Manor estates in the context of changes in the economic situation of Poland in the 14th–17th centuries

Considering “Folwark” (Manor) as one of components of an estate, the authors focus on its development and changes in form of its organization, against a background of a changing economic situation. They treat the 14th and the 16th centuries as a time of prosperity and the 15th, 17th centuries as a period of decrease in demand for agricultural products. Big “Folwark”, understood as an estate connected with a local market, emerged during the 14th c. mainly as a result of great land estates’ reorganization. Its concomitant was the gradual and equivalent removal of feudal rent’s point of gravity from a rent in money to labour (e.g. Lesser Poland). This was caused also by an insufficient supply of money in peripheral parts of Poland. A villein manor in the middle gentry’s estate appeared on the turn of 15th and 16th centuries as a result of peasant holdings’ crisis, as they were not able to sell their productsand get money to pay a rent, gradually being changed into a labour. It is concomitant was peasants’ aiming to make services lower by diminishing an area of tillage. The followingcorrelation can be noticed: the villein manor – “folwark” – developed faster in the regions less connected with the market and predominated by big rental peasant holdings. It wasdifferent in parts of Poland predominated by big rental peasant farms, situated in the territories of a greater demand for agricultural products. In regions connected with the market(e.g. East Pomerania) manors of the great landowners did not make use of villein services, but of a hired labour. The change of service forms from a money-rent to labour resultedfrom worsening of the sales conditions. The increase in both kinds of rent in the 16th c. was caused by a growth of peasants’ profits as a result of improvement in the economic situation in Poland, caused by an external demand for grain. The money-rent predominated in periods of prosperity and greater supply of money; the villein labour predominatedwhen the economic situation was not good. Regions connected with the Gdansk market developed in a different way than the rest of the country – they were predominated by peasant rental economy and hired manor; the last aimed to displace peasants from the selling market.  The paper was originally published as Folwark i zmiany koniunktury gospodarczej w Polsce w XIV–XVII wieku, “Klio” 2003, vol. 4 (2), pp. 25–40

Socjotopografia przedmieść toruńskich w XIV–XVIII wieku – przypadek Żabieńca

The state of research on the transformations of urban space and the socio-topography of Polish towns in the Middle Ages and the Post-Medieval Period is still relatively poor.This also applies to the subject of the presented research – the suburbs of Toruń. Apart from the cartographic presentation in an atlas of Polish towns, outdated research results of the 19th-century German historians and the partly outdated findings of Tomasz Jasiński, Toruń’s suburbs were not the subject of monographic studies. And yet, the source database is quite extensive; there are both cartographic presentations – already known to researchers as the so-called Douglas’ plan from 1793, but also plans unused to-date of the Rybaki quarter, the plan of Geretowo, and finally plans and sketches of individual plots from the suburb areas. In addition, numerous lists of rents collected from suburban plots survived. They allow for the reconstruction of ownership and economic relations in this area at least in the 18th century. Toruń’s suburbs changed their appearance from the Middle Ages to the early 19th century. The system of medieval streets and plots were destroyed during the construction of the Post-Medieval town’s fortifications in the first half of the 17th century. Serious damage to the suburbs and the displacement of settlements from the areas situated farthest to the north was the result of the Polish-Swedish wars, especially the Great Northern War 1703–1710 and the accompanying epidemics in 1708 and 1710. The intensity of settlement of individual suburbs also changed. In medieval Toruń, the largest settlement centres were located in the St Lawrence’s and St George’s quarters, located to the north of the town walls, while in the 18th century they were situated in parts along the Vistula River – in Rybaki and Winnica. It is also worth noting that Toruń’s suburbs were inhabited mainly by Poles, which clearly distinguished their ethnic structure from the town within the walls. The share of the inhabitants of Polish descent in the suburbs increased steadily from the Middle Ages to the late 18th century. One of the most regularly built suburbs was Żabieniec – a part of Rybaki and it was inhabited from the Middle Ages to the late 18th century. It covered 22 plots in the Middle Ages and 24 plots in the late 18th century, to which Prussian authorities assigned the cadastral numbers 48–71 in 1793. In this article, the history of plots located in Żabieniec in the 18th century was reconstructed with an indication of the amount of rent paid to the town treasury, changes in the building, damage caused by the Vistula River floods and other events (e.g. gunpowder explosion). This reconstruction presents the professional and ethnic structure of the tenants of the plots in Żabieniec. It shows the possibilities for research on Toruń’s suburbs in the future. Zarys treści. Jednym z najbardziej regularnie, gęsto zabudowanym i zasiedlonym obszarem na przedmieściu Torunia od średniowiecza do końca XVIII wieku był Żabieniec – część Rybaków. W średniowieczu obejmował on 22 parcele, zaś w końcu XVIII wieku 24 parcele, którym władze pruskie nadały w 1793 roku numery katastralne 48–71. W artykule odtworzone zostały losy parcel położonych na Żabieńcu w XVIII wieku (z zaznaczeniem wysokości czynszów opłacanych do kasy miejskiej, zmian w zabudowie, zniszczeń powodowanych przez wylewy Wisły i inne wydarzenia, np. wybuch prochu), a także struktura zawodowa i etniczna ich dzierżawców. Rekonstrukcja ta pokazuje możliwości badań nad przedmieściami toruńskimi w przyszłości

