engleski

The Role of Women in the Economic Life of Medieval Slavonian Towns as Reflected in Urban Legislation and Everyday Life

The aim of this paper is to describe the role of women in economic life in the urban settlements of medieval Slavonia, north-western part of present- day Croatia. These settlements may be divided into two basic types: free royal cities (libere regie civitates), directly dependent on the Crown and enjoying the right of self-government and legislation, and market towns (oppida), which were parts of great lordships and had limited autonomy only. The main emphasis of the paper is placed on the free royal cities of Gradec (part of present- day Zagreb) and Varaždin, because the source material for them is richer and more diverse than for other settlements in this area. The research is based on two types of sources: firstly normative (decrees of urban authorities, guild statutes), and secondly those reflecting the everyday life of these towns (city protocols, judicial records, books on property, census lists, wills, and so on). Since the statutes of medieval Slavonian cities do not exist, in my study I draw on the law book of Ilok/Újlak as the closest comparison. Although, Ilok was not part of medieval Slavonia, the similarities of lifestyle and social structure as well as human and business relations and exchanges of population allow me to suggest that legal regulations similar to those of the law book of Ilok applied to Slavonian cities as well. Such a supposition is particularly valid for Gradec, because Gradec was a tavernical city and the so-called Statute of Ilok contains the laws observed in this type of urban communities too. Urban settlements in medieval Slavonia emerged and developed during the high Middle Ages as a result of a wider European process of colonisation and economic transformation, and interests of rulers and either secular or ecclesiastical lords. The way of their foundation, the fact that the settlers came from different regions and brought their customs with them, and the economic circumstances existing in these settlements, led to the development of a peculiar legal system and economic and social relations. All of these influenced the position of women in them. In the paper, it is demonstrated the ways in which women participated in economic life of the aforementioned settlements. There are discussed different professions with which they occupied themselves, their participation in trade (where they may be found among petty sellers on markets as well as among the richest merchants), and the role of women as guild members. It is worth mentioning that names of certain professions may be found in the normative sources exclusively in their female form. It is also analysed the position of women regarding their property rights (they had the right of free disposal of their property, both during the life and after death) and their agency in the real estate market (real estate transactions of purchase or exchange). The position and role of women in the economic life is also observed with regard to their position within the family and their marital status, that is whether they were unmarried girls, married women or widows.

gender history; medieval Slavonia; economic life; women; urban settlements

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