Lylo I. Greeks in the territory of Rus’ke Wojewodstwo in 15th – 18th c.

This text focuses on the question of how Greek immigrants from the Venice Rupublic and Ottoman Empire has active in the Ru’ske Wojewodstwo of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwelth in 15-18th centuries. In addition to material contributions and other influences Greeks also had numerous contacts with Easter Orthodox Church centres and active cooperation with the local Ukrainian community. The role of Greeks in the dissemination of Orthodox and Eastern Mediterranean culture in the area along the common borders of present Romania, Poland and Ukraine is not very known still. However it is the book that sheds light on some particular aspects of the historical and sociocultural processes of this region of Europe. The reason Greeks moved to the territory of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was commerce. The noble and wealthy burghers began to spend more on luxury goods such as textiles from southern Europe and the Middle East. With the help of caravans, they brought favorite items from the Genoa trade offices in the Crimean peninsula and the territories of Turkey or the Middle East. Residents of the Commonwealth gradually became accustomed to using spices, wine, textiles, and rugs in their everyday lives. The Greek diaspora of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was formed mainly from people who left the Greek territories under the rule of Venice. They lived for many years in the Catholic community, where they were able to preserve their religious, linguistic and ethnic identity, which made their transition to a new homeland easier. Moreover, once they were settled, they were met with the support of the local Orthodox community. The Greeks and Ukrainians were remarkable situational allies and each group received benefits from this association: the Greeks helped Ukrainians in the conduct of economic activity. Ukrainians strengthened the Greek community through the support of wealthy and authoritative members. The Greeks paid a large part of the taxes they spent on building urban infrastructure and defense facilities. By the end of the 18th century, however, despite the preservation of well-known families in the Rus'ke Wojewodstwo, attempts to form local Greek diasporas in this part of Central-Eastern Europe had mostly ended.