The society and economy of Poland in the 16th century

The population of Poland reached 7.5 million at the end of the Jagiellonian era. Poles, Lithuanians, Ruthenians, Jews, Armenians, Tatars, Karaites, representatives of many European countries (Germans, Italians, the Dutch), who had their own religions and customs, lived next to each other. The Commonwealth of that time was a country of many nations, cultures and religions, never becoming a country where multi-faith and multi-ethnicity would lead to open wars and bloody conflicts. Thanks to this, it earned the name of a state without stakes, and religious tolerance was a constant element of the social order. The multicultural society was divided into estates that differed in laws and were subject to separate courts: nobility (approx. 8-10%), clergy (0.2%), townspeople (approx. 25%) and peasants (approx. 65% – 70%), in addition, the so-called free people were outside the structure. Membership in the estate was determined by birth (except for the clerical estate), but it was possible to move from a lower to a higher estate. The Golden Age of the Jagiellonians was a period of economic and trade development, a time of urban expansion and a flourishing of craftsmanship. We now know this primarily from written sources. This section presents original handwritten and printed documents on the social and economic history of the Jagiellonian GoldenA ge, illustrating selected issues in this field.

Select a category

to see the exhibition

Videopodcast by prof. Marcin Wodziński

Multi-faith in the 16th-century Poland