Material Resource of Officials of Kyiv and Volhynian Lands in the Middle of the XVI Century
Authors:   The National University of Ostroh Academy (Ukraine, Ostroh), Kulakovsky Petro 
Published: October 2021

The article analyzes such an important aspect of the functioning of offices in Ukrainian lands of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, as material support. The focus is on positions that have survived the Lithuanian era and continued to be distributed by monarchs after the Union of Lublin in 1569. The central place was occupied by the palatinus (voivode), which, however, existed only in the Kyiv region. The Kyiv voivode had considerable resources at his disposal, which were of territorial origin can be divided into three groups. The first was income from their voivodship in uniform taxes, privilegia, and duties, which burdened various segments of society in Kyiv. The second group was formed at the expense of the Grand Duke for voivode preferences for the collection of tribute from territories that have not traditionally been within the jurisdiction of Kyiv voivode. The source of the third group was the goodwill of the Grand Duke in Vilna. The funds of this group were allocated directly from the states thesaurus. Already the very structure of income of the head of the Kyiv region indicates a permanent lack of resources for providing various functions assigned to it and primarily related to defense and diplomatic missions to the Crimea. Hence the need for periodic and sometimes constant subsidies aimed at the effective implementation of the voivode’s responsibilities. From this point of view, the position of the capitaneus, especially of the Southern Kyiv region, looked a little better. Significant profits were brought to them by tributes from trapers and Cossacks, various duties, including court, business taxes on the territory of old age. Indirect income was also given by labor duties imposed on the local population. The degree of subordination of these elders to the voivode was relatively insignificant. The institute of capitaneus in Volhyn was even more important given the absence in the region such a government as a voivode. Marshal of the Volhynian land, who was a conditional analog of the Kyiv voivode, had only military power in the region, and his income depended on capitaneatus, which went complete with the office of marshal (Lutsk or Volodymyr). The governments of the claviger, praefectus castrorum, and pontonarius functioned in both regions of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Their power was concentrated in the key castles of both lands – Kyiv, Lutsk, Volodymyr, Kremenets and the jurisdiction of the locksmith concerned the tenuta – settlements within the old age, the income from which should have gone to public needs. The influence of crown law should be explained by the appearance of vexillator and tribunus, whose activities involved little material support. The reform of 1565–1566 marked the beginning of the work of the succamerarium and terrestre judicium, which became the organs of the gentry municipality. Activities of chanceries and presence of officials there included in the terrestris hierarchy – succamerarius, terrestris judex, subjudex, and notarius, provided for the provision of judicial, notarial, and surveying services on a paid basis. In general, the material support of the governments of the Ukrainian lands of the Grand Duchy Lithuanian was not systematic. Often, especially concerning Kyiv voivode, the prince approved the decision on additional funding from the treasury. Reform 1565–1566 did not add organization in this regard. Instead, it was a plus regulation of sources of funding for newly formed governments – succamerarius, terrestris judex, subjudex, and notarius.