Fragment of the protestant history in Samogitia: evangelical reformers in Linkuva and Plonėnai in the 16th–18th centuries

Based on unpublished sources, the article elaborates on the existence of evangelical reformer communities in Linkuva and Plonėnai in the 16th–18th centuries, especially during the period of counter-reformation, when the afore-mentioned communities made up the confessional minority in Semigalia. It has been determined that the protestant churches in Linkuva and Plonėnai originated in the late 16th century – the early 17th century. The development of the church in the 17th century could be characterized by a small-scale landownership granted in the form of endowment, lawsuits with Catholics over the ownership of church buildings and with the nobility of the region over the robberies of churches and their domains, a continuous shortage of permanent priests and problematic provision of endowment-type benefits. It has been determined that the church of Linkuva had a broader land-ownership in disposition than the church of Plonėnai; the development of the two churches was highly influenced by the patronage of the noble families of Belozarai, Puzynai and Skrobovičiai, which manifested in the issue of endowment documents, testamentbased successions, care for ecclesiastical staff and frequent contacts with synods. It has been revealed that in the early 18th century, the descendants of the Puzynai family did no longer want to continue the endowment policy commenced by their ancestors. Thus, the communities of Evangelical Reformers in Linkuva and Plonėnai completely declined in the mid-18th centuryVytauto Didžiojo universitetasŠvietimo akademij