Metadata : The Court Books of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Collection
- Country:
- Lithuania
- Holding institution:
- Vilnius University Library
- Holding institution (official language):
- Vilniaus universiteto biblioteka
- Postal address:
- Universiteto g. 3, 01513, Vilnius
- Phone number:
- +370 5 268 7100
- Web address:
- https://biblioteka.vu.lt
- Email:
- mb@mb.vu.lt
- Country:
- Lithuania
- Holding institution:
- Vilnius University Library
- Holding institution (official language):
- Vilniaus universiteto biblioteka
- Postal address:
- Universiteto g. 3, 01513, Vilnius
- Phone number:
- +370 5 268 7100
- Web address:
- https://biblioteka.vu.lt
- Email:
- mb@mb.vu.lt
- Reference number:
- F7
- Title:
- The Court Books of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
- Title (official language):
- Lietuvos Didžiosios Kunigaikštystės teismų aktai
- Creator/accumulator:
- Vilnius University Library
- Date(s):
- 1522/1845
- Language:
- Polish
- Russian
- Latin
- Extent:
- 539 units of archived items
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Physical condition:
- good
- Scope and content:
-
The collection consists of court books of various regional judicial institutions (mostly castle and land courts) of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from the first half of the 16th century to the first half of the 19th century. The collection includes court books from Žemaitija (Samogitia), Kaunas (Kowno), Telšiai (Telsze), Trakai (Troki), Ukmergė (Wiłkomierz), Upytė (Upita), Vilnius (Wilno), Bielsk, Grodno and Lublin district courts. These books are important in understanding the patterns of settlement of Jewish communities in Lithuania territory in the 17th and 18th centuries. Court books are also a vital source for understanding everyday life, social, legal, and economic relations.
The Jewish related files are mostly found in land and castle court books. Land courts solved legal litigations between Jews and Christians concerning disagreements over debts and unreturned money. Criminal cases were usually solved in the castle court. These books also include communal privileges or other legal decrees given to Jewish communities, which shaped the legal and socioeconomic position of the Jews in a particular town. The castle court books contain various types of judicial documents that are related to the court trial process, including testimonies, statements of various court officials, court summoning acts, court decisions, etc. These books are written in Ruthenian or in the old Polish language. The district courts solved legal disagreementsthat arose in the territory of the whole administrative unit (powiat).
Most of the collection consists of Samogitia (Žemaitija) district courts (castle and land) books, which covers the period from 1575 to 1705. The Samogitian castle court book from 1650-1651 contains the first Jewish privilege that was given to the Kėdainiai Jewish community in 1651 by Janusz Radziwiłł [F7-ZPT, 1650-1651]. The Vilnius castle court books cover the periods of 1629 and 1633 and contains fragments of court cases that involve Jews from Vilnius and surrounding regions, solving their legal cases with Christians [F7-VPT, 1629, 1633]. The collection also includes Kaunas magistrate books that partially covers the period from 1522 to 1753. The Kaunas magistrate book from 1561-1565 contains one of the earliest records about Jewish presence and their economic activity in the town of Kaunas from the second half of the 16th century [F7-KM, 1561-1565]. The court books of Ukmergė (Wiłkomierz) district partially cover the period from 1595 to 1701. The court books of Telšiai district courts cover the period from 1791 to 1845. The Trakai district court books partially cover the period from 1586 to 1704. The court books of the Upytė region cover the period from 1590 to 1690.
The collection also contains one castle court book from Grodno district from the period of 1540, however, the book is in bad physical shape. The collection furthermore includes several court books of Lublin district castle courts, covering the periods from 1582 to 1584, and 1689. The collection also contains Lublin’s customs registers, in which Jewish merchants from Brest, Grodno and Pinsk are mentioned from 1542-1554 [F7-LM, 1542-1554].
- Archival history:
- The court books from various administrative and judicial institutions in the middle of the 18th century were brought to the newly established Vilnius Central Archive of the Old Record Books. At the beginning of the First World War, part of the district court books were evacuated to Russia. After the war, only some of them were returned to Lithuania; they were kept in Kaunas Vytautas Magnus University. In 1950 the books were brought to Vilnius University and collection F7 was compiled upon their basis.
- Administrative/biographical history:
- After the 1564-1566 administrative and court reforms, the judicial system of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was organised so that each administrative unit (district, or powiat) would have its own castle, land and podkomorski courts. In 1581 the Lithuanian Tribunal was established as the appellative court and final legal institution.
