Metadata: West-Russian Writs
Collection
- Country:
- Russia
- Holding institution:
- The National Library of Russia
- Holding institution (official language):
- Российская национальная библиотека. Отдел рукописей.
- Postal address:
- 91069, Russia, St. Petersburg, ul. Sadovaia, д. 18, main building
- Phone number:
- (812) 310-28-56
- Web address:
- http://www.nlr.ru
- Email:
- office@nlr.ru
- Reference number:
- F. 293
- Title:
- West-Russian Writs
- Title (official language):
- ЗАПАДНО-РУССКИЕ АКТЫ
- Creator/accumulator:
- West-Russian Writs
- Date(s):
- 1389/1824
- Language:
- Polish
- Hebrew
- Extent:
- 4,977 storage units
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Scope and content:
-
[The fonds was being processed when this description was written; information given is as of 20 November 2014.] Documents in the fonds are in Polish, Ruthenian and Hebrew.
Housed in the fonds (op. 1) is a set of documents received from the A. S. Firkovich collection on the history of the Jewish residents of the city of Troki (Trakai) that may be provisionally divided into the following thematic groups:
1) Materials on the taxation and exacting of various obligations from the Jewish population of the city of Troki, including a letter patent from King Alexander I Jagiellon to Prince N. N. Radziwiłł, palatine of Troki, to the effect that all Christians, Tatars, and Jews, who together with the Jews of Troki “pay the serebschizna [army-maintenance tax] and other taxes, should repay to the latter the moneys they had lent, and to henceforth not evade the general payment of taxes” (1505); a letter patent from King Sigismund I the Old to H. S. Ostykiewicz, palatine of Troki, “barring the wójt, burgomasters, and rada members of Troki from collecting municipal taxes from Christians who live in the city’s Jewish quarter and who always take part in taxation along with the Jews” (Vil’na, 1514); a receipt by Lithuanian Treasurer Iwan Hornostaj issued to the Jews of Troki upon receipt of their 1547-48 taxes (Vil’na, 1548-49); a writ of Treasurer Iwan Hornostaj to the wójt, burgomasters, and rada members of Troki affirming the right of Troki Jews to collect and deposit to the treasury their half of taxes separately from the townspeople of Troki (Vil’na, 1552); etc.
2) Documents affirming various rights and privileges of the Jews of Lithuania, and in particular, a writ by Troki Viceroy E. B. Dowgird [Daugirdas] to the effect that Prince N. Iu. Radziwiłł, palatine of Troki, had granted the Troki Jews’ petition for the restoration of “their ancient right to keep Christians as indentured servants [zakupy] and hirelings” (1552); etc. Information on the election and confirmation of Jewish residents of the city of Troki as “Jewish wójts” and “Jewish land-wójts” (deputy wójts), an office that administered and managed some municipal property, and performed judicial functions; and on the activities of the wójts and land-wójts in the city, including a writ of Prince N. N. Radziwiłł, palatine of Troki, to Viceroy Chaplin “affirming the Jew Avramka as the Jewish wójt of Troki” (Grodno, 1507); of Troki Palatine J. Zaberezynski affirming S. Shlomovich, elected by the Jews of Troki, as the city’s Jewish wójt (Vil’na, 1536); of the Troki Sub-viceroy S. Jakovlevich to Troki Jewish Land-Wójt A. Agronovich “granting him property ownership” rights (Troki, 1544); there are also extracts, receipts, and documents pertaining to the activities of the latter official, and in particular, a court ruling on a lawsuit between M. Rodevich and A. Agronovich (Troki, 1545); a document issued by Troki Standard-Bearer (Chorąży) M. Andruszkewicz to the Troki Jewish Land-Wójt A. Agronovich “indicating the precise period by which time he shall repay the latter all damages connected with his delinquent debt repayment (Vil’na, 1545), etc.; a magistrate’s ruling in the case between the Troki Jewish Wójt A. Eskovich and “all the Jews of the Troki assembly regarding the wójt’s privileges in judicial and fiscal matters” (Troki, 1602); etc.
3) Procedural and court documents regarding the hearing of complaints filed by Jews in municipal and other courts, and rulings in civil and criminal cases, including a statement on the case of a complaint filed by the Troki Jew Itska against a certain Constable Simon of Oleszyszki alleging that the latter had beaten, wounded, and threatened to kill him (town of Vysokii Dvor, 1548); a statement by Jews of Troki to the effect that they had not been involved in a complaint submitted “in the name of the whole community to the Troki palatine against Troki Jewish Wójt Avraam Danilovich, and that they have no claims against him” (Troki, 1567); an extract from land court logs of Troki county (powiat) on the “presentation by the Troki Jews A. Mordukhovich, D. Ezofovich, and A. Moiseevich of a royal letter patent to Troki Palatine Prince Stefan Zbaraski regarding harassment and offenses” (1568); from castle books of the city of Troki regarding a complaint filed by the Troki Jew M. S. Tavzyuk against the Jew M. Avraamovich of the Troki Castellanry alleging that the latter had “battered and wounded him on Jewish Street”; and on the voluntary withdrawal of this complaint (Troki, 1571); from the “Troki books” regarding a complaint filed by Troki Jewish Wójt A. Isakovich “against the Christian Wójt V. Zaleski, on his own behalf and on that of the whole city, Christians and Jews,” regarding debt collection (1571); from books of the Barberi office regarding monetary litigation between the peasant F. Narevich and the Troki Jew Sh. Iaskovich (1579); from books of the municipal courts of the city of Troki on a case in which Troki Wójt V. Zaleski and A. Luchka sought to collect a debt from the Troki Jew A. Sholomovich regarding the latter’s “leasing from the above-mentioned persons of collection of the liquor tax in Vil’na and in village taverns of the Vil’na area (Troki, 1582); and on litigation between the Troki Jew Sh. Eskovich and the Troki Deputy Jewish Wójt N. Melekhovich “resulting from a robbery perpetrated by the latter against the former” (Troki, 1599); etc.
- Administrative/biographical history:
- This fonds consists of writs, charters, and other documents pertaining to the history of central and local authorities, municipal entities, and manorial landlordism in western Russia, Ukraine, Belorussia, Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland. The fonds includes documents on the history of Lithuania from the collection of A. S. Firkovich.
- Access points: persons/families:
- Alexander I Jagiellon
- Andruszkewicz, M.
- Danilovich, Avraam
- Dowgird, E. B.
- Eskovich, A.
- Eskovich, Sh.
- Ezofovich, D.
- Firkovich, A.
- Hornostaj, Iwan
- Iaskovich, Sh.
- Jakovlevich, S.
- Luchka, A.
- Melekhovich, N.
- Moiseevich, A.
- Mordukhovich, A.
- Narevich, F.
- Ostykiewicz, H. S.
- Radziwiłł, N. Iu.
- Radziwiłł, N. N.
- Rodevich, M.
- Shlomovich, S.
- Sholomovich, A.
- Sigismund I
- Tavzyuk, M. S.
- Zaberezynski, J.
- Zaleski, V.
- Zbaraski, Stefan
- System of arrangement:
- The fonds includes two inventories (when this description was written, op. 2 was still being arranged) systematised chronologically.
- Finding aids:
- Inventories are available.
- Yerusha Network member:
- Jewish Theological Seminary
