Casimir’s privilege for Lithuania¶

What the chronicles say [Historical record]¶

Casimir Jagiellon, born 30 November 1427, was proclaimed Grand Duke by the lords in Vilnius on 29 June 1440 (aged twelve) and issued his privilege for Lithuania in Vilnius on 2 May 1447 (the VLE says 5 May). It gave offices only to locals, forbade the arrest or confiscation of a noble without trial, allowed free travel abroad, promised no reduction of Lithuania’s territory, gave landowners jurisdiction over their peasants and secured the rights of townspeople and of nobles regardless of rite. He was crowned King of Poland at Wawel by Archbishop Wincenty Kot on 25 June 1447 (pl.wikipedia, Kazimierz IV). Casimir died on 7 June 1492.

Casimir’s privilege for Lithuania


Type	event
Years	1447-05-02
Status	Historical record
Book	V · The Wolf’s Legacy
Note	Casimir’s Privilege of 1447 confirms Lithuanian territorial integrity and noble rights.

Where: Vilnius (on the map)

What really happened [The saga’s invention]¶

Laws, seals and charters replace oath and omen. A jester at the feast offers the young king a deal and Casimir looks straight through him. The old world becomes folklore; the gods do not die but are written out.

Consequences¶

The privilege follows the murder of Žygimantas and the raising of Casimir, and the Lithuanian lords’ bargain it records is the end-point of Book V’s slow drift from oath to ledger.

Dramatisation¶

Book V ch. 26 “Raštas prieš Burtus” (Casimir; 2 May to 25 June 1447, Vilnius and Kraków, spring into early summer).

Relations

Caused by: Žygimantas assassinated at Trakai — Casimir proclaimed 29 Jun 1440; privilege of 2 May 1447.

Location: Vilnius — Issued in Vilnius, 2 May 1447 (VLE: 5 May); coronation in Kraków 25 Jun 1447.

Connections¶

graph LR
  ev_privilege_1447["Casimir's privilege for Lithuania"]
  ev_zygimantas_killed["Žygimantas assassinated at Trakai"]
  vilnius["Vilnius"]
  ev_privilege_1447 -->|Location| vilnius
  ev_zygimantas_killed -->|Causes| ev_privilege_1447
  style ev_privilege_1447 stroke-width:3px