- Department of Archaeology, History, Cultural Studies and Religion
University of Bergen
Øysteins gate 3
Postboks 7805
5020 Bergen, Norway - +47 55 58 31 31
- University of Zurich, Switzerland, Department of History, University of Zurich, Department Memberadd
- Central European history, Habsburg Studies, Republic of Venice, Venetian Stato da mar, Economic History, Early Modern History, and 18 moreHistory of Political Thought, Early Modern Europe, Austrian History, European History, European Studies, East European studies, South East European Studies, Central and Eastern Europe, Social History, Digital History, Urban History, Transnational History, History of Everyday Life, Entangled History, Migration Studies, HISTORY OF CRIME AND LAW, History of Crime and Punishment, and Digital Humanitiesedit
- I am a historian of Central and Eastern Europe at the University of Bergen, Norway. I received my Ph.D. from the Univ... moreI am a historian of Central and Eastern Europe at the University of Bergen, Norway. I received my Ph.D. from the University of Graz in 2011 and obtained the Habilitation in Early Modern and Modern History from the University of Zurich in 2018. Before joining UiB, in 2020, I have taught for ten years at the history departments at the Universities of Zurich and Fribourg, as well as held the István Deák Visiting Professorship in East Central European Studies at Columbia University in 2018.
My research focuses on post-medieval Central and Eastern Europe (c. 1350-1850), and I am particularly interested in urban-rural relations, administrative, bureaucratic, and constitutional changes ("ABC history"), and state transformation, by which is meant the emergence, and change over time, of the European national state. I am the author of two books: Urban Elites of Zadar (2013); and Europas Habsburgisches Jahrhundert (2018). My next book will be Lordship and State Transformation: Bohemia and the Habsburg Monarchy from the Thirty Years War to the War of the Spanish Succession, expected in 2022.
Currently, I am investigating the diffusion of state authority into the rural periphery of Habsburg Lower Austria from the late eighteenth century to the advent of constitutional rule in 1860s, exploring the role of non-state actors as state-builders, the patterns of patterns of transition, and the social factors influencing them.
Apart from my own research, my contribution to the field include expertise for the EU Commission’s Research Executive Agency (Marie Curie-Skłodowska fellowships), the Polish National Science Centre (Narodowe Centrum Nauki), and the Swiss National Science Foundation, as well as serving on the international editorial board of Atti (published by the Centre for Historical Research in Rovinj/Rovigo, Croatia) and as peer-reviewer for Annales: Histoire, Sciences Sociales, Archivio Veneto, and the Zeitschrift für Kunstgeschichte, among others.edit
This textbook details how the Habsburg dynasty emerged as the most important and most powerful of Europe's aristocratic families. Covering the reigns of emperors Frederick III (r. 1452-92), Maximilian I (r. 1508-19), and Charles V (r.... more
This textbook details how the Habsburg dynasty emerged as the most important and most powerful of Europe's aristocratic families. Covering the reigns of emperors Frederick III (r. 1452-92), Maximilian I (r. 1508-19), and Charles V (r. 1519/30-58), this book is a first attempt to construct a transnational and transimperial account of events and developments that span at least three different historiographic traditions (Austrian, German, and Spanish) and both the Old and New Worlds. In going beyond the traditional periodisation, I am in effect arguing that the decades between 1450 and 1550 constituted an era of great fluidity, which contributed to the Habsburg dynasty's meteoric rise, but, equally so, once the shock of the new confessional and geographical realities had been overcome, early modern history evolved along more traditional paths.
NOTE that this is a preview as the book itself appears in print on October 29, 2018.
NOTE that this is a preview as the book itself appears in print on October 29, 2018.
Research Interests:
Most accounts of the First World War closely follow events and the main protagonists as the struggle to control a situation that is quickly spiralling out of control. By contrast, the essays in this volume, based on the papers presented... more
Most accounts of the First World War closely follow events and the main protagonists as the struggle to control a situation that is quickly spiralling out of control. By contrast, the essays in this volume, based on the papers presented at the eponymous international conference at the Municipal Archivs in Karlsruhe, Germany, from November 22-24, 2016, approach the Great War from the point of view of urban history and contains a number of case studies from Germany, Austria-Hungary, and France. Articles are in German, French, and English, including English-language abstracts a well.
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For the first time in German-language historical research, this volume, based on the papers presented at the eponymous international conference at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, from November 27-29, 2015, achieves two main things:... more
For the first time in German-language historical research, this volume, based on the papers presented at the eponymous international conference at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, from November 27-29, 2015, achieves two main things: first, we provide a first suggestion how to conceive of world cities, metropolises, and mega cities in a diachronous fashion and investigate a selection of places from classical Antiquity to the early 21st century; and, second, while most of the essays focus on European experiences, our pioneering approach also purportedly proposes an analytical framework (esp. Clemens Zimmermann's programmatic introduction on 11-28) that can be applied in a synchronous way as well. The essays, focusing on, among others, Rome and Alexandria, Byzantium and Istanbul, London, Hamburg, Vienna, Paris, Berlin, and Moscow, also include case studies on Potosí and Los Angeles, are in German, but we included English-language abstracts a well.
