Kamieniec im späten Mittelalter – Entwicklungslinien sozialer Ordnung in einer Migrationsgesellschaft

Abstract

Kamieniec in the Late Middle Ages—Lines of Development of Social Order in a Migrant Society: The article traces the early stages in the development of self-government structures in Kamieniec Podolski, where the civic magistrate co-existed with the Armenian and Ruthenian magistrates. It analyzes the earliest written sources for the three communities based on published as well as archival documents between the late fourteenth century and the second half of the fifteenth century. The double function of the city as a border fortress and an important hub for long-distance trade encouraged the development of a multiethnic environment. The article exa-mines the development of self-government as a political process in a multipolar field of actors rather than taking a traditionally hierarchical approach, focusing on the civic community and its relationship with the king and the “minorities.” It questions traditional approaches to urban history in which non-civic populations appear a priori as outsiders, and it opens the perspective of an inclusive history of pre-modern multiethnic cities. The article examines the development of self-government as a form of participation beyond involvement in the civic community. The core of the article is based on the different forms of agency within the various groups as well as the dissimilar social roles assigned to them by the ruler, as these led to the development of different strategies of self-positioning within the urban framework.