Collegiate Government of the Collegium Maius of the University of Krakow in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries

Collegium Maius było jedną z najważniejszych instytucji w strukturze dawnego Uniwersytetu Krakowskiego. Najstarsza księga uchwał z lat 1432-1591 (Archiwum Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego, rkps 63) jest podstawowym źródłem wiedzy o organizacji i działalności tego kolegium. Książka zawiera pierwsze krytyczne wydanie rękopisu z obszernym komentarzem. Edycję poprzedza studium źródłoznawcze poświęcone samej księdze oraz omówienie ustroju i funkcjonowania Kolegium Większego jako samorządnej korporacji. Całość dopełniają aneksy, w tym zestawienie obsady najważniejszych urzędów w latach 1429-1600.

The study is dedicated to the oldest book of resolutions (conclusiones) of the general assembly of fellows of the Collegium Maius of the University of Krakow, dated back to 1432-1591 (Cracow, Jagiellonian University Archives, MS 63; henceforth CCM). It is one of the oldest and most valuable University records and remains the fundamental source of knowledge about the organization and the activity of internal government of the Collegium Maius in the first two centuries of its existence. The publication consists of two parts. Part one is an extensive introduction, divided into three chapters and preceded by the general explanatory section. The first chapter examines the circumstances of the CCM's origin and its contents. The following chapter looks at the organization and competences of the governing bodies of the Collegium Maius, just as they are presented in the published text. The comprehensive analysis of the corporate resolutions has made it possible to establish the place, time and agenda of the general assembly of fellows, the role of corporate officials in the corporate self-government, as well as to identify some ideas that inspired the life of the community. A separate chapter is devoted to the codicological and bibliological description of the CCM codex, which is the basis of the present edition. This is followed by the description of the editorial principles and conventions used in the edition. The chapter closes with brief remarks on the CCM's Latin spellings, syntax and style as well as the list of some ancient Polish words found in the text. The appendices are a comprehensive supplement to the study on the CCM codex itself and on the collegiate government of the Major College in particular. Appendices 1 and 2 contain, respectively, the list of records in the order in which they occur in the manuscript (Appendix 1), and the identification of the handwritings in CCM codex (Appendix 2). The Appendice 3 provides the lists of officials of the Major College in the 15th and 16th centuries. Part two contains the edition of the resolutions of the general assembly of fellows of the Collegium Maius in the years 1432-1591. The Latin text of CCM is published here for the first time in a critical edition along with an extensive commentary. Indices are an integral part of the publication and include: the index of people and places mentioned in both parts of the study, as well as the index of cited manuscripts.