Witchcraft Court Cases in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the Sixteenth to Eighteenth Centuries

The article presents an analysis of court procedures against witches in Lithuania. The author explains which courts handled such cases and which legal acts regulated the course of these procedures. The witchcraft court procedure in Lithuania is compared to a procedure discussed in a book by Jakob Sprenger and Heinrich Institor (Kramer) from 1487 called ‘Malleus Maleficarum’ (Hammer of the Witches). The similarities and differences between these court procedures are revealed.

Appeal as an Element of the Juridical Culture of Žemaitija (Samogitia)

Lituanistica ◽

10.6001/lituanistica.v66i1.4192 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 66 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Darius Vilimas

Keyword(s):

Seventeenth Century ◽

Supreme Court ◽

Court Cases ◽

Court Reform ◽

Vast Amount ◽

The Supreme Court ◽

The article investigates the appeal as an element of the juridical culture in the books of the series of land court cases in Samogitia (Žemaitija) at the beginning of the seventeenth century. After the court reform of 1564–1566 across the territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania when land, castle and pakamaris (pol.- podkomorzy) courts were established, the need for an effective appeal institution arose, because the court of the Grand Duke could not cope with the vast amount of cases referred to it. Following the example of Poland, the Supreme Court of Lithuania was established in 1581 and started functioning in 1582. During the period under investigation, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania already had a chief judicial appellate institution – the Supreme Tribunal of Lithuania – that had to consider the appeals brought by all three courts and very often the losing party used the appeal as the last resort. The article gives a dozen of examples of when such a right of appeal was not granted. These precedents were not that numerous in the vast mass of appeals allowed by the land court, but they show that basically the norms of the provisions of the Supreme Tribunal of Lithuania (first printed in 1586) were conformed to.

Details of the Peasants Everyday Life in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 16th Century and the First Half of the 17th Century

Lietuvos istorijos studijos ◽

10.15388/lis.2020.46.2 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 46 ◽

pp. 25-42

Author(s):

Neringa Dambrauskaitė

Keyword(s):

Everyday Life ◽

Dairy Products ◽

17Th Century ◽

Court Cases ◽

Additional Information ◽

Dwelling House ◽

The People ◽

Grand Duchy ◽

Everyday Living

This article deals with the aspects of everyday life of the peasants who lived in private estates of the nobility in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 16th – the first half of the 17th century. The research was mainly based on published and unpublished acts of court cases, additional information is found in the estate inventories and descriptions provided by the people who travelled through Lithuania. The analysis revealed that the homestead of the peasants were usually modest – it consisted of few wooden buildings, the most important of which being a dwelling house, a granary and a cattle-shed, but richer peasants lived in larger homesteads with more different buildings. Peasants usually lived in wooden farmhouses with a stove, whereas some part of the peasants in Samogitia still lived in the so-called numas with a fireplace. Peasants’ main clothes were sermėgos, sheepskin coats, shirts, woman’s cloaks; some peasants could afford to have more expensive clothes. The main food products included different kinds of grain, first of all, stocks of rye, as well as peas, different vegetables, flitch, dairy products. Probably only richer peasants ate meat more often. There were important various household effects and work tools in the peasant homestead. Although the life of peasants was modest, however there existed differences in the standard of everyday living during the period under discussion.

Judicial Culture at the Courts of Samogitia in the Early Seventeenth Century. Formulating a Problem. An Overview of the Manuscript Court Books (1600–1630)

Lituanistica ◽

10.6001/lituanistica.v64i2.3789 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 64 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Darius Vilimas

Keyword(s):

