At the plea of the gastald, župan, podžupan and the judges of Buzet, Patriarch Marquard of Randeck grants the Commune of Buzet a certain grazing land in the district of Petrapilosa.
Nos Marquardus Dei gratia sancte sedis Aquilegensis patriarcha tenore presentium notum facimus universis, quod ad nostram presentiam accedentes dilecti fideles nostri gastaldio, zupan et potzup, iudices et universitas castri Pinguenti nobis humiliter et cum instantia suplicaverunt, ut certa pascua nostra et ecclesie nostre pertinentia ab antiquo ad castrum Petrepilose sita inter dictum castrum et castrum nostrum Pinguenti – incipiendo a flumine magno et eundo per rivum qui dicitur Glabaziza, deinde versus ___a quod dicitur Nameic, deinde per rivum quod dicitur Vene(te)zb Potod sub Sancto Ioanne, usque ad fluvium Manzanic per rivum qui dicitur Rivus Patriarche, trascurendo territorium ubi ...c que dicebatur Pergoch, descendendo superius versus Vallemoniza, deinde Tragalez – concedere misericorditer dignaremur.
Nec nond eorum petitionibus inclinati, utque ipsi fideles nostri ad nostra et ecclesie nostre servitia tanto ferventius animentur quanto a nobis amplioribus gratiis senserint perditatose, nostro et ecclesie nostref nomine et successorum nostrorum hominibus eisdem, videlicet gastaldio, zupano et potzupo, iudicibus et universitati dicti castri nostri Pinguenti, pro dicta nostra communitate recipientibus, predicta pascua nostra usque dumtaxat ad nostrum, ecclesie nostre et successorum nostrorum beneplacitum et revocatione[m]g concedimus de gratia speciali, sic et taliter: quod per hanc concessionem nullum in proprietate et possessione ius pretendere valeat in futurum, imo dicta pascua nobis et ecclesie nostre dimittere pacifice teneantur ad omne nostrum et successorum nostrorum beneplacitum et mandatum.
In quorum testimonium presentes nostras litteras fieri fecimus nostri sigilli appositione munitas.
Data in castro nostro Pinguenti die XX octobris, indictione XV, millesimo trecentesimo septuagesimo septimo.
a) sic spatium vacuum circiter 4 litterarum posuit C. b) lect. dub.: venez cum sign. abbr. supra ultimam syllabam C. c) sic puncta posuit C. d) nec non] sic C: pro nos vero, sicut ed. Carli. e) sic C: pro preditatos, sicut ed. Carli. f) seq. et canc. C. g) revocatione C; revocationem em. Banić; renovationem ed. Carli.
This is one of the two privileges issued to the communities of the Aquileian Margraviate of Istria by Patriarch Marquard in 1377, during his stay in Istria. The second privilege, also bestowing the rights over lands in the district of Petrapilosa, was issued to the Commune of Oprtalj a few days later (see doc. 1377_MP2).
The document is notable for the enumeration of communal magistrates of Buzet before the community passed under the dominion of Venice and underwent a modification of its administrative framework. During the age of the patriarchs, the Commune of Buzet was governed by gastalds, the patriarch’s officials, together with the communally elected magistrates – judges, the “župan” and the “podžupan”. These two latter officials correspond to the “meriga” of the rural communes of Friuli and the Veneto, namely, an official elected by the communal council of elders and tasked with the most basic local administration and representation. “Podžupan” was his deputy. Unlike the župan, the gastald was not elected by the community, but appointed by the higher jurisdiction, either the patriarch himself or the delegated margrave. Both the gastald and the župan were distinguished locals, members of the community they were appointed to govern. Due to the lack of surviving primary sources from this period, the precise differences between the respective spheres of competence of gastalds and župans cannot be inferred.