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This book examines economic, geographical, and social mobility in the early modern Adriatic by focusing on the urban elites of Zadar during the crucial decades between the naval battles of Preveza (1538) and Lepanto (1571). The city, then... more
This book examines economic, geographical, and social mobility in the early modern Adriatic by focusing on the urban elites of Zadar during the crucial decades between the naval battles of Preveza (1538) and Lepanto (1571). The city, then known as Zara, was the nominal capital of Venice’s possessions in the Adriatic, and was a major hub for commerce, communication, and exchange.
This case study aims at three aspects of everyday life along the frontiers of Latin Christianity during the apogee of Ottoman dominance in the Mediterranean. First, it analyses early modern communication, network density, and the protagonists’ interactions in the Adriatic. This analysis is based, for the first time, on procura contracts, resulting in a more nuanced picture of Venetian dominion. Next, it examines Zadar’s property markets in an investigation of the economic developments in Dalmatia during the sixteenth century. The third part focuses on the streets of Zadar and the interaction of its diverse inhabitants – nobles, citizens, residents, and foreigners alike.
This book also uses a new conceptual approach of a Venetian Commonwealth, an entity based not only on hard power, allegiance, and domination, but also on cultural diffusion, shared knowledge, and collective experiences that shaped everyday life in all of Venice’s possessions. Sixteenth-century Zadar serves as an example of such a Venetian Commonwealth that encompassed the city itself, allowed for the inclusion of all neighbouring communities, and fit into the larger framework of the Republic of Venice.
This case study aims at three aspects of everyday life along the frontiers of Latin Christianity during the apogee of Ottoman dominance in the Mediterranean. First, it analyses early modern communication, network density, and the protagonists’ interactions in the Adriatic. This analysis is based, for the first time, on procura contracts, resulting in a more nuanced picture of Venetian dominion. Next, it examines Zadar’s property markets in an investigation of the economic developments in Dalmatia during the sixteenth century. The third part focuses on the streets of Zadar and the interaction of its diverse inhabitants – nobles, citizens, residents, and foreigners alike.
This book also uses a new conceptual approach of a Venetian Commonwealth, an entity based not only on hard power, allegiance, and domination, but also on cultural diffusion, shared knowledge, and collective experiences that shaped everyday life in all of Venice’s possessions. Sixteenth-century Zadar serves as an example of such a Venetian Commonwealth that encompassed the city itself, allowed for the inclusion of all neighbouring communities, and fit into the larger framework of the Republic of Venice.
Research Interests:
Review essay about G. Michels, The Habsburg Empire under Siege: Ottoman Expansion and Hungarian Revolt in the Age of Grand Vizier Ahmed Köprülü, 1661-76 (Montreal, 2021), incl. a historiographic review. Georg Michels, professor of... more
Review essay about G. Michels, The Habsburg Empire under Siege: Ottoman Expansion and Hungarian Revolt in the Age of Grand Vizier Ahmed Köprülü, 1661-76 (Montreal, 2021), incl. a historiographic review.
Georg Michels, professor of history at the University of California, Riverside, has written a wonderful book that, while a substantial contribution to the field of Habsburg Studies, also affords the reader a panoramic view of East Central and South-Eastern Europe in the late seventeenth century. As such, it is an exemplary piece of scholarship both on account of the author’s attention to a myriad of details as well as Michels’ reconstruction of (Upper) Hungary’s far-reaching entanglements well beyond the frontiers of the Realm of St Stephen…[the] book meticulously avoids any ideological pitfalls while, at the same time, he documents in no uncertain terms the plight and misfortunes suffered by ordinary individuals in a highly contested area. As such, The Habsburg Empire under Siege is Microhistory at its best, in particular given the trajectories of the past generation of scholarship on these matters. Hence, the volume is also both right on time and fills an important gap in the relevant literature.
Georg Michels, professor of history at the University of California, Riverside, has written a wonderful book that, while a substantial contribution to the field of Habsburg Studies, also affords the reader a panoramic view of East Central and South-Eastern Europe in the late seventeenth century. As such, it is an exemplary piece of scholarship both on account of the author’s attention to a myriad of details as well as Michels’ reconstruction of (Upper) Hungary’s far-reaching entanglements well beyond the frontiers of the Realm of St Stephen…[the] book meticulously avoids any ideological pitfalls while, at the same time, he documents in no uncertain terms the plight and misfortunes suffered by ordinary individuals in a highly contested area. As such, The Habsburg Empire under Siege is Microhistory at its best, in particular given the trajectories of the past generation of scholarship on these matters. Hence, the volume is also both right on time and fills an important gap in the relevant literature.
