A Database of Early Modern Tax Registers of the White Forest (Central Poland)

Abstract

This article presents a database focusing on settlement patterns, demographics, and economic transformations within one of the largest forested areas of early modern Poland, the White Forest, situated at the confluence of two significant rivers, the Narew and Bug. These waterways historically facilitated the export of grain and forest products from eastern Poland and certain regions of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. This database was compiled according to the guidelines established by the “Historical Atlas of Poland” which gathers spatially-oriented data pertinent to the historical geography of Polish lands. The database pertains to a region that was somewhat peripheral in terms of the overall national development, rendering it suitable for comparative analysis with other European regions that exhibit similar trends— intensive settlement expansion, environmental pressure in the early modern era, and a degree of distance from contemporary political and economic hubs.