Socjotopografia przedmieść toruńskich w XIV–XVIII wieku – przypadek Żabieńca

Zarys treści. Jednym z najbardziej regularnie, gęsto zabudowanym i zasiedlonym obszarem na przedmieściu Torunia od średniowiecza do końca XVIII wieku był Żabieniec – część Rybaków. W średniowieczu obejmował on 22 parcele, zaś w końcu XVIII wieku 24 parcele, którym władze pruskie nadały w 1793 roku numery katastralne 48–71. W artykule odtworzone zostały losy parcel położonych na Żabieńcu w XVIII wieku (z zaznaczeniem wysokości czynszów opłacanych do kasy miejskiej, zmian w zabudowie, zniszczeń powodowanych przez wylewy Wisły i inne wydarzenia, np. wybuch prochu), a także struktura zawodowa i etniczna ich dzierżawców. Rekonstrukcja ta pokazuje możliwości badań nad przedmieściami toruńskimi w przyszłości.The state of research on the transformations of urban space and the socio-topography of Polish towns in the Middle Ages and the Post-Medieval Period is still relatively poor. This also applies to the subject of the presented research – the suburbs of Toruń. Apart from the cartographic presentation in an atlas of Polish towns, outdated research results of the 19th-century German historians and the partly outdated findings of Tomasz Jasiński, Toruń’s suburbs were not the subject of monographic studies. And yet, the source database is quite extensive; there are both cartographic presentations – already known to researchers as the so-called Douglas’ plan from 1793, but also plans unused to-date of the Rybaki quarter, the plan of Geretowo, and finally plans and sketches of individual plots from the suburb areas. In addition, numerous lists of rents collected from suburban plots survived. They allow for the reconstruction of ownership and economic relations in this area at least in the 18th century. Toruń’s suburbs changed their appearance from the Middle Ages to the early 19th century. The system of medieval streets and plots were destroyed during the construction of the Post-Medieval town’s fortifications in the first half of the 17th century. Serious damage to the suburbs and the displacement of settlements from the areas situated farthest to the north was the result of the Polish-Swedish wars, especially the Great Northern War 1703–1710 and the accompanying epidemics in 1708 and 1710. The intensity of settlement of individual suburbs also changed. In medieval Toruń, the largest settlement centres were located in the St Lawrence’s and St George’s quarters, located to the north of the town walls, while in the 18th century they were situated in parts along the Vistula River – in Rybaki and Winnica. It is also worth noting that Toruń’s suburbs were inhabited mainly by Poles, which clearly distinguished their ethnic structure from the town within the walls. The share of the inhabitants of Polish descent in the suburbs increased steadily from the Middle Ages to the late 18th century. One of the most regularly built suburbs was Żabieniec – a part of Rybaki and it was inhabited from the Middle Ages to the late 18th century. It covered 22 plots in the Middle Ages and 24 plots in the late 18th century, to which Prussian authorities assigned the cadastral numbers 48–71 in 1793. In this article, the history of plots located in Żabieniec in the 18th century was reconstructed with an indication of the amount of rent paid to the town treasury, changes in the building, damage caused by the Vistula River floods and other events (e.g. gunpowder explosion). This reconstruction presents the professional and ethnic structure of the tenants of the plots in Żabieniec. It shows the possibilities for research on Toruń’s suburbs in the future.

Dzieje toruńskiej rodziny Watzenrode w XIV–XVI w.