- Finding aids:
- The main tool is the computerised catalogue of the Vilnius University library. The full catalogue is accessible in the Vilnius University Llibrary, in the reading room of the Department of Manuscripts. Some of the district court books are available online.
- Links to finding aids:
- https://kolekcijos.biblioteka.vu.lt
- Reference number:
- F7
- Title:
- The Court Books of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
- Title (official language):
- Lietuvos Didžiosios Kunigaikštystės teismų aktai
- Creator/accumulator:
- Vilnius University Library
- Date(s):
- 1522/1845
- Language:
- Polish
- Russian
- Latin
- Extent:
- 539 units of archived items
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Physical condition:
- good
- Scope and content:
-
The collection consists of court books of various regional judicial institutions (mostly castle and land courts) of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from the first half of the 16th century to the first half of the 19th century. The collection includes court books from Žemaitija (Samogitia), Kaunas (Kowno), Telšiai (Telsze), Trakai (Troki), Ukmergė (Wiłkomierz), Upytė (Upita), Vilnius (Wilno), Bielsk, Grodno and Lublin district courts. These books are important in understanding the patterns of settlement of Jewish communities in Lithuania territory in the 17th and 18th centuries. Court books are also a vital source for understanding everyday life, social, legal, and economic relations.
The Jewish related files are mostly found in land and castle court books. Land courts solved legal litigations between Jews and Christians concerning disagreements over debts and unreturned money. Criminal cases were usually solved in the castle court. These books also include communal privileges or other legal decrees given to Jewish communities, which shaped the legal and socioeconomic position of the Jews in a particular town. The castle court books contain various types of judicial documents that are related to the court trial process, including testimonies, statements of various court officials, court summoning acts, court decisions, etc. These books are written in Ruthenian or in the old Polish language. The district courts solved legal disagreementsthat arose in the territory of the whole administrative unit (powiat).
Most of the collection consists of Samogitia (Žemaitija) district courts (castle and land) books, which covers the period from 1575 to 1705. The Samogitian castle court book from 1650-1651 contains the first Jewish privilege that was given to the Kėdainiai Jewish community in 1651 by Janusz Radziwiłł [F7-ZPT, 1650-1651]. The Vilnius castle court books cover the periods of 1629 and 1633 and contains fragments of court cases that involve Jews from Vilnius and surrounding regions, solving their legal cases with Christians [F7-VPT, 1629, 1633]. The collection also includes Kaunas magistrate books that partially covers the period from 1522 to 1753. The Kaunas magistrate book from 1561-1565 contains one of the earliest records about Jewish presence and their economic activity in the town of Kaunas from the second half of the 16th century [F7-KM, 1561-1565]. The court books of Ukmergė (Wiłkomierz) district partially cover the period from 1595 to 1701. The court books of Telšiai district courts cover the period from 1791 to 1845. The Trakai district court books partially cover the period from 1586 to 1704. The court books of the Upytė region cover the period from 1590 to 1690.
The collection also contains one castle court book from Grodno district from the period of 1540, however, the book is in bad physical shape. The collection furthermore includes several court books of Lublin district castle courts, covering the periods from 1582 to 1584, and 1689. The collection also contains Lublin’s customs registers, in which Jewish merchants from Brest, Grodno and Pinsk are mentioned from 1542-1554 [F7-LM, 1542-1554].
- Archival history:
- The court books from various administrative and judicial institutions in the middle of the 18th century were brought to the newly established Vilnius Central Archive of the Old Record Books. At the beginning of the First World War, part of the district court books were evacuated to Russia. After the war, only some of them were returned to Lithuania; they were kept in Kaunas Vytautas Magnus University. In 1950 the books were brought to Vilnius University and collection F7 was compiled upon their basis.
- Administrative/biographical history:
- After the 1564-1566 administrative and court reforms, the judicial system of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was organised so that each administrative unit (district, or powiat) would have its own castle, land and podkomorski courts. In 1581 the Lithuanian Tribunal was established as the appellative court and final legal institution.
- Finding aids:
- The main tool is the computerised catalogue of the Vilnius University library. The full catalogue is accessible in the Vilnius University Llibrary, in the reading room of the Department of Manuscripts. Some of the district court books are available online.
- Links to finding aids:
- https://kolekcijos.biblioteka.vu.lt
