Kauno istorija. t. 2. Nuo 1655 iki 1795 metų

LTAutoriai knygoje ištyrė ir apibendrino istoriografijos bei istorinių šaltinių informaciją apie 1655–1795 m. Kauno miesto teritorinę-urbanistinę, administracinę, demografinę, socialinę, ūkinę, kultūrinę raidą. Kauno miesto raida iki XVII a. vidurio jau sulaukė atskiros monografijos (Z. Kiaupa, Kauno istorija. T. I: nuo seniausių laikų iki 1655 m., Vilnius, 2010). 1655 m. Rusijos kariuomenė pirmą kartą pasiekė Kauną, kurį užėmė ir nusiaubė. Šie metai skiria ligtolinį sąlyginai ramų Kauno gyvenimą nuo pasikartojančių nelaimių ir negandų metų: 1655–1661 m. rusų okupacijos, Šiaurės karo, maro pandemijos, 1732 m. didžiojo gaisro. Likusioji XVIII a. dalis Kauno gyvenime buvo sąlyginai ramesnė, nors Rusijos kariuomenė gan dažnai pasirodydavo mieste (1734–1735, 1748, 1757, 1763, 1767–1775, 1792–1794), bet ir turtinga esminių pokyčių. Kauno gyvenimą keitė Respublikos reformos, vykusios niaukiantis geopolitinei padėčiai. Kauniečiai parėmė savo valstybę ir kariuomenę lemtinguose 1792 ir 1794 m. karuose su Rusijos imperija. Karai, gaisrai ir demografiniai nuopuoliai apsunkino miesto atstatymo darbus. Mažėjant bendruomenės pajamoms iro senieji statiniai. Nepaisant to, kauniečiai statė naujas bažnyčias ir vienuolynus, perstatė rotušę, atsižvelgdami į poreikius – užvažiuojamus namus, per Nemuną ir Nerį nutiesė pirmuosius tiltus. Viešųjų bei gyvenamųjų pastatų statybose ir interjere įsigalėjo barokas, gotikiniais išliko per okupacijas nesugriauti bažnyčių pastatai. XVIII a. pabaigoje Kauną pasiekė pirmieji klasicizmo ženklai. XVI–XVIII a. formavosi dabartinių Kauno miesto rajonų vietovės: Vilijampolė, Petrašiūnai, Aleksotas, Panemunė, Šančiai. Miestui priklausiusi Fredos valda buvo svarbiausiu miestiečių bendruomenės pajamų šaltiniu.

ENThe second volume of Kaunas History covers the period from 1655 to 1795. Kaunas Castle and the autonomous town emerged in the second half of the 14th century and the beginning of the 15th century during the wars between the GDL and the Teutonic order. After the war ended and the trade route along the Nemunas River opened up, Kaunas gained favorable conditions for growth. Kaunas grew steadily, without major upheavals, driven forward by the competition among merchants and other townspeople, both internal and external, minor social or religious conflicts, and protected by the state. It became a medium-sized town in Central-Eastern Europe. In the mid-17th century, the conflict between regional powers, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Russia, and Sweden, escalated into mutual wars. In 1655, the Russian army reached the core territories of the Lithuanian state for the first time, occupying and devastating Vilnius and Kaunas. These years mark a period of a relatively calm life in Kaunas, interrupted by recurring misfortunes and troubles: the Russian occupation from 1655 to 1661, the Northern War that affected Kaunas at the beginning of the 18th century, accompanied by a pandemic of the plague, and the great fire of 1732.The remaining part of the 18th century in Kaunas’ life was both relatively peaceful and characterized by significant changes. The life of Kaunas and other autonomous cities of the state was influenced by changes in the state and social structure and the order of life in the late 18th century. These changes occurred amidst the shifting geopolitical situation surrounding the Commonwealth. The year 1795, the year of the third partition of the Commonwealth, marked the end of a significant period in the history of the community of Kaunas town dwellers and the period of autonomy of Kaunas as a town within the Lithuanian state from 1408 to 1795. After the collapse of the Commonwealth, Kaunas was incorporated into the Russian Empire. The period of Kaunas history from 1655 to 1795 can be divided into two distinct periods. The indistinct boundary between them was crossed in the fourth decade of the 18th century, immersed in the flow of everyday life. The book consists of two parts.The first part, The Image of Kaunas, is dedicated to describing the constant and simultaneously changing elements of Kaunas history: the social structure of the town’s population, the forms and relationships of its layers, the relations of the urban community with residents of other estates and their institutions, the town’s cultural and religious life, and its urban development. These elements of Kaunas history experienced fluctuations over time, sometimes being dependent on them, but also had their internal patterns of development. They connected their development from 1655 to 1795 into a coherent progression and encouraged a comprehensive examination of them in a single text. The second part, Life in Kaunas, discusses the major calamities of the late 17th century to the third decade of the 18th century, their overcoming, and the significant changes in the town’s condition during the last third of the 18th century. These sections would be akin to chapters on the political history of Kaunas. They are interspersed with matters of particular significance in the town’s self-governance and economic life. [...].