The (Financial) Burdens on the Population of the Krzepice Starosty (Krakow Voivodeship) during the Great Northern War

Abstract

The present article focuses on the consequences of the Great Northern War (1700–1721) such as the burdens placed on the civilian population in favour of the marching troops, or temporally pausing military units of the various parties to the conflict. Usually, the Great Northern War is associated with major battles or well-known names of commanders. The article deals with the backside of the famous events and figures, i.e. with the huge numbers of civilians who shouldered the burden of providing food for the people, fodder for the animals, or money, often demanded by the military. Besides, there were numerous additional burdens placed on the civilians, such as the provision of carts or the transportation of certain products. The population of Krzepicki District (located at the junction of historical Lesser Poland and Greater Poland) constitutes an example for the undertaken topic. The inhabitants of this region experienced burdens for the benefit of the military for several years (1702–1716), and the overall amounts of their expenses were enormous, not only on the scale of individual localities, but also of the whole, impoverished borderland royal estate.