ABSTRACT
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was one of the largest and most linguistically, ethnically and religiously diverse polities in late medieval and early modern Europe. In the mid-1380s the Grand Duchy of Lithuania entered into a long process of union with the Kingdom of Poland. Since the destruction of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1795, the history and memory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania have been much contested among its successor nations. This volume aims to excavate a level below their largely incompatible narratives. Instead, in an encounter with freshly discovered or long neglected sources, the authors of this book seek new understanding of the Grand Duchy, its citizens and inhabitants in "microhistories." Emphasizing urban and rural spaces, families, communities, networks, and travels, this book presents fresh research by established and emerging scholars.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part I|77 pages
Urban Spaces and Communities
chapter 1|15 pages
What’s in a Name?
chapter 2|19 pages
A History of One House
chapter 3|15 pages
The Poor and the Community
chapter 5|13 pages
The Attempts of the Bernardines to Influence the Society of Kowno in the Second Half of the Seventeenth Century
part II|77 pages
Families and Networks
chapter 6|14 pages
Noble Names
chapter 8|12 pages
Noblemen’s Familia
chapter 10|18 pages
From Clientage Structure to a New Social Group
part III|71 pages
Texts and Travels