Kancelaria koronna w świetle ksiąg wpisów za Władysława IV

The paper presents preliminary results of research on the crown chancery of Ladislaus IV Vasa based on 12 books of inscription of the Crown Metrica (Metrica Regni), which reflect one particular aspect of the chancery’s work, namely recording the acts issued by the Office of the King. The offices of chancellor and deputy chancellor were held consecutively by six persons, most prominently by J. Zadzik, P. Gembicki, and J. Ossoliński. The chanceries had retained their modus operandi since the reign of Sigismund III. Every new deputy chancellor took staff members over from the departing chancellor. With time, small groups of royal secretaries in the chanceries grew in importance, the volume of recorded documents decreased, and more documents were made in Polish (14%) as compared to the dominant Latin. Anyway, throughout the reign of Ladislaus IV the chancery created a total of 70000 documents, being most active during the Diet’s sessions