Etniczne i językowe zróżnicowanie osadnictwa na zachodnich obrzeżach Wielkiego Księstwa Litewskiego na podstawie spisu włościan w Inwentarzu starostwa tykocińskiego z 1573 roku
Ethnic and linguistic differences in settlements on the western Edge of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, on the basis of the record of the peasantry in the Tykocin District Inventory of 1573

Summary/Abstract: This paper presents the differing ethnic and linguistic character of the settlements of the western part of the former Lithuanian Grand-Duchy, today the Podlaskie Voivodeship, occupying the land between the river Narew and its tributary, the Ślina. The area was settled by Eastern and Western Slavs as well as Lithuanians. The basis of this research is the manuscript The Tykocin District Inventory of 1573, collated by Łukasza Górnicki, Starost of Tykocin, secretary, librarian and scribe to King Zygmunt August. On the basis of analysis of the record of the peasantry in 18 villages and farms of that district, a breakdown of the ethnic and linguistic composition of the area is given. The largest group were the Eastern and Western Slavs, with slightly fewer Lithuanians and Yotvingians. The Lithuanian-Russian governors under the authority of Trakai – the Glińskis, the Radziwiłłs and the Gasztołds – brought Lithuanians and Belarusians from their possessions in Lithuania and on the river Neman to the land and royal properties of Podlasie. Research on the ethnicity and language of the peasants is based on an analysis of the orthography and etymologies of anthroponyms.

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