The Land Estates of the Podlodowscy, of Janina Coat of Arms, in Radom and Stężyca Counties in the 16th and the 17th Century

Abstract

The Podlodowscy, of Janina coat of arms, have already been a subject of interest for historians due to their political activities, which was led in the parliaments’ and the regional councils’ forums in the 16th and the 17th centuries. This article, however, presents a less known activity of the representatives of this family, namely the economics. Basing on the archives’ resources, i.e. from Warsaw and Radom, and the sources published in print, the estates of the Podlodowscy family, focusing in the 16th and the 17th centuries mainly on the territories within the Radom County and the Land of Stężyca, were presented. Many of the representatives of this family gathered the land estates, which allowed for including them in the group of the rich noble class (szlachta). They were the people who received magistracies and displayed the greatest political activity. Towards the end of the 17th century the house of Podlodowscy began to come to an end, which also meant the collapse of its financial position.