Teisinis kriminalinis bajorų ir Vilniaus miestiečių santykių aspektas XVIII a. (Vilniaus pavieto pilies teismo duomenimis)

LTStraipsnyje analizuojama XVIII a. Vilniaus bajorų ir miestiečių teisinė erdvė re miantis Vilniaus pavieto pilies teismo šaltinių duomenimis, akcentuojamas teisinis kriminalinis aspektas. Siekiama išsiaiškinti, kaip miestiečių kontaktai ir konfliktai su bajorais atsispindėjo bajoriškos institucijos, t. y. pilies teismo, dokumentuose. Nors miestiečiai Lietuvos Didžiosios Kunigaikštystės sostinėje turėjo nemažą įtaką, XVIII a. bajorų luomas siekė įtvirtinti savo galią mieste, ir tai aiškėja iš teismo knygų informacijos. [Iš leidinio]Reikšminiai žodžiai: Lietuvos Didžioji Kunigaikštystė (LDK; Grand Duchy of Lithuania; GDL); 18 amžius; Miestiečiai; Bajorai; Vilnius; 18th century; Townspeople; Nobility; Vilnius.

ENCo-existence of two social classes – the nobility and the townspeople – in Vilnius in the 18th century can be defined by constant contacts and conflicts. The avail­ able sources do not provide any evidence showing that the townspeople were under oppression of the nobility, the more so that nobles themselves used to experience the pressure from the townspeople. Nevertheless, social opposition between the two social classes existed, even though it is rather difficult to grasp it in the information contained in the cases. However, conflicting situations between the two social classes were more common at a personal rather than institutional level, indicating that their scope was not very large and the antagonism between the social classes was not very deep rooted. The representatives of the two communities used to lodge complaints regarding murders, contusions, illegal imprisonments, raids on houses, occasional robberies committed by members of the other social class; thefts and debts were recorded among nonviolent crimes; disagreements over land plots, houses, taxes in Vilnius were common. Townspeople were rarely accused of serving as accomplices of the nobles. Apparently, the two social classes lived a separate life and it was rather difficult to force or persuade a town dweller into committing acts of violence in the nobleman’s interest as opposed to a peasant or a subordinate noble. As a rule, nobles used to involve into conflicts with representatives of city elite.Though cases are relatively numerous, their percentage, compared to the cases brought between the nobles themselves, is rather low. On the other hand, Castle Court cases are only one group of sources used to reconstruct the relations between the two social classes. It does not in any way reveal the entirety of the problems connected to these relations; however, this information is also very important. The article only brings forward certain problems and the analysis of a number of other sources could also assist in solving them. Nevertheless, the data provided by the Castle Court clearly prove that the nobility in Vilnius attempted to strengthen their influence. [From the publication]