Evoliution of the Biržuvėnai estate during the 16th century

Straipsnis skirtas Biržuvėnų dvaro, vieno buvusių iš senųjų Žemaitijos valsčių centrų, XVI a. istorijos apžvalgai. Atkreipiant akis į šios vietovės istorijos šaltinių bei tyrimų stoką, dėmesys daugiausia telkiamas į Biržuvėnų raidos iki XVI a. vidurio bendrąjį kontekstą ir į dvaro raidos kontekstą XVI a. antrojoje pusėje. Aptariamos istoriografijoje minimos galimybės šiame dvare atsirasti evangelikų maldos namams plėtojantis reformacijai. Atskirai kalbama apie dvaro savininkus - Kęstartus ir aiškinamasi, kada galima tikėtis intensyvesnės dvaro plėtros.Local investigations into the history of the region of Samogitia have not been, as yet, particularly extensive. Biržuvėnai Estate is a good illustration of such a situation. This locality, which had already been mentioned in the 13th century, was not even noted by the compilers of the recently published Universal Lithuanian Encyclopedia. And otherwise, in the historiography, without any early appearance of this place in the sources of history, it was pointed that in the 16th century there supposed to function an evangelical church or a chapel, i.e. in this place the spiritual life was in active progress. Therefore, the essential aim of this article is to seek to identify the general context of the development of the Biržuvėnai estate until the middle of the 16th century and, in lieu of the lack of any direct sources that could shed light on the possible development of an evangelical community, this article seeks to establish when the most intensive development of this estate took place; one that could allow for such an evangelical community. While discussing the evolution of Biržuvėnai up until the middle of the 16th century, it became evident that in spite of the reference to the place made in the 13th century, an increase in historical sources can be seen only in the beginning of the 16th century. Already in the 15th century, Biržuvėnai was the office of administration of the commune. The census of the peasants and their duties carried out between 1537 and 1538 shows that in respect of agriculture, Biržuvėnai appeared to be stronger than the commune of Dirvėnai, (although in 1528 only three nobles were mentioned, whereas in Dirvėnai there were twice as many). This discrepancy was apparently due to the fact that in Biržuvėnai, unlike other communities of Samogitia, quite a significant number of noblemen were not ordained officially as nobility. Thus, at the beginning of the 16th century especially good circumstances arose for the co-option of the role of leader for the governors of the Biržuvėnai commune. Simply put: they did not have any equal competition. Particularly good circumstances for the formation of the Biržuvėnai Estate in the middle of the 16th century arose as a consequence of the period of agricultural and administrative reforms during the rule of the Sebastijonas, Mikalojus and Kęstartas. The latter, apparently, gave most of his attention to the domain of Geluva. Thus, the more intensive period of development of the Biržuvėnai Estate (considering the activity of agriculture that was recorded in the books of acts of the trial of Samogitian Land), should be brought forward to the period of the rule of his son Mikalojus Kęstartas. The Kęstartai were very active in developing the process of Reformation in Samogitia, a fact recorded in the historiography. Seemingly, during the rule of Mikalojus Kęstartas there was a greater chance for the rise and formation of an evangelical community in Biržuvėnai. However, the provenance of the actual existence of this community will be possible only after the discovery of documents which could prove such a fact