The nobility of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (GDL) was comprised of the brightest and most influential members of families both Lithuanian and non-Lithuanian – Goštautai (Gasztołdowie), Pacai (Pac), Radvilos (Radziwiłł), Sapieha (Sapiegos), Chodkiewicz (Chodkevičiai), Ogiński (Oginskiai), Tyszkiewicz (Tiškevičiai) and others. Their respective personal libraries witness their erudition, education, and love for collecting books – no court could prosper without a library of some kind, and prosper they did. Various manuscript documents reveal the historical beginnings of well-known dukes and nobles of GDL and witness the Lithuanian nobility become part of European high society. Noble family archives are comprised of legal documents, real estate and property management agreements, correspondence and other documents.
