entangled in insolvency – jussi sallila 277 the burghers to abstain from extending credit to a person whose financial position looked suspect.776 At the Diet of 1675, questions concerning insolvency were once again raised by the Estate of Burghers. The royal edict concerning this aspect of complaints focused on the ways in which insolvent debtors could obtain relief. The King responded that he viewed the practice of granting moratoria (jernbref) with suspicion, maintaining that it would be subject to proper procedure so that adebtor could not receive such a benefit without providing an inventory of his assets and proper account books.777 A longestablished component of the royal prerogative, granting moratoria was subject to abuse and similar assurances had been given in 1647.778 However, another issue came up in the same context. It was mentioned in the edict that some merchants became insolvent for no fault of their own, due to war losses, shipwreck, fire or other people’s bankruptcies. In such cases, when the failure to pay was not caused by unwillingness of the debtor, the King would contemplate the possibility of a legal reform providing discharge from further liability.779 While the general tone of the resolution emphasized the need to control the recklessness of debtors, there were also aspects that point to a different perspective on indebtedness and bankruptcy. When other people’s bankruptcies are mentioned among the accidents or calamities causing the insolvency of honest but unfortunate debtors, the idea of economic fluctuations is not very far removed. The royal edict of 1675 did not include any definite new rules about discharge through cessio bonorumor a 776 Resolution på Städernes Beswär 1672, XXIV(10 Dec. 1672), Alla riksdagars och mötens beslut, vol. 2, ed. Stiernman, p. 1702. 777 Resolution på Städernes Beswär 1675, XX(3 Oct. 1675), Kongl. stadgar, ed. Alla riksdagars och mötens beslut, vol. 2, ed. Stiernman, pp. 1753-1754. 778 Resolution på Städernes Beswär 1647, IX(29 March 1647), Alla riksdagars och mötens beslut, vol.2, ed. Stiernman, p. 1098. 779 “såsom ofta händer att någon som negotier rätt lärdt/och derwijdh all flijth och försichtigheet brukat/lickwäl förmedelst Krijg/Siöskador eller Wådeld sampt andres Fallissementer, råkar uthi någon olägenheet/att han sina Creditorer efter sin åstundan eij förnöij kanSå wil Kongl. M:tt wara ther på betänckt/att een sådan Casus först medh wederbörande må communiceras och öfwerleggias/huru wijda en sådan efter föregåendeMagistratens ransakning för fängelse och annan wanheder må blifwa befriat/enär han all sin behåldene Egendomb til Creditorerne godwilligt uplåter/och der emot deras ytterligare tiltaal söker blifwa frij och omolesterat, williandes Kongl. M:tt sig sedan deröfwer ytterligare resolvera och förklara,”Alla riksdagars och mötens beslut, vol.2, ed. Stiernman, pp. 1753-1754.
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