Seventeenth Century ◽

Research Problem ◽

Case Group ◽

Court Case ◽

Court Cases ◽

Historical Sources ◽

Current Affairs ◽

Vilnius University ◽

Research into juridical culture of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania has not been sufficiently addressed in general, and the Duchy of Samogitia at the end of the seventeenth century is not an exception in this context. Juridical culture is a multi-faceted phenomenon in the life of “a nation of nobles” of that time, and it needs to be examined on a broader scale. In addition to other collections, the main part of the set of historical sources consists of the manuscript books of Samogitian castle and land courts kept in Collection No. 7 of the Manuscript Department of the Vilnius University Library. Seventy-four manuscript books of Samogitian courts (1600–1630) have survived to the present time: two books of castle courts and 72 books of land courts. If the books of the castle court serve as an example of just a fragmentary activity, the books of the land court are highly multisided and represent diverse aspects of the life of the nobles. The books of the land court of Samogitia of that period are divided into the groups of court acts (series A) and of court cases (series B). For the research into juridical culture, the books of the court case group, of which there are 47 units and which are further subdivided into the subgroups of proceedings and current affairs, are of greater interest. Along with the collections of the noble families kept in a number of libraries and archives in Lithuania and abroad, the Samogitian court books offer a sufficient basis of sources for the examination of the juridical culture of the nobility at the beginning of the seventeenth century. It is therefore highly likely that the research will be productive and will reveal intriguing shifts in the mentality of the nobles. Meanwhile, the present paper is an introduction to a broader research problem.

Procedural Aspects of the Work of Land and Castle Courts in Samogitia (1600–1630)

Lituanistica ◽

10.6001/lituanistica.v64i4.3882 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 64 (4) ◽

Author(s):

Darius Vilimas

Keyword(s):

Main Part ◽

Case Group ◽

Court Case ◽

Court Cases ◽

Historical Sources ◽

University Library ◽

Vilnius University ◽

Juridical culture of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania is a multi-faceted phenomenon in the life of a “nation of nobles” of that time and it needs to be examined on a broader scale. In addition to other collections, the main part of a set of historical sources is stored at the Manuscript Department of the Vilnius University Library. Seventy-four manuscript books of Samogitian courts (1600–1630) have survived to the present time: two books of castle courts and 72 books of land courts. If the books of castle courts serve as an example of just a fragmentary activity, the books of the land courts are highly multisided and represent diverse aspects of the life of the nobles. The books of the land court of Samogitia of that period are divided into the groups of court acts (series A) and the court cases (series B). For the research into juridical culture, the books of the court case group, of which there are 47 units and which are further subdivided into the subgroups of proceedings and currents affairs, are of the greater interest. The Samogitian court books offer a sufficient basis of sources for the examination of the judicial culture of the nobility at the beginning of the seventeen century. It is therefore highly likely that research will be productive and will reveal intriguing shifts in the mentality of the Samogitian nobles.

Manuscript Catalogs and Inventories of Books from the Lands of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania – Some Problems of Publishing Rules

Bibliotheca Lituana ◽

10.15388/bibllita.2012.2.15582 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 2 ◽

pp. 107-121

Author(s):

Lilia Kowkiel ◽

Arvydas Pacevičius ◽

Iwona Pietrzkiewicz

Keyword(s):

Primary Source ◽

Digital Form ◽

Historical Sources ◽

Historical Texts ◽

Grand Duchy ◽

Book Culture

Historians and publishers of historical sources have a lot of problems with the texts written in different languages and alphabets, which were created at different times, in the multilingual areas inhabited by many nations following different religions. The historians of book culture have the same problems with texts of inventories and catalogues of books, which are the primary source of knowledge about the content of libraries. At present it’s also important the historical texts to be published in the digital form. This article is a part of the discussion on this very important subject.

