1528 census of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania

The census of 1528 was the first census carried out in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It was not a true census since it had limited scope: it only sought to count peasant households (Lithuanian: dūmas) for military purposes. The Grand Duchy used a conscript army where Lithuanian nobles were required to provide one soldier per each 16 or 20 households owned.[1] Therefore, the state needed to count such households to know whether a noble fulfilled his military duty. The next census was conducted in 1565.

Background and results

The Muscovite–Lithuanian Wars brought first substantial territorial losses and caused a fundamental shift in the military. Instead of being a privilege that brought profit from war loot and career opportunities in newly acquired territories, military service became an expensive duty in defense of the motherland.[2] Each soldier had to provide his own weapons, armor, horse, and food. The nobles made their living off agriculture and looked for ways to shirk their army responsibilities.[2] The state needed ways to enforce the conscription and started keeping detailed lists and inventories of who reported for duty and who did not. These inventories were made at the time and location of army gathering. In 1528, scribes visited nobles and their properties to count and verify the number of peasant households.[2] The First Statute of Lithuania codified the procedures of reporting for military duty.[2]

The census determined the maximum size of the army. Nobles could provide about 20,000 cavalrymen, magnates and city dwellers could provide additional 10,000.[1] Because the census counted only households, it is difficult to extrapolate the number of residents. German Werner Conze estimated 1.3 million residents. Henryk Łowmiański and Jerzy Ochmański pointed out that Conze did not account for Grand Duke's and church lands that were not counted in the census and increased the estimate to more than 2 million residents.[3]

Wealthiest magnates

Largest magnates based on the number of dependent households[4]

Rank	Noble / noble family	Soldiers	Households
1	Kęsgailos	768	12288
2	Radziwiłł	760	12160
3	Albertas Goštautas	466	7456
4	Yuri Olelkovich	433	6928
5	Konstanty Ostrogski	426	6816
6	Astikai	338	5408
7	Hlebowicz	279	4464
8	Zabrzeziński	258	4128
9	John of the Lithuanian Dukes	236	3776
10	Piotr Kiszka	224	3584
11	Aleksander Chodkiewicz	201	3216
12	Sanguszko	170	2720
13	Ilinicz	160	2560
14	Sapiega	153	2448
15	Bohowitynowicze	138	2208
16	Zenowiewicze-Korsakowie	138	2208
17	Korsakowie	137	2192
18	Zenowiewicze	136	2176
19	Kostewicze	126	2016
20	Paweł Holszański	122	1952
21	Niemirowicze	115	1840
22	Chrebtowicze	112	1792
23	Mikołaj Pac	97	1552

References

1. Petrauskas, Rimvydas; Kiaupienė, Jūratė (2009). Lietuvos istorija. Nauji horizontai: dinastija, visuomenė, valstybė (in Lithuanian). IV. Baltos lankos. p. 327. ISBN 978-9955-23-239-1.
2. Lesmaitis, Gediminas (2011–2013). "LDK pašauktinės kariuomenės surašymas". Orbis Lituaniae (in Lithuanian). Vilnius University. Retrieved 2014-11-27.
3. Vaitiekūnas, Stasys (2006). Lietuvos gyventojai: Per du tūkstantmečius (in Lithuanian). Vilnius: Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidybos institutas. p. 51. ISBN 5-420-01585-4.
4. Ochmański, Jerzy (1982). Historia Litwy (in Polish) (2nd ed.). Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich. p. 106. ISBN 9788304008861.