Noblemen’s land-ownership as an institute of public law in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania

Lietuvos Didžiosios Kunigaikštystės bajorų žemės nuosavybės teisės normos ir jomis sureguliuoti santykiai straipsnyje nagrinėjami remiantis suskaidytos feodalinės žemės nuosavybės teisės koncepcija, lyginant su kitais viduramžių Europos kraštais, naudojant pirminius šaltinius ir mokslo darbus.The noblemen‘s land-ownership in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania is investigated in this article on basis of historical sources and research papers in comparison with the others medieval states of Europe and in accordance with the conception of divided feudal land-ownership (by this conception an immediate owner’s right to dispose the land is limited by a superior owner’s rights to same land). Till the middle of the 15th century nobleman’s ancestral real estate (domain) was object of the Lithuanian private law owned without obligation of vassalage. An owner of domain had the freedom to dispose all his land. Since the middle of the 15th century domain step-by-step became like feud. Since 1502 an owner of domain was obliged to military service from his land and since 1529 had the right to sell only a third of land and to mortgage others two thirds. In 1566 the Second Statute of Lithuania gave the equal rights to all owners of domains and feuds. Noblemen got the freedom to dispose all their lands, but were obliged to military service from their domains which were an object of the Lithuanian public law