Trudna realizacja postanowień pokoju brzeskiego na przykładzie organizacji zjazdu sądowego w Janowie w 1447 roku
The Organisation of an Arbitration Court in Janowo in 1447 as an Example of the Implementation of the Peace Treaty of Brześć

Summary/Abstract: Under the provisions of the Treaty of Brześć concluded in 1435, arbitration courts, known as richttag, were established. These courts were to convene annually on 29 September at designated border locations in order to resolve disputes between inhabitants of neighbouring domains. In the borderland between the State of the Teutonic Order in Prussia and the duchy of Bolesław IV of Mazovia, the courts were designated to meet in Nidzica and Ciechanów. In practice, however, the implementation of these arrangements proved far more complex. The example of the court assembly held in Janowo in January 1447 makes it possible to trace the organisational process of a richttag and to identify the difficulties encountered during its preparation. Surviving correspondence from the period provides detailed information on the setting of the assembly's date, the selection of judges, the dissemination of information about the planned meeting, the submission of lawsuits, their subject matter, and the conduct of the proceedings themselves. Nearly every stage of this process required negotiation either at the inter-state level or within the administrative structures of the Teutonic Order in Prussia. More than a decade after the conclusion of the 1435 peace treaty, the neighbouring authorities had still failed to develop an effective and consistent practice for organising richttag. The consequences of this inefficiency were borne primarily by the local population.

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