1528 census of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania

The census of 1528 was the first census carried out in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It was not a true census since it had limited scope: it only sought to count peasant households (Lithuanian: dūmas) for military purposes. The Grand Duchy used a conscript army where Lithuanian nobles were required to provide one soldier per each 16 or 20 households owned.[1] Therefore, the state needed to count such households to know whether a noble fulfilled his military duty. The next census was conducted in 1565.

Background and results

The Muscovite–Lithuanian Wars brought first substantial territorial losses and caused a fundamental shift in the military. Instead of being a privilege that brought profit from war loot and career opportunities in newly acquired territories, military service became an expensive duty in defense of the motherland.[2] Each soldier had to provide his own weapons, armor, horse, and food. The nobles made their living off agriculture and looked for ways to shirk their army responsibilities.[2] The state needed ways to enforce the conscription and started keeping detailed lists and inventories of who reported for duty and who did not. These inventories were made at the time and location of army gathering. In 1528, scribes visited nobles and their properties to count and verify the number of peasant households.[2] The First Statute of Lithuania codified the procedures of reporting for military duty.[2]

The census determined the maximum size of the army. Nobles could provide about 20,000 cavalrymen, magnates and city dwellers could provide additional 10,000.[1] Because the census counted only households, it is difficult to extrapolate the number of residents. German Werner Conze estimated 1.3 million residents. Henryk Łowmiański and Jerzy Ochmański pointed out that Conze did not account for Grand Duke's and church lands that were not counted in the census and increased the estimate to more than 2 million residents.[3]

Wealthiest magnates

Largest magnates based on the number of dependent households[4]
RankNoble / noble familySoldiersHouseholds
1Kęsgaila76812,288
2Radziwiłł76012,160
3Albertas Goštautas4667,456
4Yuri Olelkovich4336,928
5Konstanty Ostrogski4266,816
6Astikai3385,408
7Hlebavičiai2794,464
8Zabrzeziński2584,128
9John of the Lithuanian Dukes2363,776
10Piotr Kiszka2243,584
11Aleksander Chodkiewicz2013,216
12Sanguszko1702,720
13Ilinicz1602,560
14Sapieha1532,448
15Bohowitynowicze1382,208
16Zenowiewicze-Korsakowie1382,208
17Korsakowie1372,192
18Zenowiewicze1362,176
19Kostewicze1262,016
20Paweł Holszański1221,952
21Niemirowicze1151,840
22Chrebtowicze1121,792
23Mikołaj Pac971,552

References

  1. Petrauskas, Rimvydas; Kiaupienė, Jūratė (2009). Lietuvos istorija. Nauji horizontai: dinastija, visuomenė, valstybė (in Lithuanian). Vol. IV. Baltos lankos. p. 327. ISBN 978-9955-23-239-1.
  2. Lesmaitis, Gediminas (2011–2013). "LDK pašauktinės kariuomenės surašymas". Orbis Lituaniae (in Lithuanian). Vilnius University. Retrieved 2014-11-27.
  3. Vaitiekūnas, Stasys (2006). Lietuvos gyventojai: Per du tūkstantmečius (in Lithuanian). Vilnius: Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidybos institutas. p. 51. ISBN 5-420-01585-4.
  4. Ochmański, Jerzy (1982). Historia Litwy (in Polish) (2nd ed.). Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich. p. 106. ISBN 9788304008861.
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