XVIII amžiaus studijos / The Eighteenth Century Studies

This article is dedicated to an analysis of the Pacowie family’s legal relations with Roman Catholic monks residing in Vilnius. Using the books of the Supreme Tribunal of Lithuania, the Tribunal of the Treasury of Lithuania, and the land and castle court of Vilnius County and additional material, the author attempts to explain the nature of the disputes and trials between the mentioned artistocrats and monastic representatives, as well as the course of these cases, reasons why they arose and how they were resolved. The 18th century was a period of decline for the Pac family; their political influence decreased. However, the aristocratic way of life demanded significant expenditures that frequently exceeded their income, with large debts weighing on a number of representatives of the Pacowie, although there were some instances of debt due from monastries in Vilnius as well. Conflicts also arose over disputed court rulings, ownership of houses in Vilnius, taxes and the misappropriation of items. When studying the Pac family’s trials, it became clear that far from all its representatives were deeply entrenched in debt. Whereas the Samogitian elder Jozéf Pac and the Vileika elder Piotr Pac were held liable in court cases against the monks particularly frequently, this was not really the case with other members of the family. In fact, some of the Pacowie maintained relatively amicable personal relations with the monastic community.