County Mark Treasure Book
The treasure book of Grafschaft Mark , Schatboick in Marck Anno 1486 , is a tax register for the Grafschaft Mark from 1486. This document about the valuation is today an important historical source on the Westphalian settlement and agricultural history in the transition period from the Middle Ages to the modern era.
The reason was that sovereign Johann II von Kleve-Mark wanted to consolidate his finances due to wars and demands for luxury. At the two provincial parliaments in Wickede on April 24th and May 4th, 1486, a general land tax was decided upon, in which for the first time not only the cities but also the residents of the rural area were assessed. The treasure book lists the residents of the individual villages and farmers by name. The tax was not related to the area but to the value of the property.
| Value of the good | Estimate |
|---|---|
| 200 guilders | 6 guilders |
| 100 guilders | 4 guilders |
| 75 guilders | 3 guilders |
| 50 guilders | 2 guilders |
| 37 ½ guilders | 1 ½ guilders = 6 places |
| 25 guilders | 1 guilder |
The tax was spread over two years, payable to Martini (November 11th). The tax amounted to 11,000 guilders, but not all of them could be collected. In addition, there were also the costs for the survey.
The original treasure book is kept in the NRW State Archives , Westphalia department, Münster .
literature
- Willy Timm (edit.): Treasury book of Grafschaft Mark, 1486. Stadtarchiv , Unna 1986.
Remarks
- ↑ In the source used, only “ Wickede ” is given as the conference location . It can be assumed that this does not mean Wickede an der Ruhr , but Wickede near Dortmund . There is no evidence for this assumption, apart from the fact that Wickede was near Dortmund in the county of Mark.