Lithuanian grand-ducal demesne pledges (from the 1500s to mid - 1520s): geographical aspects

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Collection:
Mokslo publikacijos / Scientific publications
Document Type:
Straipsnis / Article
Language:
Anglų kalba / English
Title:
Lithuanian grand-ducal demesne pledges (from the 1500s to mid - 1520s): geographical aspects
In the Journal:
Keywords:
LT
16 amžius; Trakai; Vilnius. Vilniaus kraštas (Vilnius region); Lietuva (Lithuania); Geografija / Geography.
Summary / Abstract:

ENThis article explores the geography of the pledges from the grand-ducal demesne of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 1500s – mid-1520s and discusses the most important pledges. At the beginning of the sixteenth century, most of the grand-ducal demesne was within the borders of Troki and Vilnius palatinates – the most important economic and military base for the ruler. The practice of pledging grand-ducal estates is absent from the fi fteenth-century sources. During the reigns of Alexander I Jagiellon and Sigismund I the Old 55 properties were pledged, 38 of them in the Troki palatinate, 12 in the Vilnius palatinate, and only two in the Samogitian starosty. Only three properties were pledged outside the limits of Vilnius and Troki palatinates. Until the late 1520s, the power and influence of the grand duke was weak in Samogitia, therefore the number of pledges is statistically insignificant within the wider framework of the pledging policy. The Troki palatinate was most exploited in terms of pledging. Magnates who possessed more than one grand-ducal property as a pledge attempted to purposefully concentrate the grand-ducal lands in a compact area, close to their private lands or seats (e.g. the Zabrzezińskis or Jerzy Radziwiłł “Hercules”). Pledges were often issued to persons who were grand-ducal administrators of the estate in question prior to the pledge. Keywords: Grand Duchy of Lithuania (GDL), grand-ducal demesne, dominions, pledges, territory, geography. [From the publication]

DOI:
10.12775/RDSG.2022.SI.04
ISSN:
0080-3634
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https://www.lituanistika.lt/content/102795
Updated:
2024-03-20 14:31:30
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