Armenian Tradesmen’s Share in Wine Trade in Piotrków in the 17th and 18th Centuries

In the 17th and 18th the patriciate in P iotrków amassed fortune due to profits from wine trade activity. The profits also were going to A rmenian pockets, as A rmenian tradesmen were settling in town. The preserved sources, however scarce, help trace A rmenian commercial activity and define its status on the local wine market. A t that time the following A rmenian families dealt in wine: the A ugustynowicz, the A ntoniewicz, the Derjakubowicz, the Balsamowicz, and the M uradowicz. A s Greek commercial competitors grew stronger, A rmenians gradually moved to other urban centres. Both Greek and I talian tradesmen soon came to replace them in P iotrków. They used to dominate that market in the 16th century.