to the law and under conditions as they had been giving to the aforementioned lords, the kings of Bosnia, our parents, former lords who ruled before me. And to all this, our good lords oath takers and witnesses were Duke Ivaniš Pavlović and his brothers, Duke Tvrtko Stančić and his brothers, Duke Vladislav Klešić and his brothers, Duke Sladoje Semković and his brothers, Duke Petar son of Pavel Jurjević and his brothers, Prince Juraj Dragićević and his brothers, Prince Vukić Vlatković and his brothers, Prince Ostoja Stipojević and his brothers. There were also the bailiff of the court, our Prince Stjepan Vlatković with his brothers and the court administrator of our kingdom, Prince Restoje with his brothers. I swore first, the said Mr. King Tomaš, with the above-mentioned lords of the kingdom, and put my hand on the holy gospel and on the holy cross of Christ, that what is written in this document is unshakable to the city of Dubrovnik until the end of time. And this is written after the birth of Christ in 1444, in the month of September, on the third day in Kreševo. And we commanded it to be sealed with our lawful pendent seal. I, Restoje the court administrator, wrote by order of my lord King Tomaš. And this is written in the famous city of Kreševo. ŠTEFAN TOMAŠ BY THE MERCY OF GOD KING OF SERBIA, BOSNIA, COASTLAND, LAND OF HUM, DALMATIA, CROATIA, THE LOWER COUNTRIES, THE WESTERN COUNTRIES AND MORE.
10. Charter of King Stjepan Tomašević to Ragusa, 1461
In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen. By the grace of God, Mr. Štefan Stjepan Tomašević, the king of the Serbs, Bosnia, Coastland, the Land of Hum, Dalmatia, Croats, Croatia, the lower countries, the western countries, Usora, Soli, Podrinje and more. First of all, I, the said Štefan Stjepan the king, incessantly give glory to my lord and Bishop Christ, who at the beginning of the heavens with a wonderful fortification established his universe, founded by the Merciful, who, out of grace, came down from the heavens lovingly to the earth and human nature, which had fallen due to transgression, brought it back to God again and raised it to the heavens. Thus, the slaughtered sheep of the house of Israel were returned to the true shepherd and God. In this way, the sceptres of the empire are strengthened and adorned in all their glory, glorifying the Almighty God. Thus I, Štefan Stjepan, servant of God, the above-mentioned king, was found worthy to reign in the said lands of my parents and ancestors, to provide justice, mercy, gifts and documents to our dear and warm friends. Then came to the famous court of the kingdom in Jajce the noble husbands of the famous city of Dubrovnik, nobles and envoys, the honourable knight Prince Jaketa Gundulić and Prince Paladin Lukarević with respectable gifts and honours from the said famous city of Dubrovnik, from the nobility and from all the municipality of the nobility of Dubrovnik. And the said highly respected envoys asked and humbly begged for all the conditions, laws and freedoms of the said highly respected city of Dubrovnik that they had in the records and charters with our said parents and ancestors, with the Serbian and Bosnian gentlemen, so that we, according to the custom of the said gentlemen, would confirm to them and established the strength of our ancestors, freedoms, laws and conditions, charters and records of the Serbian and Bosnian lords. And the kingdom, having heard and understood their worthy, reasonable, decent and true requests, and having had a full consultation and conversation with the lord and the nobles of the kingdom, I gave my lordly grace to the said and much-respected city of Dubrovnik, nobility and the municipality of the lords of Dubrovnik according to all our documents and charters for their friendship we confirmed to them and established all and every charter and records of the said Serbian and Bosnian gentlemen and I confirmed to them Coastland and Konavle with all their territories and districts. And I, Mr. King Stjepan, and all those gentlemen who ruled before me, have kept a firm and indisputable promise from us and our successors to the eternally said and much-respected city of Dubrovnik and all the municipalities of the lords of Dubrovnik that they are at all times secure and firm in this one and in all other charters and laws and in all and every freedom of the said Serbian and Bosnian gentlemen. And the said lord and the envoys of the venerable city of Dubrovnik and from