30. Nobility diploma issued by Prince Mihai Apafi on January 14, 1667 in Târgu Mureș for Ioan and Petru Raț (Racz) from Caransebeș, with the painted coat of arms granted to the brothers, seal and holographic signature of the prince, museum piece, collection piece.

"We, Mihail Apafi, by the grace of God Prince of Transylvania, Lord of parts of the Kingdom of Hungary and Count of the Szeklers etc., hereby announce and make known through the contents of this letter to all whom it may concern, that we, at the special request made to us in this regard by several of our loyal noble counselors, as well as taking into consideration and reflecting on the faith and faithful services of the worthy Ioan and Petru Raţ from Caransebeş, good brothers, who, as it is known, served and delivered with faith from the time when, by God's kindness, we hold the reins of our principality, services for which they promised and offered to perform and deliver even later, we have therefore exceptionally and graciously, by the fullness of our princely power, raised these Ioan and Petru Raţ from the plebeian state and condition in which they were born and lived, until now and we decided to count, associate, co-opt and register them in the cohort and number of the true, born, indisputable and special nobles of our country of Transylvania and the parts of Hungary that adjoin it, As a sign of their true and perfect nobility, we have given, bestowed, and endowed with kindness, prudence, and from our certain knowledge and princely generosity, the aforementioned Ioan and Petru Raţ, as well as all their male and female heirs and descendants, this coat of arms or sign of nobility, namely a military shield of the color of the sky, on whose field or surface is visible a man in his entirety, dressed in a cloak and holding a dagger drawn from its sheath upwards, and above the shield is placed a military helmet with visor down, surrounded by a royal diadem beautifully decorated with precious stones and pearls. From the top of the helmet, however, start ribbons or stripes of different colors, surrounding and adorning both sides or edges of the shield beautifully, as all these can be clearly seen and painted at the head or beginning of our present letter by the skilled hand and art of the painter. We also approve and determine that they are to carry and bear the aforementioned coat of arms or mark of nobility, as is the custom of the other, true, born, indisputable, special nobles who use the arms, everywhere in battles, jousts, tournaments, duels, single combats, and any other military and noble activities, on seals, banners, draperies, carpets, curtains, rings, shields, tents, houses, tombs, and generally on any kind of things and works, being recognized as true and perfect nobility that distinguishes them from all and each of the people of any status, condition, ran, honor, order, service, dignity, and step whatsoever, and we intend them to be called, counted, named, and known in this way, and be in a state and be able to use and enjoy forever all and each of those honors, mercies, privileges, exemptions, liberties, immunities, and prerogatives, which they use, benefit from, and enjoy in any way, by right; and according to the old custom, the other true, born, indisputable and special nobles and soldiers of our aforementioned country of Transylvania and the parts of Hungary adjoining it. Moreover, as a further testament to our princely mercy and generosity towards the said Ioan and Petru Raţ, we kindly decreed that, following their house, which is held and possessed by them in the market town of Hunedoara and the county of Hunedoara, namely on the street called in the language of the people Greek Street, neighboring the houses of Albert Orbonaș, on one side, and Moise Mânda, on the other side, to be exempted, forgiven, liberated and ennobled forever from the payment of any dues, taxes and contributions of ours, both the usual and the extraordinary, from paying the tribute and the revenue of our chamber, from fulfilling any plebeian and civil services, from hosting guests and receiving them in that house, also from providing any tithes, nones, quintes, quartes, dues after the number of hay stacks, and fulfilling any other dues and collections after their fields, allodial lands, sowings, and any other goods and lands of tillage located within the true borders of the territory of the said market town of Hunedoara, which, by right, pertain to that house, being possessed and bought in proper order, and we exempt, forgive, liberate, and ennoble them by the present letter. Therefore, by this letter we notify and strongly command you, our faithful ones, the honorables, the great ones, of noble lineage, the elected ones and the nobles, the supreme and vice-counties, the noble judges and vice-judges, also the tax collectors and perceptors and collectors of the county Hunedoara of any contributions and dues, as well as those who care for the reception of guests and their representatives, namely both those of now and those of the future, who will be appointed in due time, also the wise men judges and jurors of the market town of Hunedoara, who will see the present letter, dear to us, that, from now on and for the times to come, you should neither dare nor presume in any way to compel, constrain or prevent, disturb, annoy or damage, the said Ioan and Petru Raţ, and all their male and female heirs and descendants, in any way, causing them any harm in their persons and all their things and goods regarding the exemption of the aforementioned house and any goods that pertain to it from the payment of any of our dues, taxes and contributions, both the usual and extraordinary ones, from paying the tribute and the income of our chamber, from fulfilling any plebeian and civil services, from hosting guests and receiving them in that house, from providing any tithes, nones, quintes, quartes, dues after the number of hay stacks, and fulfilling any other dues and collections, but you are obliged, bound and must always consider and deem the mentioned house and everything pertaining to it to be exempted, forgiven, liberated and ennobled. Nothing else should be done. After reading the front letter, return it to the one who presented it. As a remembrance and eternal strength of this thing, we decided to give and endow with mercy this letter of ours, whose strength we increased also by appending our authentic seal, to the aforementioned Ioan and Petru Raţ, and all their male and female heirs and descendants. Given in our town of Târgu Mureş, on the fourteenth day of January, in the year of the Lord one thousand six hundred and sixty-seven. Mihail Apafi ppr." Inscriptions on the envelope "This letter of arms, with the names written inside it, was presented and made public in the year 1667, on January 27, in the General Diet of the reigning gentlemen held in the town of Târgu Mureş, rare to raise any opposition. Released by the master Martin Sărpataki, protonotar of the aforementioned lord, of the Lord Prince of Transylvania ppr."

References

The document was published by Costin Feneșan and Rad Râpă-Buicliu, in the article "Diploma of Nobility and Coat of Arms of Some Banat Refugee Romanians (1667)", from the journal "Banatica", no. 17, Reșița, 2005, p. 355-366.

Dimensions

width 64 cm, height 31 cm

Description

ferrogallic ink and gold on vellum, wax and wood

Research information

The brothers Ioan and Petru Rac enjoyed, following the services provided to the Prince of Transylvania, not only ennoblement and granting of a noble coat of arms, but also several fiscal advantages on January 14, 1667, through the diploma issued in Târgu Mureș, probably on the occasion of the Transylvanian Diet where its work was being carried out, by the Transylvanian prince Mihail Apafi. On January 27, 1667, the ennoblement and the coat of arms of the two brothers from Caransebeș were publicly presented in the Transylvanian Diet by the princely protonotary Martin Sărpataki, without any objection having been formulated regarding its legality, this gaining immediate and full legal effects.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

For clarifications regarding the bidding procedure, hammer price costs, guarantee, payment, and collection terms for the winning lot, we recommend carefully reading/re-reading the Bidding Regulations.

For additional information regarding the lot and the auction, please contact the Art Consultants Department.