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Veldamas (plural: ''veldamai'') was a form of landownership in the early stages of Lithuanian
serfdom Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism, and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery, which deve ...
. The term describes a peasant family with its land and other belongings granted by the
Grand Duke of Lithuania The monarchy of Lithuania concerned the monarchical head of state of Kingdom of Lithuania, Lithuania, which was established as an Absolute monarchy, absolute and hereditary monarchy. Throughout Lithuania's history there were three Duke, ducal D ...
to his loyal followers, usually as a reward for military service. The peasant retained ownership of his property, including land, but owed taxes and levies imposed by the noble. ''Veldamas'' was a middle stage between '' laukininkas'' (a free peasant) and a serf. The term ''veldamas'' is derived from Lithuanian word ''veldėti'', ''valda'' and means "to rule something". East Slavic texts loaned the word as велдомы. The term gradually disappeared after the
Volok Reform Volok may refer to: * Volok (unit), a unit of land measurement * Volok Reform, land reform in the 16th-century Grand Duchy of Lithuania People with the surname * Bill Volok (1910–1991), American football player * Ilia Volok (born 1965), Russian ...
in 1557, but it was still used in ''Postilė'' by
Mikalojus Daukša Mikalojus Daukša (other possible spellings include ''Mikalojus Daugsza'', pl, Mikołaj Dauksza and ''Mikolay Dowksza''; after 1527 – February 16, 1613 in Medininkai) was a Lithuanian and Latin religious writer, translator and a Catholic churc ...
(1599) to denote a subordinate.


Rights

''Veldamai'' were different from '' kaimynai'', a class of peasants also under control of the nobles, as ''kaimynai'' did not own their land and had to rent it from the nobles. ''Veldamai'' had some personal freedoms and rights. Their daughters could marry anyone their families approved upon a payment of ''kriena'', a wedding tribute to the noble. The nobles could not usurp their property, including land, animals, and tools, or transform them into a '' šeimynykštis'', a type of patrimonial slaves. The nobles could not buy or exchange ''veldamai'' without official approval from the Grand Duke of his officials. A series of privileges to the nobles restricted ''veldamai'' right to move or buy their freedom: they could not leave to estates of other nobles or of the Grand Duke. The nobles were also granted the right to decide court trials involving ''veldamai'' as the Grand Duke promised not to interfere. These privileges were the legal basis for
serfdom Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism, and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery, which deve ...
.


Evolution

The practice was initiated by Grand Dukes Jogaila and
Skirgaila Skirgaila ( la, Schirgalo; be, Скіргайла; pl, Skirgiełło, also known as Ivan/Iwan; ca. 1353 or 1354 – 11 January 1397 in Kiev (Kyiv); baptized 1383/1384 as ''Casimir'') was a regent of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania for his broth ...
, but gained popularity under
Vytautas the Great Vytautas (c. 135027 October 1430), also known as Vytautas the Great ( Lithuanian: ', be, Вітаўт, ''Vitaŭt'', pl, Witold Kiejstutowicz, ''Witold Aleksander'' or ''Witold Wielki'' Ruthenian: ''Vitovt'', Latin: ''Alexander Vitoldus'', O ...
in early 15th century. This coincided with growing demand for agricultural products prompted by developing cities in Western Europe. Noblemen–soldiers shifted to noblemen–landlords. Soldiers were no longer satisfied with sharing spoils of war and demanded land ownership, which would provide steady income during years of peace. Vytautas put ''veldamai'' system into use when he centralized the state by replacing local princes with loyal governors, owning their fortune to the Grand Duke. Persons awarded ''veldamai'' became members of the
Lithuanian nobility The Lithuanian nobility or szlachta ( Lithuanian: ''bajorija, šlėkta'') was historically a legally privileged hereditary elite class in the Kingdom of Lithuania and Grand Duchy of Lithuania (including during period of foreign rule 1795–191 ...
. Some ''veldamai'' were also gifted to churches. ''Veldamai'' were put into difficult position as they owed taxes both to the state (''sidabrinė'' – tax in silver and ''dėkla'' – tax in grain) and their local noble. A series of privileges by the Grand Dukes (by
Sigismund Kęstutaitis Sigismund Kęstutaitis ( lt, Žygimantas I Kęstutaitis, pl, Zygmunt Kiejstutowicz; 136520 March 1440) was the Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1432 to 1440. Sigismund was his baptismal name, while his pagan Lithuanian birth name is unknown. He was ...
in 1434,
Casimir IV Jagiellon Casimir IV (in full Casimir IV Andrew Jagiellon; pl, Kazimierz IV Andrzej Jagiellończyk ; Lithuanian: ; 30 November 1427 – 7 June 1492) was Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1440 and King of Poland from 1447, until his death. He was one of the m ...
in 1447,
Alexander Jagiellon Alexander Jagiellon ( pl, Aleksander Jagiellończyk, lt, Aleksandras Jogailaitis; 5 August 1461 – 19 August 1506) of the House of Jagiellon was the Grand Duke of Lithuania and later also King of Poland. He was the fourth son of Casimir IV Jag ...
in 1492, Sigismund I the Old in 1507) released ''veldamai'' from their taxes to the state. All the income ''veldamai'' produced was owned by the noble, but ''veldamai'' retained other duties to the state, like building and repairing roads, bridges, or castles. The first
Statute of Lithuania The Statutes of Lithuania, originally known as the Statutes of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, were a 16th-century codification of all the legislation of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and its successor, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Stat ...
(1529) confirmed the privileges granted to the nobles and discontinued the tradition of creating new ''veldamai''. In 1547 peasants lost the right to buy or sell their land. Eventually,
Volok Reform Volok may refer to: * Volok (unit), a unit of land measurement * Volok Reform, land reform in the 16th-century Grand Duchy of Lithuania People with the surname * Bill Volok (1910–1991), American football player * Ilia Volok (born 1965), Russian ...
, begun in 1557, established full-scale serfdom in the Grand Duchy. Differences between ''šeimynykštis'', ''kaimynas'', and ''veldamas'' disappeared.


References


Further reading

* {{Lithuanian peasant classes History of Lithuania (1219–1569)