D?r al-?arb as the Motherland? The Muslim Tatars of (the Grand Duchy of) Lithuania and Social Contract

Comparative Islamic Studies ◽

10.1558/cis.29620 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 157-177

Author(s):

Egdūnas Račius

Keyword(s):

Twentieth Century ◽

Social Contract ◽

Social Consequences ◽

Nation State ◽

The Social ◽

State And Society ◽

Muslim Minority ◽

In The Beginning ◽

Muslim presence in Lithuania, though already addressed from many angles, has not hitherto been approached from either the perspective of the social contract theories or of the compliance with Muslim jurisprudence. The author argues that through choice of non-Muslim Grand Duchy of Lithuania as their adopted Motherland, Muslim Tatars effectively entered into a unique (yet, from the point of Hanafi fiqh, arguably Islamically valid) social contract with the non-Muslim state and society. The article follows the development of this social contract since its inception in the fourteenth century all the way into the nation-state of Lithuania that emerged in the beginning of the twentieth century and continues until the present. The epitome of the social contract under investigation is the official granting in 1995 to Muslim Tatars of a status of one of the nine traditional faiths in Lithuania with all the ensuing political, legal and social consequences for both the Muslim minority and the state.

“History Misappropriation or Compreension?” (Russian Lihuanian Studies in the 19th and the Beginning of the 20th Century)

Almanac “Essays on Conservatism” ◽

10.24030/24092517-2020-0-2-219-236 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 58 ◽

pp. 219-236

Author(s):

Andrey Yu. Dvornichenko

Keyword(s):

20Th Century ◽

Russian Empire ◽

Soviet Period ◽

Medieval History ◽

Scientific Paradigm ◽

Russian State ◽

History Of ◽

The abundant Russian historiography of the medieval history of Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Lithuanian-Russian State) has become in the last decades the centre of the discussions and is often subject to groundless criticism. This historiography was not very lucky in the Soviet period of the 20th century either, as it was severely criticized from the Marxist-Leninist position. When discussing Russian historiography the author of this article is consciously committed to the Russian positions. There are no reasons to consider this historiography branch either Byelorussian or Ukrainian one, as that was really Russian historiography, - the phenomenon that formed under the favorable specific conditions of Russian Empire before the beginning of the 20th century. The said phenomenon can be studied in different ways: according to the existing then main trends and schools or according to their affiliation with specific universities of Russian Empire. But according to the author of this article the best way to study the issue is in accordance with the main concepts of history. And then the pre-revolutionary historiography appears as an integral scientific paradigm that turns out to be the most divaricate branch of the Lithuanian studies of the time. It created, in its turn, the most vivid and objective historical picture that can still serve as the basis for the studies of Lithuanian-Russian state.

Lietuvos Didžioji Kunigaikštystė Visuomenė. Kasdienybės istorija - XVIII amžiaus studijos / Eighteenth-Century Studies ◽

LIETUVOS DIDŽIOSIOS KUNIGAIKŠTYSTĖS KARIUOMENĖS KASDIENINIO GYVENIMO STANDARTAI 1764–1788 M.

10.33918/xviiiastudijos/t.4/a8 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 198-217

Author(s):

Valdas Rakutis

Keyword(s):

Armed Forces ◽

Local Communities ◽

Supply System ◽

Ruling Elite ◽

Ordinary Life ◽

Economic Unit ◽

A Company ◽

A Current ◽

The article analyses ordinary life of the Armed Forces of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the period between the beginning of the rule by the King of Poland and the Grand Duke of Lithuania Stanisław August Poniatowski, and until the reforms by the Four-Year Sejm (1788–1792). In the period of interest it was a small (up to 4,000 soldiers), independent army, made up from national contractors, mostly cavalry detachments, the main unit being a flag of 30–100 soldiers, and the so-called foreign contractors (cavalry, infantry and artillery), the main unit being a company of 60–100 soldiers. In 1775–1777, division by contractors’ ethnicity was replaced with the territorial divisions. The main changes took place in the national cavalry, where two equally sized brigades of hussars and petyhorcy were created, whereas majority of foreign contractors were reorganized into infantry. Peace-time armed forces was an important factor for the Lithuanian public, the ruling elite and the local communities. Army was not a tool for use in large international politics, it was more of a current order preserving instrument. Army supply system was based on the independent economic unit, governed by the unit commander. Attempts by the Lithuanian Military Commission to impose greater control gave insignificant results, although the reforms of 1775–1775 were able to strengthen control of the treasury and procedures, making relationships more visible and transparent, and the actual composition of the armed forces was very close to the theoretical provisions. The economic weakness of the nation after the First Partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and lack of correlation between recovery of the treasury and army financing put bridles on the army, preventing it from development and change. In spite of all 1764–1788 reforms, the Lithuanian armed forces remained a stagnating institution, where routine and established traditions dominated over novelty and change. Keywords: Armed Forces of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, ordinary army life, rule of Stanisław Poniatowski, Military Commission, Military Department of the Permanent Council.

