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Marriage networks and building of structures of power within city communities between the Drava River and the Adriatic Sea: Comparative Approach

Family ties have always played an important role in formation and development of social structures, especially in pre-modern communities. Among these ties, marriage ties were particularly important as an initial factor that glued together different families, communities, even social groups. They could be the way of integration of “new” individuals and families into the existing structures. This could be especially well observed in the leading layers of urban communities. In this paper we analyse the way marriage ties contributed to building of structures of power in the urban communities in the area between the Drava River and the Adriatic Sea. This area is situated on the border of two cultural circles - Mediterranean and Central European, which is reflected in the character of the urban settlements in this area, too. We compare how marriage ties enabled integration of immigrants within urban elites of the Adriatic coast and medieval Slavonia, as well as use of marriage as means of social climb and strategy of success within urban community, but also as a way of connecting urban elite and structure of power in the surroundings of the city and beyond. The analysis of this problem contribute to answering how different spheres of Mediterranean and Central-European influence overlapped in the area between the Drava River and the Adriatic.

social networks, marriage strategies, urban history, Dalmatia, medieval Slavonia

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