Murder of Itzhak Michelewicz in Context of Religious and Political Events of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in Early 17th Century

Abstract

The established historiographical tradition considers the question of the violent death of Itzhak Michelewicz, a tenant of the estate in Zhirovichy, as yet another example of anti-Semitism on the territory of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the first half of the 17th century. Analysing this event through the stereotypical prism of anti-Jewish sentiment leads to the obvious conclusion: the only victim was a wealthy Jew, while the main culprit was his murderer, the impoverished nobleman Ivan Ivanovich Soltan. Proving that there are neither completely innocent victims nor pure-blooded villains in this case, the author examines the conflict between Soltan and Michelewicz in the wider context of political and religious events in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Based on the documents of the Slonim City Court, the author concludes that the Soltan trial was not only a private dispute between two individuals. It was primarily the result of general confessional disagreements and processes that began after the conclusion of the Union of Brest in 1596.