Bajorijos archyvų gaisrai XVI a. Lietuvos Didžiojoje Kunigaikštystėje

The 16th-c. private archives of the Lithuanian nobility were subject to constant losses. Despite the growing importance of documents, the owners struggled to physically preserve larger or smaller collections of papers. One of the key reasons of the archives’ destruction in the 16th c. was frequent fires caused by various factors – from thunder to attacks on manor estates. Fires would often destroy a half or even a larger portion of a private archive. Noblemen had the possibility of restoring their rights set forth in the destroyed documents. Under the established procedure, they were obligated to report a fire and only after that and with the help of witnesses and under a personal oath could expect approval of the lost documents or extracts. Although that required a fairly large amount of time and money, as well as convincing proof, the number of those seeking to have their documents restored was growing