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Development of Demesne Lordship in Croatian-Slavonian Kingdom in 16th and 17th Century

The Croatian-Slavonian Kingdom has not yet been sufficiently researched in relation to the rise of early modern demesne farming. Even though significant research has been done during the 1970's, many questions remained unanswered. Aiming to answer these questions, new research concepts and methods were employed. Also, an extensive data-base was constructed, comprised of transcribed “serial historical records”. The author will present research conclusions concerning agrarian production and other social and economical phenomena, through the analysis of vast quantitative and qualitative data. This data will be inspected and analysed in the context of recently articulated theoretical framework and research concepts. One of more influential concepts is the recent critique of agrarian dualism paradigm. The development of demesne lordship and the process of refeudalisation had an overwhelming impact on early modern history (and even modern history) of East Central Europe and therefore must be systematically researched. Although European social and economic historians held for a long time that rural societies of the early modern era in Eastern and Western Europe developed along two distinctly different paths, recent historical research has shown that this theory must be revised. Revising the image of agrarian dualism in the East and the West of Europe started several decades ago. According to recent successful research, the best concept for researching agrarian societies and the development of demesne lordship, is a kind of “total” regional history which is grounded in the topography, and defining geographical features of the examined area. The research should also be narrated through the reconstruction of large amount of serial historical data. The methodology used combines quantification of serial records, a “micro-level” approach and recently described “micro-exemplary” method. The practical side of the research uses conclusions from recent extensive (part of PhD) research of two large manors and two smaller feudal holdings in north-western Croatia in the 16th and 17th century. Through this research the author will try to answer questions concerning the speed of development of demesne lordship in these feudal holdings compared to manors in the rest of Central Europe. Can we find evidence that model of feudal lordship found in this region is a consequence of special historical circumstances? To tackle these questions extensive quantitative data will be analysed. The data was obtained from an ongoing research, in which close to 30 individual pre-statistic historical documents (church tithe registries, manorial urbaria etc.) were transcribed (creating a data-base of 25.000 “logical” lines of data). This data will be used to answer key questions on agrarian production, demographics and social structure of the described feudal holdings. Besides analysing quantitative data, concept of this research includes other methodologies. For example research approach on the micro-historical level was used to reconstruct social structure. Onomastics methodology was used, not only for the purpose of topographical reconstruction, but also to present other research possibilities. This analytical and interpretative model enabled an extensive reconstruction of social and economical relations, integrating elements of both micro and macro level of historical research. Theoretical structure was also developed under the influence of recent European historiography on rural and regional history.

demesne lordship; early modern Croatian history; 16th century

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