THE INVENTORY OF THE TOWN OF ZASLAV, 1700

Abstract

The article analyzes the Inventory of the City of Zaslav (1700). The structure, dating, and circumstances of the compilation of the document are examined. The source makes it possible to reconstruct the topography of Zaslav, which consisted of two parts–the Old Town (nine streets and a castle) and the New Town (five streets and a fortress). The inventory contains information on the condition of defensive structures, most of which were in a state of decline. The social structure of the city is traced as follows: the szlachta (nobility) (15.6%), clergy (1.1%), burghers (townspeople) (73.1%), and military personnel (10.2%). Magdeburg Law existed in the city in a limited form. The townspeople appealed to the owner of Zaslav, Princess T. Lubomirska, requesting the renewal of the privilege. The inhabitants participated in urban self-government through an elected collegial body–the magistrate. The document records its officials, including the vogt (wójt), burgomaster, town scribe, and others. Crafts and trades played an important role in the city’s economic development. Zaslav had functioning mills, breweries, distilleries, and a folwark. The ethno-religious composition of the population was diverse: Ukrainians (62.9%), Poles (21.2%), Jews (14.4%), as well as Tatars, Hungarians, and Vlachs (1.5%). The city contained Ruthenian Uniate, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Jewish communities. The inventory records the socio-economic condition, the level of obligations, and the demographic characteristics of Zaslav at the beginning of the eighteenth century, constituting an important source for the study of the history of towns in Volhynia and Right-Bank Ukraine.