The Charter Of Bela IVBela, with God’s Grace the King of Hungaria, Dalmatia, Croatia, Rama, Serbia, Galicia, Lodomeria and Kumania, to all faithful in Christ, who will set eyes upon this letter, greetings and well-being! Wherever we hold that we can by influence of our name be of favour to some, it is only appropriate to use our benevolence, and particularly for the truth not to be obscured, or injustice not to prevail over justice. Therefore we want everyone to know that appearing before us our villagers of Samobor, near the castle of Okić, appealed to us assiduously that by the virtue of our letter we attest the way and status of their liberty, which was by the grace and providence of pious memory of King Koloman, deceased, our dearest brother, in accord with the liberty of villagers of Petrinja, given to them. And seeing to their benefit, acknowledging gracefully their appeal, we decided to set their liberty forever, the order of which, we have seen, is so set in the privilege of said our brother: namely, they are not to be tried by any of our judges, but by the mayor of the village, whom they have of their free will elected; and if they were not given satisfaction by their judge, their judge is obliged and must before us, and not otherwise, be invited and discuss the case. And if they would bring anyone for anything before the judge, they are to be given the right to take an oath. We also decree that if the ban (The Viceroy) would cause them a damage of one mark worth, he has to restitute a hundred; nevertheless, they are not obliged to give the ban during his visit else but their home, and for all other necessities they should receive his payment. And if any one of them has no children, he can of his own free will, alive or leaving this world, give all his possessions to anyone to have. And if any one of the village be accused because of a horse or an ox, and he being able to take a solemn oath, the accuser has to reimburse him in the presence of witnesses, and the thing that was the object of dispute is to be given to the accuser. And if anyone would want to come to the village and settle there permanently, he is free, and everyone knowing this, he can sell all his possessions, namely houses and else what he owns; and leaving the village he can keep that liberty. We also state that they can choose a priest for their church whoever they wish, and they can have the tithe at their disposal, as is the custom with villagers wherever they are. The boundaries of the lands of the said our villagers of Samobor, as we understood from the letter of our faithful Duke Stephen, the brother of Baboneg, who was decreed specially by us to find these out, are divided thus: First boundary starts at the poplar and extends to the one well, then extends to Brenilaz, then extends through the woods to Rakovica, where two waters meet; then extends uphill to what is commonly called Giznik, then along the hill crest extends again to Rakovica, then to Brestovica and after that across the hill it extends to the Črnec creek, then to Lipovica, then extends along the hill to Grabrovnica, and then along the same hill, which is commonly called Pozorin, extends to the Gradna and from there descends to the path and by that path aside Preseka ascends on the hill and by the same path descends to the Bistrac well and goes down the said Bistrac and exits beneath Bobovica and again extends to the first boundary at the poplar. We will not leave this to silence also, that the said our villagers are obliged to pay for tax the hundred pensas a year, and thirty pensas for the market toll. That, consequently, the list of said liberties of our often mentioned villagers remains forever firm and irretractable, we are with our authority and the attachment of our doubled seal gracefully confirming it. Given in the village of Verevča, the year of conception of our Lord 1242 and of our reign year eighth.
Bela dei gratia Hungarie, Dalmacie, Chorovacie, Rame, Seruie, Gallicie, Lodomerie, Cumanieque rex omnibus Christi fidelibus presens scriptum inspecturis, salutem et omne bonum! Ubicunque nostri nominis interuentu posse credimus aliquibus subueniri, pium nos decet adhibere fauorem, presertim ne uel ueritas ocultetur aut iniquitas preualeat equitati. Eapropter ad noticiam vniuersorum uolumus peruenire, quod accedentes ad presenciam nostram hospites nostri de Zumbur prope castrum Oclych existentes humiliter a nobis flagitarunt et instanter, vt modum et statum libertatis eorundem de gracia ac prouidencia pie memorie regis Colomani karissimi qoundam fratris nostri, iuxta tenorem libertatis hospitum de Petyrna liberaliter concesse, nostrarum auctoritate litterarum dignaremur confirmare.
Nos itaque considerata eorum utilitate, precibus ipsorum fauorabiliter annuentes, sub libertate iam prefata ipsos duximus perpetuo statuendos. Cuius seriem in priuilegio memorati fratris nostri taliter uidimus contineri, vt uidelicet ipsos nullus iudicum nostrorum, preter maiorem ville eorum, quem uoluntarie elgerint, audeat iudicare; etsi ab ipsorum iudice conquerentibus satisfieri non poterit, iudex eorum in nostra presencia et non alias super ipsa causa citatus debeat et teneatur respondere. Et si ipsi alias coram iudice quemquam inpeterent super aliquo, eis iudicetur iuramentum.
Statuimus eciam, quod si banus eis ad ualorem unius marce dampnum faceret, in centuplo restitueret eisdem, tamen bano non aliud nisi domos suas occasione descensus dare teneatur, pro alias vero necessariis precium recipiant; et si aliquis ipsorum prole caruerit, tam ipso uiuente quam a seculo transmigrante bona sua cuicunque uoluerit libere conferat retinenda. Et si aliquis de uilla super equo uel boue calumpniatur ab aliquo, proquanto sacramentum facere presumpserit, sibi calumpnias testibus astantibus restituat et res pro qua causabatur ad requierentem deuoluatur. Et si aliquis ipsam uillam intrare uoluerit moraturus, omnia bona sua, domos uidelicet et alia que posidet, omnibus scientibus liberam habeat uenendi facultatem et recedens de uilla retineat eandem. Statumus eciam, ut sacerdotem quemcunque uoluerint in suam recipiant ecclesiam, de decemis eorum prout mos est hospitibus ubicunque manentibus disponentes.
Mete autem terrarum dictorum hospitum nostrorum de Zumbur, sicut per litteras nostri fidelis comitis Stephani fratris Baboneg, qui ad id conoscendum specialiter per nos fuerat destinatus, inteleximus hoc modo distiquuntor: prima meta incipit de Thopol et tendit ad fontem unum, deinde tendit ad Brenilaz, deinde per siluam tendit ad Rocoycha vbi due aque simul veniunt, deinde sursum tendit usque quod uulgo dicitur Pyzni, deinte per montem iterum tendit ad Rocoycha, deinde ad Brezthoycha, et postea ultra monten tendit in riuum Chernych, deinde ad Lypoycham, deinde per montem tendit ad Grabronicham et inde per eundem quod uulgo dicitur Pozorin tendit ad Gradnam et inde descendit ad uiam per quam iuxta Praseckam ascendit ad monten at per dictum Bysterch vadit et sub Boboycha exit, iterum tendit ad priorem metam Thopol.
Nec hoc tamen sub silencio uolumus preterire, quod predicti hospites nostri nobis annuatim pro collecta centum pensae et pro tributo fori triginta pensas soluere tenentur. Vt igitur enarrate libertates series sepedictis hospitibus salua semper et irretractabilis permaneat, presentem ipsam auctoritate ac duplicis sigilli nostri inpensione propensius confirmamus.
Datum in villa Vereucha anno dominice incarnacionis MCCXL. secundo regni uero nostri anno octauo.