PRINCE STANISLAV RADZIWILL’S OLYKA DOMAINS THROUGH THE PRISM OF THE TAX RECORDS OF THE VOLYN VOIVODESHIP IN 1570-80S

Abstract

The article attempts to investigate the Olyka domains of the Radziwill princes through the prism of the surviving tax records of the Volyn Voivodeship in the last third of the 16th century. In particular, to reconstruct their composition, to establish the level of settlement of these territories, and to trace changes in these estates during the 1570s and 1580s. 
The study of estate complexes, which, on the one hand, give an understanding of where the resources came from, and on the other hand, show how large the human resource was, that is, where and on what conditions the prince’s clientele was kept, is extremely important for understanding the functioning of the client-patronage system that revolved around the patron. 
Given the lack of preservation of inventories and other accounting sources for the history of the Olyka majorat during the period when it belonged to Stanisław Radziwil, fiscal documents, namely the tax records of the Volyn Voivodeship, are of paramount importance for studies of the magnate’s estates.
On the basis of fiscal documents and with the involvement of court books, the article analyses two components of Radziwill’s possessions in Volyn – Olyka and Radyvyliv volosts – during the last third of the 16th century, and also provides detailed tables based on the source material.