„Eight Clauses for the Peace and Public Order of Bistrița City” (1542)

The eight articles covered in this study were developed in a unique context for the city of Bistrița, which was influenced by both external factors (a new political situation, the organization of the Principality of Transylvania) and internal urban tensions and conflicts, which were exacerbated by the authoritarian personality of Thomas Wallendorfer, town judge and senator in the third and fourth decades of the 16th century. None of the articles have been published before and have never been capitalized by historiography. The Saxon University assembly, which met in Bistrița in February of 1542, decided to burn the town book (which dates from 1531–1541), which was thought to be a source of social unrest because of slander that had been placed in its pages, in order to restore social order and bring peace to the community.The events of 1542 highlight the significance of the Saxon University as an integrating institution; the decisions made, while having a local impact, really target the entire territorial corpus, preventing any of the “parts” that comprise it from exhibiting instability or fragility. This study also emphases the patricians’ contribution to the development of urban culture and civilization, particularly in light of the urban notaries’ activity as representatives of the intellectual elite.