Parchments in Russian

Collection

Holding institution:: Wroblewski Library of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences

Holding institution (official language):: Lietuvos mokslų akademijos Vrublevskių biblioteka

Creator/accumulator:: Wroblewski Library of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences

Scope and content:: This collection contains privileges and diplomas issued by the grand dukes of Lithuania and the kings of Poland, such as Alexander I Jagiellon, Sigismund I the Old, Sigismund II Augustus, Henry III of France, Stephen Báthory and Sigismund III confirming the rights of local feudal lords to control estates and peasants. The collection also contains records about the rights of residents of Vilnius and various entries from land and castle court books.

File F2-5 is of particular interest to Jewish history. It is a writ from Krakow, written by Sigismund I the Old in 1533, confirming the right of a Jew from Brest, Abraham Michelevich, to control a bridge over the Bug River in Drahichyn. The writ also sets a payment (customs) from those using the bridge, be it on foot, by cart or on a ship.

Archival history:: The Wroblewski Library of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences was established in 1912 by the famous lawyer, public figure and bibliophile Tadeusz Stanisław Wróblewski. This collection was formed in 1871 by Vilnius Public Library Manuscript Department organiser, Petras Giltebrandtas. It was received in 1946 from the USSR National Lenin’s Library in Moscow with other fonds that had been transferred from Vilnius to Russia in 1915.

Administrative/biographical history:: In 1388 Grand Duke Vytautas granted Jews a charter according to which they formed a class of freemen subject in all criminal cases directly to the jurisdiction of the grand duke and his official representatives and in petty suits to the jurisdiction of local officials on an equal footing with the lesser nobles and other free citizens. As a result, the community prospered. In 1495, the Jews were expelled by Alexander I Jagiellon and only allowed to return in 1905. Their charter and privileges were re-confirmed by Sigismund I the Old, who was considered especially favourable to the Jews because of the protection he granted to them. Therefore, under his reign many Jews migrated to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

Subject terms:: Legal status of Jews; Nobility; Privileges; Trade and commerce

Finding aids:: A list of files and inventory lists is available on the website of the Wroblewski Library of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences.

Yerusha Network member:: Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People