'The Forgotten Greeks': Economic and Political Specification of the Greek Diaspora in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the 16th-17th Centuries

• In Event: The Greeks of Ukraine: History and Present

Abstract

The beginning of the Greek diaspora in the cities of the Rus'ke Wojewodstwo of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was not an accidental coincidence of circumstances. Most Greek immigrants moved to this area of Eastern Europe in the second half of the 16th and 17th centuries due to commerce interests. The market segment in which the Greeks had an absolute advantage was wine. Large quantities of Malvasia, a sweet wine from Crete and adjacent territories, began to be imported to the Commonwealth, turning it into a product customary for local cuisine. 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. In Lviv's largest city in the region, the Greek people actively conducted public religious and educational activities along with the Ukrainian community in addition to economic activities. Lviv's Greeks distinguished themselves from other Greeks in the Commonwealth primarily through their participation in the affairs of the Stavropihian Brotherhood. Many of them assisted in resolving economic problems and defended the interests of Ukrainians before local Polish authorities. They were a significant element in the contacts between the institutions of the Eastern Church and the Metropolitan of Kyiv.

Author

• Ihor Lylo, U of Kansas