By Order of the Emperor – Ludwig the Bavarian’s mandates

In the High and Late Middle Ages, mandates contained instructions with limited validity and therefore often had a more administrative character than other royal charters and, as a result, had poorer chances of surviving. Regulations on everyday business were recorded in concise wording in mandates. The mandate is usually written in letter form, which is why it is also called a "littera". The difference to an actual letter, however, is the legal relevance of the mandate. In the late Hohenstaufen period, these shortened forms became more and more common. Imperial decrees – without any legal difference to the solemn diplomas – were now increasingly issued in this more "modern" form. Important examples of this are the mandates by Ludwig the Bavarian (born 1282/86, ruled 1314-1347) exhibited here, which were sent to imperial officials, i.e. to several recipients or addressees, and show that there were probably several copies of them. This means that open versions with an attached seal were actually public. The chance of survival was significantly higher in these cases. However, there are also counter-examples that are only addressed to one or two direct recipients. These were not sent out publicly, but in closed form and intended only for the addressees. This emphasises the effort to keep the message secret.

Serena Parisi