It is not clearly explained where did Watzenrode family, settled in Torun, come from. They came probably from Upper Hesse or Rhineland-Palatinate. Ludwik Birkenmajer’s thesis about Polish and Silesian roots of that family should be rejected – it is impossible to connect a branch of the family from Ziębice and Wrocław with a branch from Torun. The most reliable is a thesis that Watzenrodes came to Torun from Westfalia in the first half of the 14th century, simultaneously to the great number of other immigrant families, that became patrician of Torun. In Torun there were two branches of this family – both descending from Albrecht I’s sons: Fryderyk III (about 1370–1416) and Lukasz I (about 1390–1462). Albrecht I was born about 1340 and died in 1399. Among descendants of Fryderyk III, there were Fryderyk IV (about 1410–1446) and his son, Jerzy Fryderyk V (about 1435-about 1482). Among descendants of Lukasz I, there were Lukasz II, bishop of Varmia (1447–1512), and Lukasz’s illegal son, Filip Teschner (about 1475 – after 1523). Albrecht I’ wife was a councilor Lukasz Reusse’s daughter, died 1384. Her name is unknown. Lukasz I’ wife was Katarzyna, a councilor Jan Rusop’s daughter, died 1416. Katarzyna’s mother was Rusop’s wife – her name is unknown – descending from von Putten family. Filip Teschner’s mother was identified as well, as a Elzbieta Rackendorff (about 1455 – about 1495), Pawel’s, rich merchant from Torun, eldest daughter. It is possible that Lukasz II and Elzbieta’s marriage had been planned in 1474. Nevertheless, engagement was broken, probably because of a chance for a great carrier as a clergyman for Lukasz. It is possible that because of this, pregnant Elzbieta was married to Jan Teschner, member of other patrician family from Torun, who adopted “bishop’s” offspring. Geneological table attached to this article depicts a complete genealogy of the family. Watzenrodes stood out from patricians from Torun due to the level of their education. Four members of this family became students: Cezary and Lukasz II graduated as doctors, Fryderyk III I Fryderyk IV did not graduated university and came back to the town. Konrad Gesselen, the most outstanding humanist from the half of the 15th century, was a close friend to Lukasz I and his wife, Katarzyna. Before death he even lived in Watzenrodes’ house and was Katarzyna’s confessor. It is certain that intellectual traditions of Watzenrodes influenced Nicolaus Copernicus’ education, as he descended from this family by his female ancestors

Manor estates in the context of changes in the economic situation of Poland in the 14th–17th centuries

Considering “Folwark” (Manor) as one of components of an estate, the authors focus on its development and changes in form of its organization, against a background of a changing economic situation. They treat the 14th and the 16th centuries as a time of prosperity and the 15th, 17th centuries as a period of decrease in demand for agricultural products. Big “Folwark”, understood as an estate connected with a local market, emerged during the 14th c. mainly as a result of great land estates’ reorganization. Its concomitant was the gradual and equivalent removal of feudal rent’s point of gravity from a rent in money to labour (e.g. Lesser Poland). This was caused also by an insufficient supply of money in peripheral parts of Poland. A villein manor in the middle gentry’s estate appeared on the turn of 15th and 16th centuries as a result of peasant holdings’ crisis, as they were not able to sell their products and get money to pay a rent, gradually being changed into a labour. It is concomitant was peasants’ aiming to make services lower by diminishing an area of tillage. The following correlation can be noticed: the villein manor – “folwark” – developed faster in the regions less connected with the market and predominated by big rental peasant holdings. It was different in parts of Poland predominated by big rental peasant farms, situated in the territories of a greater demand for agricultural products. In regions connected with the market (e.g. East Pomerania) manors of the great landowners did not make use of villein services, but of a hired labour. The change of service forms from a money-rent to labour resulted from worsening of the sales conditions. The increase in both kinds of rent in the 16th c. was caused by a growth of peasants’ profits as a result of improvement in the economic situation in Poland, caused by an external demand for grain. The money-rent predominated in periods of prosperity and greater supply of money; the villein labour predominated when the economic situation was not good. Regions connected with the Gdansk market developed in a different way than the rest of the country – they were predominated by peasant rental economy and hired manor; the last aimed to displace peasants from the selling market.     The paper was originally published as Folwark i zmiany koniunktury gospodarczej w Polsce w XIV–XVII wieku, “Klio” 2003, vol. 4 (2), pp. 25–40