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Research Methods
To the larger part, the dissertation is an analytical and statistical analysis
of social and economic structure of the 16 th century Samogitian private
manors based on local micro-analytical research combined with the comparative
contexts of European manorial development. The theoretical and
methodological basis of the thesis comprises of historical-economic
analysis of land-ownership forms and their structure, which applies the
principles of “long-term” processes and continuity of the “modern historiography”
introduced by the Annales School. Linguistic, typological and
correlative-regressive methods were also employed for the reconstruction
of the purpose of these economic objects, their structures and change
dynamics.
Structure of the Dissertation
The thesis consists of the introduction, five chapters, conclusions,
references and annexes. The first chapter discusses the theoretical
framework of the topic under analysis. The second chapter consists of
the analysis of development of the medieval European land-ownership
and manorial system as well as the factors determining its local developmental
characteristics. Such approaches provide the opportunity to
better understand the circumstances of the manorial development in
the GDL and Samogitia and make it possible to integrate it to the
theoretical considerations of European historiography and, once all the
differences are harmonised, apply the theoretical model to the 16 th
century Samogitian manor. The third chapter distinguishes two levels
of interpretation of the manor: theoretical and practical. Their analysis
led to create and apply the organisational scheme of Samogitian manors
of that time as economic objects. The fourth chapter is dedicated
to the discussion of personnel structure of the 16 th century private
manors in Samogitia and its characteristic features. The fifth chapter
discusses the key and most significant economic branches and crafts
of private manors and analyses manorial production and its specific
features.
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