Sądownictwo w miastach prywatnych w Polsce XVI-XVIII wieku : problem odrębności postępowania w sprawach kryminalnych

Abstract

The paper presents the systemic and legal disparities of private towns. Most emphasis is placed on the differences of criminal proceedings in royal and private townsand on determining whether these disparities were signifi cant enough for the criminal process in private towns to be considered a separate manner of criminal proceeding. In case of the former, the municipal judiciary was often subject to interventions from starosts or other “third-party” entities. A characteristic feature of the legal system of private towns, on the other hand, was the infl uence of their owners on the municipal judiciary and their participation in each stage of criminal proceedings. The paper also discusses the extent to which the owners interfered with the operation of the municipal legal system.