Earliest registers of the private archives of the nobility of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 16th century

This article is devoted to the earliest registers of the private archives of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania nobility of the 16th century. The custom of drafting such documents developed throughout this century. Very few original noblemen’s document registers have survived, and our knowledge of them mainly comes from inscriptions in court books and from the Lithuanian Metrica acts. At the very outset of the century, books of document copies (cartularies) were written in the courts of the GDL magnates. Document inventories of the representatives of the minor nobility and gentry started appearing in the second half of the 16th century. The last quarter of the century witnessed the final formation of the inventory characteristics typical of later years. Based on the typology of documents described in the registers, registers are grouped into either general – covering the basic documentation – or partial. However, even in the general registers only the documents most important to the owner were listed. Hence, the registers of the private archives can turn into a “reality trap” reflecting but a part of the archivalia. The article also analyses the purposes of the drafting of registers