Ingė Lukšaitė. The Reformation in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and in Prussian Lithuania (1520s to the beginning of the 17th century)

10.35321/all82-11 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 197-201

Author(s):

Harald Bichlmeier

Keyword(s):

17Th Century ◽

The Reformation ◽

The relationship of magnates and the szlachta of the Great Principality/Grand Duchy of Lithuania with Russia in 1733

Istoricheskii vestnik ◽

10.35549/hr.2020.2020.33.001 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

А.В. Мацук

Keyword(s):

Free Choice ◽

Russian Empire ◽

The Core ◽

The Russian Empire ◽

Relationship Of ◽

The Relationship ◽

В статье исследуются события бескоролевья 1733 г. в Речи Посполитой. Согласно «трактату Левенвольде» компромиссным кандидатом на избрание монархом Речи Посполитой был португальский инфант дон Мануэль, которого предложила Австрия. Россия больше склонялась к кандидатуре «пяста». Россия оказалась не подготовленной к началу бескоролевья. Бывшие российские союзники магнаты ВКЛ рассорились с российским послом Фридрихом Казимиром Левенвольде и перешли на сторону Франции. В конце февраля 1733 г. в ВКЛ направили Юрия Ливена, который от имени российской царицы предложил поддержку в получении короны Михаилу Вишневецкому и Павлу Сангушке. Принятое на конвокационном сейме решение об избрании королем «пяста» и католика показало популярность Станислава Лещинского. В результате вслед за Австрией Россия поддержала кандидатом на корону Фридриха Августа. Магнаты ВКЛ до последнего оставались конкурентами о короне. Оппозиция Лещинскому объединилась под лозунгом защиты «вольного выбора» и поэтому в ней остались кандидаты «пясты», которые не могли уступить друг другу, и согласились на компромисс – кандидатуру Фридриха Августа. Для противодействия возможному избранию Лещинского Россия создала в ВКЛ новоградскую конфедерацию. Ее организатором стал новоградский воевода Николай Фаустин Радзивилл. Эта конфедерация становится основой Генеральной Варшавской конфедерации, которая 5 октября 1733 г. избирает королем саксонского курфюрста. The article examines the events of the «kingless» year of 1733 in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. According to the Levenwolde Treaties the compromise candidate for the Commonwealth’s throne was the Portuguese Infante Don Manuel, who’s candidacy was proposed by Austria. Russia, in turn, leaned towards the «pyasta» candidate. The Russian Empire was clearly unprepared for the start of the kingless period. Russia’s former allies – magnates of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania – came into conflict with the Russian ambassador Frederick Kazimir Levenwolde and sided with France. In late February of 1733, Empress Anna Ioanovna of Russia sent Yuri Liven to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, who offered official support in the struggle for the crown to Mikhail Vishnevetsky and Pavel Sangushka. The electoral decision made at the Sejm proved the popularity of the «pyast» and Catholic candidates, specifically – Stanislaus Leschinsky. In turn, Russia – following Austria – showed its support for the candidacy of Frederick August. The magnates of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania remained in opposition in the crown issue until the very last. Opposition to Leschinsky was united under the motto of «free choice». For that reason, it was comprised of «pyasta» candidates, who were in a deadlock with one another, and were now ready for the compromise candidacy of Frederick Augustus. In order to counter the possible election of Leschinsky, Russia created the Novograd Confederation in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It was organized by the Novograd Voevoda Faustin Radzivill. This confederation became the core of the General Warsaw Confederation that – on October 5th 1733 – elected the Saxon King to the throne of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.