Veldamas

Veldamas (plural: "veldamai") was a form of landownership in the early stages of Lithuanian serfdom. The term describes a peasant family with its land and other belongings granted by the Grand Duke of Lithuania to his loyal followers, usually as a reward for military service.lt icon Citation| first=Zinkevičius | last=Zigmas| contribution=Lietuvos Didžiosios Kunigaikštystės kanceliarinės slavų kalbos termino nusakymo problema| title=Lietuva - Ukraina: istorija, politologija, kultūrologija medžiaga| editor-first=Neporožnia| editor-last=Nadija| coeditors=| publisher=| place=Vilnius| pages=| year=1993 | contribution-url=http://viduramziu.lietuvos.net/socium/zinkevicius1995.htm| format=| accessdate=2008-05-25 ] 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", "vėlda" and means "to rule something". Slavic texts loaned the word as велдомы. The term gradually disappeared after the Wallach reform in 1557, but it was still used in "Postilė" by Mikalojus Daukša (1599) to denote a subordinate.lt icon cite journal |title= Donum Balticum | first=Pranas |last=Skardžius | journal=Aidai |url=http://www.aidai.us/index.php?view=article&catid=51%3A7203&id=158%3Apo&tmpl=component&print=1&page=&option=com_content&Itemid=60 |date=March 1973 | volume=3 |issn=0002-208X]

Evolution

The practice was initiated by Grand Dukes Jogaila and Skirgaila, but gained popularity under Vytautas the Great in early 15th century.lt icon cite book| url=http://www.lzuu.lt/file.doc?id=17317 |format=PDF |first=Marytė Elena |last=Tarvydienė |title=Žemėtvarkos pagrindai |publisher=Lithuanian University of Agriculture |year=2007 |pages=22–24] This coincided with growing demand for agricultural products prompted by developing cities in Western Europe. Noblemen–soldiers shifted to noblemen–landlords.cite book | last=Kiaupa | first=Zigmantas | coauthors=Jūratė Kiaupienė, Albinas Kunevičius | title=The History of Lithuania Before 1795 | origyear=1995 | edition=English | year=2000 | publisher=Lithuanian Institute of History | location=Vilnius | isbn=9986-810-13-2 | pages=172–174] 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 Lithuanian nobility. Some "veldamai" were also gifted to churches.

"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.

"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 in 1434, Casimir IV Jagiellon in 1447, Alexander Jagiellon in 1492, Sigismund I the Old in 1507) released "veldamai" from their taxes to the state. [lt icon cite encyclopedia | editor=Jonas Zinkus, et. al | encyclopedia=Tarybų Lietuvos enciklopedija | title=Veldamai | year=1985–1988 | publisher=Vyriausioji enciklopedijų redakcija | volume=IV | location=Vilnius, Lithuania | pages=477] 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 privileges also 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. [cite book | last=Jakštas | first=Juozas | editor=Ed. Albertas Gerutis | others=translated by Algirdas Budreckis | title=Lithuania: 700 Years | year=1984 | edition=6th | publisher=Manyland Books | location=New York | id=LCC | 75-80057 |isbn=0-87141-028-1 | pages=68 | chapter=Lithuania to World War I] These privileges were the legal basis for serfdom.

The first Statute of Lithuania (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, Wallach reform, begun in 1557, established full-scale serfdom in the Grand Duchy. Differences between "šeimynykštis", "kaimynas", and "veldamas" disappeared.

References

Further reading

* cite book | last = Jurginis | first = Juozas | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Baudžiavos įsigalėjimas Lietuvoje | publisher = Lithuanian Institute of History | date = 1962 | location = Vilnius | id =oclc|13773276