Skomplikowane początki nowego miasta Radziwiłłowski Bogusławpol w województwie mińskim
The Complicated Beginnings of a New Town. Radziwiłł’s Bogusławpol in Mińsk Voivodeship

Summary/Abstract: The business activities of Bogusław Radziwiłł, the Equerry of Lithuania (1620–1669), for a long time remained on the peripheries of historians’ interest, despite the fact that the magnate introduced new management and governance methods in his vast estates. Radziwiłł had great personal and political ambitions. To commemorate Prince Bogusław Radziwiłł, a new town was established in his Smalyavichi estate in Mińsk voivodeship (present day Belarus) in the early 1740s, named Bogusławpol after the owner. It was to become an important trade and craft hub on the route from Poland to Moscow. Based on the inventories of the Smalyavichi estate and the correspondence of the Prince with officials, the author of this article demonstrates how this town devel- oped in the years 1643–1669. There are many indications that Bogusław Radziwiłł was personally involved in the settlement and development of Bogusławpol. He managed it through his stewards in the Smalyavichy estate. By virtue of its name, Bogusławpol was to become a monument to honour Bogusław Radziwiłł. However, after Radziwiłł’s death (the last male representative of the Calvinist branch of the family) at the end of the 17th century, the name of the town was eventually changed to Zhodzina, under which it is known today.

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