Three Galician noble families on the banks of the Bystrytsia Solotvynska in the 15th century

The article examines the nobility within the Galician region of the 15th century, focusing on the basin of the Bystrytsia Solotvynska River (located in present-day Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, Ukraine). This microregion, covering approximately 800 km2, contained a total of 13 villages, six of which were owned by Polish-origin nobles, residing outside the area. In 1461, two villages changed hands from their previous owners. By the close of the 15th century, five Orthodox families of Rusin and WaLLachian (Moldavian) origin held seven smaller villages. The history of Knegininski and Drogomiretski families, who defected to Moldavian Voivode Bogdan III in 1509, was explored by the author in a 2023 Rusin journal article. The present study analyzes the origins, familial connections, and economic standing of the three families that remained loyal to the Polish Crown in 1509: the Krekhovski, Opryszowski, and Dzhurakovski. Nearly aLL noble estates in this area were bestowed by the Polish authorities between the 1370s and the first half of the 15th century. It is possible that the ancestors of three out of these five families were individuals of intermediate status in the service of the Polish rulers. The article highlights the distinct local characteristics of the noble population in various parts of the relatively smaLL Galician territory within the Rusin Voivodeship of the Kingdom of Poland during the 15th century.

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