CACrown ArchivesThe cinema collection
Menu
Research dossier · General Reference

Kwarta tax

in Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

Cross-disciplinary reference desk with index cards, atlas, dictionary and catalogue
General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJul 5, 2026
Entity authorityQ11751590
Source-derived summary

The kwarta (Lithuanian: kvarta) or quarter tax was a tax in Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth on all incomes from crown estates in królewszczyzna (crown lands). It was established in 1563.

Initially the rate was 1/4, hence the name, later 1/5. Its purpose was to maintain the Kwarta army. Later it was absorbed into the hiberna military-purpose tax.

Editorial summary

This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Kwarta tax” as in Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.

Editorial reviewA practical starting point whose main value is the path it opens into stronger specialist and primary sources. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1563—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. The account is most persuasive where Kwarta, Polish-Lithuanian and Commonwealth can be independently traced.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as in Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.

Evidence profile

Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 5, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q11751590. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1563.

Critical limits

Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
Verify next

The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Kwarta tax”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Kwarta tax primary sources, Kwarta tax archive and Kwarta research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Kwarta tax”?
  2. Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
  3. Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Kwarta tax” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.