Jewish toll collectors in the grand duchy of Lithuania in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries Cover Image

Żydowscy celnicy w Wielkim Księstwie Litewskim w XVII–XVIII wieku
Jewish toll collectors in the grand duchy of Lithuania in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries

Author(s): Maria Cieśla
Subject(s): Economy, Jewish studies, Jewish Thought and Philosophy, 17th Century, 18th Century
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego
Keywords: Jewish toll collectors; Jewish economic elites;

Summary/Abstract: The purpose of this article is to show the Jewish involvement in the toll collection in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The following aspects are explored: the legal position, the financial involvement and conditions of the everyday work of the Jewish toll collectors, as well as the conflicts connected with this profession. The author based her research upon mostly unknown primary sources, including Lithuanian treasury documents and different court acts. Upon examination of those sources it becomes clear that the Jews played a significant role in the tax collection in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in that period. What is more, not only members of the economic elite were involved in the cooperation with the state treasury.

  • Issue Year: 19/2016
  • Issue No: 38
  • Page Range: 229-249
  • Page Count: 22
  • Language: Polish