Повеља господина Ђурђа Бранковића којом потврђује слободе грађанима Дебрецина. Биа, 1429, 5. мај
Charter of Gospodin (Lord) Đurađ Branković by which He Confirmed the Liberties of the Citizens of Debrecen

Summary/Abstract: This paper is a critical edition of the Charter of Gospodin (Lord) Đurađ Vuković Branković, by which he confirmed the privileges of the town of Debrecen, which had become his property after the death of his uncle, despote Stefan Lazarević, and formal confirmation of King Sigismund of Hungary. The document is significant because it is the first surviving Latin charter issued by the members of the Serbian ruling dynasty of Branković. Also, the intitulation of the issuer is relevant to the matter of the moment of Đurađ Branković’s acquisition of the title of despote. When it comes to its external features, the analyzed document is similar to the open letters. Yet again, its internal form contains all typical elements of a charter of privileges. It was probably written by a Hungarian scribe, or, at least, by a person who followed the pratice of the Hungarian chanceries. The representatives of the citizens of Debrecen, the mayor and a member of the town council, visited their lord and asked him to confirm their liberties. Their petition was granted in a place called Bia, near present-day Budapest, which was another possession of Serbian ruler in Hungary. As the issuer, Đurađ Branković calls himself Gospodin (Lord) and not the Despote, because it was not until the summer of the same year (1429) that he officialy gained that title from Byzantine emperor.

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