WEST EUROPEAN FELTS IN THE DISTRICT OF SUZDAL’ DURING THE LATER 16th – EARLY 17th CENTURY

Many sources contain data concerning the mass export of not only expensive but also comparatively cheap cloth to Russia. Unfortunately, the circle of customers of the latter was unclear for a long time. The introduction into scientific discourse of the documents from the archive of the Suzdal’s monastery of Intercession of the Virgin – numerous complaints of robbed people – allows us to sufficiently accurately determine the circle of the consumers of the cheaper West European cloth at the territory of the district (uyezd) of Suzdal’. The analysis demonstrated that such cloth was accessible for small landowners and their servants, priests, tradespeople, serfs of prosperous landowners, and in a number of cases even to wealthy peasants. This cloth was acquired even during the economic ruin of the later 16th century. This indicates a substantial volume of West European textile export to Russia. In the district of Suzdal’ the cloth was almost exclusively from England.

the district of Suzdal’, West European felts, landowners, clerks and servants, serfs, priests, tradespeople, peasants