The “Dynastics” of Evangelical Reformed Clergy: Minvydai

Abstract

Abstract. The article is devoted to the question of the dynasties of Evangelical Reformed clergy that existed in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 16th18th centuries. Using a case study, the dynasty of the Minvydai has been analysed. This dynasty distinguished itself for his Lithuanian activities. The collective portrait of the dynasty is analysed: territorial-social origin, the size of the dynasty, the church career of individual representatives, and their activities. Particular attention is paid to the marital status and property situation of the clergy. The research sources comprise the material of the Evangelical Reformed Synod of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Radziwiłł Archive in Warsaw and others. Significant new data not only on the representatives of the dynasty, but also on the links between the family of the famous educator Jan Amos Comenius and the Minvydai family was discovered. This complements the European historiography of Comeniana. The factors that determined the existence of the dynasty of Protestant clergy have been identified.