„Bread for the praiseworthy”. The inspection of the Crown lands in the Mościska District in 1627

In ancient Poland Crown lands constituted the “bread for the praiseworthy”, and they were granted by the king for broadly defined services for the mothercountry. Leasing and managing these properties was very profitable – after making the payments due to the Treasury, a Starost (a head of a district) would keep the rest. Thus, the starosts would try to maximise their profits. Studying the history of the districts one should make a note of the enforcement movement from the second half of the 16th century whose objective was to limit the free distribution of the state properties, a phenomenon characteristic of the Jagiellonian dynasty which tried to strengthen its position on the throne of Poland. Pursuant to the decision of the Sejm, from time to time the inspections of the respective districts were carried out, and the appointed (and sworn to office) inpectors made inventories of the properties and checked whether the starosts fulfilled their financial obligations to the Treasury regularly and accurately. One of the several hundred of districts of the Republic of Poland was the Mościska district, within the Przemyśl lands, in the Ruthenian Voivodeship, at first rich, but later ravaged due to the frequent Tatars’ raids.The inspection carried out in 1627 provides the picture of that district, the town of Mościska and the neighbouring villages. The annex includes this document, preserved as a copy from 1713. What must be emphasised is its importance for the research not only into the districts themselves but into the history of the eastern territories of Poland.

In ancient Poland Crown lands constituted the “bread for the praiseworthy”, and they were granted by the king for broadly defined services for the mothercountry. Leasing and managing these properties was very profitable – after making the payments due to the Treasury, a Starost (a head of a district) would keep the rest. Thus, the starosts would try to maximise their profits. Studying the history of the districts one should make a note of the enforcement movement from the second half of the 16th century whose objective was to limit the free distribution of the state properties, a phenomenon characteristic of the Jagiellonian dynasty which tried to strengthen its position on the throne of Poland. Pursuant to the decision of the Sejm, from time to time the inspections of the respective districts were carried out, and the appointed (and sworn to office) inpectors made inventories of the properties and checked whether the starosts fulfilled their financial obligations to the Treasury regularly and accurately. One of the several hundred of districts of the Republic of Poland was the Mościska district, within the Przemyśl lands, in the Ruthenian Voivodeship, at first rich, but later ravaged due to the frequent Tatars’ raids.The inspection carried out in 1627 provides the picture of that district, the town of Mościska and the neighbouring villages. The annex includes this document, preserved as a copy from 1713. What must be emphasised is its importance for the research not only into the districts themselves but into the history of the eastern territories of Poland.