When Description means Control. The example of the Russian General Land Survey in eastern Latvia in 1784–1785

Bibliographic Data

ID16525497
AuthorsMelchior Jakubowski (0000-0001-9682-698X, Institute of History of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, corresponding author)
Year2022
Volume43
Issue2
Pages23-43
Publication date2022-07-03
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueLandscape History (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0143-3768 • E-ISSN: 2160-2506
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/01433768.2022.2143152
OpenAlexW4312705144
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited10

This paper is a case study of Enlightenment’s cadastral landscape recording exemplified by the General Land Survey, taken by the Russian Empire in the newly acquired region of Latgale (contemporary eastern Latvia) in 1784–1785. The surveyors scrupulously described and showed on maps many natural features, such as trees, animals, birds, and fish species, as well as provided insight into social realities by mentioning inhabitants, settlements, local place-names, religious and ethnic relations. However, it was by no means a pure reflection of Latgale’s natural and cultural landscape. The paper argues that the survey in Latgale simultaneously registered the resources, regulated property boundaries, strengthened landlords’ control over peasants, and imposed the rule of the new state. Similarly, as western and central European states, Russia needed a detailed description of the province in order to control it. It was a fundamental change for Latgale, previously belonging to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth that had not introduced any cadastre or comparable land survey, therefore performed little control at a local level

Agriculture · Arable land · Archaeology · Cadastre · Cartography · Commonwealth · Economy · Empire · Enlightenment · Geography · Human settlement · Central European and Russian historical studies · Historical and Archaeological Studies · Historical Geography and Cartography

Tools

Open DOI