Listy Rady Torunia w XVIII wieku: adresaci, częstotliwość, zasięg terytorialny

Abstract

The article presents an analysis of a correspondence exchanged by the city council of Thorn in the 18th century. The analysis was based on books of correspondence (Missiva, Briefbucher), in which copies of official letters sent from the city were registered. The author noticed, that the number of exchanged letters rose during important political events (the Northern War, the Tumult of Thorn, general diet followed by great diets). The author established a list of the most important addressees of the official letters sent from the city. City Council sent lots of letters to residential–secretary, to whom realization of city policy at the court was entrusted, as well as directly to central authorities of Polish Commonwealth, senators from the Royal Prussia, and other cities, which were economic partners of Thorn (mainly from the Royal Prussia and Brandenburg–Prussia, Pomerania – a part with city of Stettin, Silesia, Brandenburg, and other cities from the Commonwealth, in which inhabited significant percentage of Protestants, i.e. in Great Poland). On an example of the correspondence sent in 1740, the author enumerated a list of subjects taken up in official letters of City Council of Thorn, among which were: trials, economic affairs, issues related to organization of a general diet of the Royal Prussia. There is an supplement added to the article in which the author in a vast table presented information about number of letters sent by the City Council of Torun in every particular year from analyzed above.