Newly Discovered Castle Court Record Books of the Duchy of Livonia from 1679–1694 in the Lithuanian State Historical Archives
The holdings of the Lithuanian State Historical Archives (LVIA) preserve unique documents dating from the late seventeenth century, including judicial oaths written in Latgalian in 1688 and 1692. These oaths were published as early as 1907 by the archivist Janis Sprogis (1835–1916) and subsequently attracted the attention of Latvian scholars. Their original manuscripts, however, remained unknown for many years.
Several years ago, while arranging the Collection of Old Acts, Aleksandr Baniusevič, a long-time senior archivist at the LVIA, identified four previously unknown castle court record books of the Duchy of Livonia dating from 1679–1694. The books had been preserved within the archival fonds of the courts of Ukmergė County. This discovery is of exceptional significance not only for Lithuanian scholarship but also for the international historical research community.
For nearly a century, these court books had effectively been lost to scholarly circulation. The surviving documents provide new insights into the activities of the courts of the Duchy of Livonia in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the history of archival collections, and the past of the Latgale region. The judicial oaths written in Latgalian are among the earliest surviving written monuments of the language.
The significance of the discovery is discussed in detail by Aleksandr Baniusevič in his article, “Newly Discovered Castle Court Record Books of the Duchy of Livonia from 1679–1694 in the Lithuanian State Historical Archives”, published in History / Istorija, the electronic journal of Vytautas Magnus University. The author emphasises that these hitherto largely unstudied and unpublished documents shed new light on the history of Livonia and of Latgale, a region that is now part of Latvia.
To learn more about this important discovery and its historical significance, read Aleksandr Baniusevič’s article. You can access the article [here].
Last updated: 03-06-2026
Related news:
Updated List of Digitized Files of the Lithuanian State Historical Archives
From the Archives: The Founding Documents of Vilnius University
List of Lithuanian State Historical Archives Funds Published in EAIS
2025 Review: Digital Discoveries and New Opportunities at the Lithuanian State Historical Archives