all the municipalities of Dubrovnik received and undertook to give to the kingdom from the said city of Dubrovnik and from all the municipalities of Dubrovnik a Serbian income of two thousand Dubrovnik perpers every year on Saint Demetrius Day and also every year on the day of St. Blaise five hundred perpers according to the law and under conditions as they had been giving to the aforementioned lords, the kings of Bosnia, our parents, former lords who ruled before me. And the lordship also gave our grace to the said and highly respected city of Dubrovnik and to the whole municipality of Dubrovnik through the above-mentioned lords and envoys, that from now on whenever their merchants or their servants carry silver from our country to Dubrovnik or anywhere else they want, if unstamped silver is found with their merchants or with their servants it will be taken from them, and no other silver can be taken from them, only the found unstamped silver, and that they can freely take the stamped silver to Dubrovnik or anywhere else they want without any interference from the kingdom, nobility, the owners or our customs officers. And also, the lordship granted the grace our lordly to the said and highly respected city of Dubrovnik and the whole municipality of the lords of Dubrovnik, through the above-mentioned lords and envoys, so that from now on in our country no Ragusan or his servant will ever take on another's debt, and that, according to the law, whoever is in debt must pay, and that no property can be taken from a rightful person because of a wrongdoer. And everything written was testified to by oath takers and witnesses, our good lord Duke Petar Pavlović with his brothers, Duke Tvrtko Kovačević with his brothers, Duke Pavao Klešić with his brothers, Duke Ivaniš Vlatković with his brothers, Duke Pavao Čubretić with his brothers, Duke Vukić Tihčinović with his brothers, Duke Ivan Šantić with his brothers, Duke Vladisav Vukčić with his brothers, Prince Vladisav Vuković with his brothers, Prince Marko Dragišić with his brothers. There was also the bailiff of the court, our Prince Radoje Vladimirić with his brothers. I swore first, the said Mr. King Stjepan, with the above-mentioned lords of the kingdom, and put my hand on the holy gospel and on the holy cross of Christ, that what is written in this document to the city of Dubrovnik is unshakable until the end of time. This is written in the month of November, the 23rd day after the birth of Christ in 1461 in our famous town of Jajce. Recorded by the student Branoš on the orders of Mr. King Stjepan. ŠTEFAN STJEPAN, BY THE GRACE OF GOD, KING OF BOSNIA
11. The charter of Ban Stjepan II Kotromanić, which grants Prince Vukoslav Hrvatinić the parishes of Banjica and Vrbanja and the towns of Ključ and Kotor [Varoš] Around 1323, Moštre
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit! I Saint Gregory, also known as Ban Stjepan, Bosnian gentleman and my brother Prince Vladislav, that it is known to all Bosnian countries, we gave the faith and soul of our father Ban and all our parents to Prince Vukoslav, son of Prince Hrvatin Ključki, before the great grandfather Radoslav and before the great guest Radoslav and before the elders Radomir and Žunbor and Vučka and before his Church and before Bosnia, that Vukoslav is not a captive or executed among us, and whoever would not do us harm, may he not do it to him as far as our power reaches. And we will not listen to slander against him, and if Vukoslav has sinned in any way, let him stand in front of good people to justify himself, and we will not reach for anything of his. And if we confirm this without his unbelief, let us be apostates from God and from the faith, and let not the father's prayer and mother's prayer be upon us, and that we are companions of Judas. This was executed in Moštra. And based on this faith, we gave Prince Vukoslav two parishes for inheritance and agreement, Banjica and Vrbanja, and two cities, Ključ and Kotor. And let there be no rulers of ours even now, except when Vukoslav wants. We gave those parishes from border to border to him, not to any of his brothers or nephews, only to Prince Vukoslav and his heir, and he should serve the gentleman with arms as best he can. [Gift] for ten summers since Vukoslav of Lužac joined us. Who loves you, call him, without our anger. And we won't take from you. Kalošević and Benković and Divjanović. This document was executed in the guest house of the great Radoslav.