ABSTRACT
The study focuses on the first extant protocol book of Sibiu and the Transylvanian Saxons and its various uses in the early modern period. It argues that the town book of Sibiu was a powerful tool for projecting the idea of good governance and for promoting the town council’s role as defender of the common good. The entries are analyzed from different perspectives, highlighting the notarial role of the protocol book for safekeeping public and private documents, which became increasingly significant over the course of the sixteenth century. The town book reflects the shift in the Transylvanian Saxons’ language of administration from Latin to German after the Reformation.
