Beyond the pogrom narrative : the Sołtan–Michelewicz Affair and the confessional transformation of Zhyrovichy

Abstract

Since the late eighteenth century, historiography has traditionally framed the 1605 murder of Itzhak Michelewicz as a quintessential manifestation of anti-Semitism within the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. This interpretation, rooted in the hagiographic work of Ignacy Stebelski, has long dominated scholarly discourse. This study argues, however, that viewing the event solely through the lens of ethnic or religious enmity results in a reductive conclusion. By resituating the Sołtan–Michelewicz conflict within the volatile socio-political and religious landscape of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, this article offers a more nuanced re-reading. Drawing on Slonim court records and Zhyrovichy property agreements, the author demonstrates that the Sołtan trial was not merely a personal dispute, but a mechanical symptom of the structural theological shifts and institutional reconfigurations triggered by the Union of Brest.