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It also occurred that a certain burgher would leave money both to one of their relatives
and to other students, such as in the case of Ursula, wife of Andreas Melczer, member of the
town council, who, in her testament, states the following: 57
Likewise, at hand are two hundred talers which I also bequeath and leave to my grandson
Simon to pursue his studies 58 and ibidem: likewise I leave fi fty fl orins as a subsidy, partly
for students, partially for orphans and wards to alleviate their needs. 59
There are a number of cases, when a certain amount of money was left by the father or
other close relatives to be administrated by the town council, in order to support the university
studies of a son, nephew, etc, as in the case of Georgius Buntzler or Adamus Kys. We do not
know under what conditions this money was administered; most probably access to it was
controlled by the town until the beneficiary fulfi lled certain conditions, such as reaching his
majority or fi nishing his studies. Martin Kintzinger speaks about the presence of testaments of
burghers from Braunschweig made in the favour of their children but with the interim administration
of the money by a third person or institution as existing already from the thirteenth
century. 60 These may be cases of guardianship, when the orphan’s whole inheritance was
controlled by the council or specifi c town council members were involved as executors or tutors
of the will and asked to act in this positon by the testator himself/herself. This activity of
the council was regulated by countrywide legislation. If that was the case, the students needed
to negotiate with the council to allow them to use the money for their studies, as we learned
from Buntzler’s letters. Unfortunately, because of the limited number of testaments of Košice
burghers preserved for the period before the seventeenth century, these issues remain dominated
by suppositions rather than demonstrated facts.
Other ways of supporting university studies
The town council also had other ways to support its inhabitants who went abroad to study,
not necessarily through according them stipends. One of these possibilities was to request offi
cials or acquaintances in the town of where the schools were located to intervene on behalf
of the student and help with their accommodation, food, and other necessary things. One such
case is illustrated in a letter sent in December 1562 by Thomas Fabri, priest in Bardejov: 61
This way your wiseness asks me, in name of the entire honourable council of the town
of Košice concerning the boy Simon Melzer, that I would offer him meals at my home and accommodation.
However, since I do not have my own house here, nor the possibility for sharing
my own meals, but I, myself, have to pay for my food, I talked about it with my sister in law that
57
AMK H III/2, PUR 2, folio 256r to 259v: testamentum honestae matronae dnae Ursulae Beatae Circumspecti
olim Andreae Melczer iurati ciuis ciuitatis Cassouiensis, 1560.
58
item sunt in promptu thaleri ducenti quos etiam nepoti meo Simoni ad literarum studia colenda lego et relinquo.
59
item fl orenos quinquaginta relinquo in subsidium partim studiosorum, partim orphanorum et pupillorum ad
illorum necessitatem sublevandam.
60
KINTZINGER 1990, 440.
61
AMK H I, no. 2392/150: […] So lautett mich ewer weisheit in Namen des gantzen ersamen raths der statt
Cassaw des knabens Simon Melzers halben, das ich ihn zu meinem tisch auffnehmenn unnd auch wonung
verleihenn wolt. Wie wol ich aber alhie mein eigen Haus nicht habe, unnd auch nicht tisch gänner haben kan,
sondern selber vor die köst zalen muβ, doch hab ich mit meiner Schwieger darvom geredt die in angesehen
Ewer Weisheit anlangen unnd des knabens frömbigkaitt zu tisch auffnemen will unnd ein habitation verleihenn.
Weill ich aber auch bei ihr zue tisch gehe kan ich desto beser auff den Knaben achtung geben, das er
alhie nicht versaimbt werde. Ich hab biβ her an im kainen unfl eiβ nicht gesperrt so er anderst fortfarrenn wirt,
hoff ich das er mittler zeit auch der ganzenn gemain woll für stehen wirt künnen. Der paedagogus der mit im
itzt privatim repetirt hatt grossen fl eiβ mit ihm unnd lobet den knaben das er lust zu allen frewen künsten habe.
Was aber meine belohnung betrüfft die ist järlich von einem ieden frembden knaben 2 fl . wie wol ich mich des
lohns nicht so seer frewe als wen ich merkh das die knaben in der lëer zunemen.
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