„Şi altul să nu se amestece!” Despre semnificaţia unei formule în diplomatica medievală
"Şi altul să nu se amestece!" About the Meaning of a Formula in Medieval Diplomacy

Summary/Abstract: The expressions met in diplomatic documents reveal social realities unknown until then for the Romanian medieval society. One of these phrases is “and do not interfere!”, preserved in several versions, and used especially by the Duke in the Chancellery documents. However, it can also be seen in the testimony of senior officials and in acts composed by the senior clergy or the aristocracy. In the acts of the Chancellery, the expression certifies precisely that ownership over a domain has been challenged by the state dignitaries or by one or more families, each party considering it had the right to claim land on the basis of an act of donation, exchange or purchase. Thus, it testifies to the existence of a conflict between the owners at the time of the issuance of those documents; or, it shows, after their creation, that other possession claims over a piece of land could be raised by those who experienced the injustices contained in such acts. Consequently, this prohibition was intended to stop, by threats and / or by the curse contained in medieval documents, possible disputes caused by disinherited people, by those who lost a lawsuit over land or any other aspirant seeking to acquire land that did not belong to them. In addition, for sales, wills, dowry papers or documents of charity, this formula would prevent the interference of parents dissatisfied with the testamentary disposition of a master, blocking any chance of breaking the will before the trial by the Duke.

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