Noblemen’s Familia: the life of unfree people on manors in the sixteenth century and the first half of the seventeenth century
LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Lietuvos Didžioji Kunigaikštystė (LDK; Grand Duchy of Lithuania; GDL); Lietuvos istorija; Socialinė istorija; Kasdienybė; Dvarai; Socialiniai sluoksniai; Lithuanian history; Social history; Trivial round; Manors; Social groups.
ENThe methodology of microhistory, based on the reduction of the scale of observation, on a microscopic analysis and an intensive study of the documentary material,1 creates the possibility to research the history of ‘little people’ and details of their daily life. Unfree people (slaves) were the lowest social group of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Under the First Statute of Lithuania in 1529, four groups of unfree people were defined, who had become unfree in different ways: firstly, people who became unfree a long time ago and - people who were born into an unfree family; secondly, people brought to manors from enemy territories; thirdly, people sentenced to death who became unfree to evade this sentence and fourthly, people who married an unfree person. There were also temporarily unfree people who had lost their freedom because of debts. The unfree people on noble manors composed the unfree family (cheliad' nevol'naia or familia illibera). The members of the unfree family were the master’s property. [Extract, p. 120]
