- Šeimynykštis
"Šeimynykštis" (plural: "šeimynykščiai") was a class of patriarchal slaves, who did the same job and lived under the same conditions as his master and family, in the early
Grand Duchy of Lithuania .cite book | last=Kiaupa | first=Zigmantas | coauthors=Jūratė Kiaupienė, Albinas Kunevičius | title=The History of Lithuania Before 1795 | origyear=1995 | edition=English | year=2000 | publisher=Lithuanian Institute of History | location=Vilnius | isbn=9986-810-13-2 | pages=74] They had no personal freedoms and were completely dependent on the master. Unlike "kaimynas ", "šeimynykštis" did not rent land and earn their living independently.lt icon cite book| url=http://www.lzuu.lt/file.doc?id=17317 |format=PDF |first=Marytė Elena |last=Tarvydienė |title=Žemėtvarkos pagrindai |publisher=Lithuanian University of Agriculture |year=2007 |pages=17] Rather, they were members of the noble's household (the term is related to the word "šeima" – family).Some members of "šeimynykščiai", called "bernai" or "parobkai", would receive a small piece of land, called "banda", and would be allowed to established their own farm. Such arrangement was very similar to that of "
kaimynas ", but "bernai" and their families were treated as individuals and not as a single group and thus could be separated and sold individually. [lt icon cite encyclopedia | editor=Jonas Zinkus, et. al | encyclopedia=Tarybų Lietuvos enciklopedija | title=Bernai | year=1985–1988 | publisher=Vyriausioji enciklopedijų redakcija | volume=I | location=Vilnius, Lithuania | pages=236] By the end of the 16th century, whenWallach reform established fullserfdom in Lithuania, few "šeimynykščiai" were left as they merged with other classes of serfs. Slavery officially ended in 1588. [cite book | title=The Polish–Lithuanian State, 1386–1795 |first=Daniel |last=Stone |publisher=University of Washington Press | year=2001 |series=A History of East Central Europe |pages=72 |isbn=0-295-98093-1] The households relied more on free paid laborers. [lt icon cite encyclopedia | editor=Jonas Zinkus, et. al | encyclopedia=Tarybų Lietuvos enciklopedija | title=Šeimyna | year=1985–1988 | publisher=Vyriausioji enciklopedijų redakcija | volume=IV | location=Vilnius, Lithuania | pages=166] "Šeimynykščiai" were important in the early stages offeudalism (13th – mid 14th centuries) as they helped to differentiate peasants from large landowners, the future nobles.References
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