THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE TOWNS OF KOVEL STAROSTVO IN THE XVIth CENTURY

Abstract

The development of the towns of the Kovel starostvo in the 16th century was analyzed in the article. There were Kovel, Vyzhva and Mylianovychi. Organization of municipal self-government was described, since towns had been organized on Magdeburg Law. The process of forming the street network of the Kovel towns over the century was considered. The sizes of towns have been tried to find out based on information on the number of houses. The development of craft and trade is the main feature of the town. Much attention was devoted to this problem. The number of artisans, their specialization in each of the towns of Kovel starostvo in different periods and the way of organizing workshops were described in the study. Types and sizes of town taxes were analyzed in the article.
Descriptive and statistical sources have been used in the study of this problem. There are unpublished inventories of 1556 and 1590. The first was created at the transfer of possessions from Queen Bona to Zhigimont Augustus. The second – when the region returns from the descendants of Kurbsky to the state possessions. Published tax registers of 1570, 1576, 1577, 1583, 1589 were used in the research. This sources make it possible to trace the evolution of the situation of towns of Kovel starostvo in the 16th century, since its were created in different periods of the studied time. The results of the research can be used to study the towns of the northwestern part of Volyn, as this region is poorly equipped with descriptive statistical sources. Also, the results of the study can be used to compare the development of towns in other regions. The study is important in connection with the priority study of the development of towns throughout the state, and not separate economic and administrative units in the past.