In the reign of John Frederick, Duke of Pomerania (1569–1600) one of the most
important central clerks was the chancellor who had not only a high position in the hierarchy
of the court but also was in charge to control the court’s chancery – a very important
place at a court where the inner and foreign policy was focused in, where documentation
for different affairs was created, where income and outgoings registers were managed
and till 1575 – where judicial decisions were elaborated.
The article describes shortly the principles of the chancery operations, the duties
of the chancery clerks and the obligatory circulation of documents. The analysis of the
court ordinations allowed only a detailed recognition of the chancellor’s and scribes’
tasks and a short presentation of settled chancery matters. A more complex description
of the function of the Szczecin’s court chancery shall base on long-lasting and laborious
source investigations.
