Šiauliai land – History of Šiauliai

The City in the Times of Antanas Tyzenhauzas’s Administration

Šiaulių TIC — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 19:28:27 +0000

Not all coercive reforms bring merely bad consequences and offer no beneficial innovations that the country was lacking until then. Also, not all tyrants can only be narcissists thirsty for power with no innovative and progressive thinking. The increasingly rapid rise of Šiauliai city was prompted by a strict reformer.

In 1764, Stanislaw Poniatowski, the king of the Republic of Both Nations redeems the lands of Šiauliai economy and together with other lands transfers the administration of the economies of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania to Antanas Tyzenhauzas. The rise of Šiauliai is to be related to this man. In order to make Šiauliai economy, like others too, as prosperous as possible, so that it could give more money to the ruler, A. Tyzenhauzas set the main aims: to establish as many so-called palivarkai (farm and administrative complexes of the manor) as possible, where corvee workers could forcibly work with the most modern agricultural machinery of that time; establish manufactories (manual work-based workshops), using free labour force; create favourable conditions for trade by repairing roads and waterways as well as developing and expanding crafts. During the first three years, a new brickyard, a wind mill were built in the city, the townsmen were equated with peasants, except plot-holders and Jews, and had to perform corvee duties (forced labour) in the manor, to pay the pecuniary rent, the so-called činšas (taxes). Taxes were growing and new ones were emerging, soon causing the dissatisfaction of most of the city inhabitants with such Tyzenhauzas’s decisions and novelties in ruling the economy. This dissatisfaction grew to the peasants’ uprising of 1769, in which townspeople also took part. The latter did not manage to remain united, split into different groups, so the uprising was quickly suppressed, the rebels failed to achieve their aims and demands, and the reforms that triggered this uprising not only did not disappear but remained even after A. Tyzenhauzas was suspended from his duties in 1780. Whatever the situation, the significance and importance of Šiauliai as the centre of the economy was growing: the city was expanding, new institutions emerged. In 1775, the noblemen’s Pilies and Žemės Courts and the treasury of the county were transferred to Šiauliai, later taxes were brought from the territories of all economy, the noblemen’s so-called seimeliai (local authorities), which could elect and send their representative to the Seimas of the state, began to function. During A. Tyznhauzas’s governance period, from a wooden settlement Šiauliai turned into a city, where one after another durable and more luxurious brick buildings began to appear, new straight streets were laid.

All of it became possible thanks to the successfully developed Tyzenhauzas’s programme, one of the most important tasks of which was the establishment of industrial enterprises, crafts and manufactures. Šiauliai enters the stage of an industrial town. In addition to the brickyard, founded in 1767, a linen fabric manufactory under the leadership of a weaver from Switzerland who brought a dozen employees from his country was founded. Thus, it is not by accident that the place where the manufactory was built, is called Switzerland. In the end of the 18^th century, Šiauliai had various craftsmen: brick workers, carpenters, glaziers, nail makers, tinsmiths, blacksmiths, metal workers, turners, wheelwrights, coopers and the like.

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Antanas Tyzenhauzas.

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The Emergence of Šiauliai Crown Estate (Economy) and its Significance for the State

Šiaulių TIC — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 19:03:21 +0000

In 1616, Šiauliai crown estate, called economy, starts operating. It is an institution uniting and governing royal manors and their lands in the region from Šiauliai manor, established in Šiauliai. The manor house was wooden before it was burned down during the fire in 1736 (by the way, the manor house was burned down earlier too, for example, in 1657, when the Swedish Army raged in the city), and only after this fire, the brick one was started to be rebuilt. Its construction lasted until the end of the 18^th century. Šiauliai economy was the largest economy of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It is slightly paradoxical that Šiauliai in the economy did not have a lead in size or population or economic situation. There were only 5 economies in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and their status and significance were special; i.e., it was sought that the ruler would separate state and his own treasury; thus, after the death of Žygimantas Augustas, the financial and economic policy of elected foreign rulers little influenced the local nobility. The ruler used to earn income for his treasury from the economies in order to maintain the manor, but he could not pledge, mortgage or sell these holdings to anyone else for life. The economies could only be leased, which was usually the case, but only for a certain period of time and only to the citizens of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania; therefore, these holdings became of national significance and their role was particularly important in internal politics and in further development of the state. Over time, this special status contributed to the rise of Šiauliai as a city.

The fact that education in Šiauliai was among the most important priorities is demonstrated by the mention dated 1617, that Šiauliai had a school. Mauricius Griškevičius (Hriškevičius) writes about the rectory of the church and the school attached to the church and states that it used to be here before too. So, local inhabitants always had a need for education and training. This need might have appeared to them as early as 1445, when the church was built in the city, which became a shrine of both religion and education. It is to be maintained that according to the traditions prevailing throughout Europe, in the course of time, a learning institution had to appear by the church, possibly for education of future intellectuals.

In the second half of the 17^th century, Šiauliai economy was already ruled by the Sapiegos family. It is detected in the inventory of the manor, made in 1680, that in addition to windmills, there was a brewery in its area of outbuildings. It is the oldest known brewery in Lithuania, which later flourished and became significant for the economy of Šiauliai city and region, and is still operating now.

The fact that Šiauliai was an important unit of economy is proved by a road map, drawn up in 1699-1700. It was made by hired Saxon cartographers under the order of the Swedish Army that was invading the country during the Northern War. The legends of the plan show that Šiauliai was clearly distinguished as the largest urban structure of surrounding areas, where all the main roads intersected. Šiauliai church was also recorded in the map; it was clearly distinguished as the largest building.

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Jeronimas Valavičius.

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Mauricijaus Hriškevičiaus Šiaulių ekonomijos istorija (titulinis lapas).

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In Short about Šiauliai Character

Šiaulių TIC — Thu, 18 Jan 2018 22:24:19 +0000

Šiauliai land started the 13^th century as an important, one of the most significant members of the Union of Samogitians, the opinion of which was always considered. It became independent of other territories of Samogitians, but the possibility to make independent decisions later cost dearly. In the 14^th-15^th centuries, it almost disappeared from history: historical sources rarely mentioned this territory. In the 15^th century, alongside with changes in the Great Duchy of Lithuania and slight changes in its territorial boundaries, Šiauliai land turned into a rural district. Although Šiauliai land was declining, it can be stated that people who lived here were known for their strong personality, had their principles, and were not afraid to oppose both the ruler of the country and the external forces attacking the land.

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Pentinis kirvis (X–XVI a.)

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Įtveriamasis ietigalis.

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