Search

Historical writings concerning the structure of Prussian society in 13th-16th century Prussia traditionally distinguish among three social classes: the "great freemen", the "small freemen" and the bondmen. this rather simplified scheme, although providing an insight in Old Prussian society, still fails to provide complete information concerning importance (or lack thereof) of the role that the local people played in the land administration after the occupation of Prussian lands and the formation of the land administration by the Teutonic Order and dioceses. the present paper reveals that Prussian society of the 13th-16th centuries has in fact been much more multi-layered than the above-mentioned three-layer model and that the local people of that time played a significant role in the power hierarchy and land administration in the dioceses of Prussia and the Teutonic Order. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]