Research Interests:
This essay examines the everyday life of Šime Budinić (1530/35-1600) and his assumed family ties from the 1540s to 1565. Scholarly attention so far has focused on his later theological and humanistic endeavours, and little is known about... more
This essay examines the everyday life of Šime Budinić (1530/35-1600) and his assumed family ties from the 1540s to 1565. Scholarly attention so far has focused on his later theological and humanistic endeavours, and little is known about his formative years and the decade he spent working as a notary. Based on new archival evidence, this essay adds to our knowledge about him and provides new insights into the early life and times of this Dalmatian humanist.
Combining previously unknown primary sources written by Budinić and his fellow notaries, the present contribution utilises approaches developed by social historians during the last quarter of the twentieth century (microhistory, Alltagsgeschichte) to reconstruct the extent and depth of Budinić's interactions. This approach unearthed new evidence of the Budinić family's possessions and ties to Zadar's urban elites. Investigation of the notarial records revealed a complete absence of archival evidence linking Šime to the rest of the Budinić family, which suggests that Šime Urlić's initial interpretation may be deemed more plausible than Stjepan Antoljak's later amendments. In addition, this approach is used to reconstruct Šime Budinić's »topography of everyday life«, his activities revealing a number of points of departure for future research within (and beyond) the Venetian Adriatic.
Combining previously unknown primary sources written by Budinić and his fellow notaries, the present contribution utilises approaches developed by social historians during the last quarter of the twentieth century (microhistory, Alltagsgeschichte) to reconstruct the extent and depth of Budinić's interactions. This approach unearthed new evidence of the Budinić family's possessions and ties to Zadar's urban elites. Investigation of the notarial records revealed a complete absence of archival evidence linking Šime to the rest of the Budinić family, which suggests that Šime Urlić's initial interpretation may be deemed more plausible than Stjepan Antoljak's later amendments. In addition, this approach is used to reconstruct Šime Budinić's »topography of everyday life«, his activities revealing a number of points of departure for future research within (and beyond) the Venetian Adriatic.
Research Interests:
This essay offers insights into Renaissance Dalmatia’s intellectual elites by focusing, first, on individual experiences to derive, second, general trends about their socio-economic group behaviour. While these include known individuals... more
This essay offers insights into Renaissance Dalmatia’s intellectual elites by focusing, first, on individual experiences to derive, second, general trends about their socio-economic group behaviour. While these include known individuals like Brne Karnarutić, Federik Grisogono, and Šime Budinić, the author argues that we should also include their less-prominent neighbours to arrive at a fuller understanding of their activities throughout, and in some cases beyond, the Venetian Adriatic, thereby revealing new insights into the private lives of Dalmatia’s intellectuals, including interpersonal and spatial ties. Based on original research of primary sources preserved in the Croatian State Archives in Zadar, new insights into a field of research dominated by Renaissance Dalmatia’s urban elites are gained by widening the scope of enquiry and by including differentiations such as class, education, and gender to identify behavioural patterns.
Research Interests: Renaissance History, Renaissance Studies, Renaissance Humanism, Intellectual History of the Renaissance, 16th Century (History), and 11 moreVenetian History, Microhistory, Early Modern economic and social history, Dalmatian history, Adriatic Sea, 16th century Venice, Microhistoria, History of the Adriatic, History of Venice, Dalmatia, and Entangled History
This essay focuses on the consequences of fiscal-financial arrangements during the War of the Spanish Succession. Using the example of Bohemia in the Habsburg mon- archy, I demonstrate that taxation and borrowing had integrative as well... more
This essay focuses on the consequences of fiscal-financial arrangements during the War of the Spanish Succession. Using the example of Bohemia in the Habsburg mon- archy, I demonstrate that taxation and borrowing had integrative as well as disintegra- tive consequences, which come into view only from a perspective outside the court and when reconstructed from below the social elites. This essay’s focus on local actors and regional interlinkages offers new insights and a complementary perspective to the established field of state formation.
Research Interests: Military History, Economic History, Early Modern History, Czech History, State Formation, and 13 moreCentral European history, Habsburg Studies, Early Modern Europe, Microhistory, Social History, History of Everyday Life, Early Modern economic and social history, Fiscal History, Bohemia, Central and Eastern Europe, Early State Formation, Economic and Social History, and Nation building and State making
This essay examines the consequences of the wars of Leopold I. Whereas the diffusion of the “fiscal-military state” thesis transformed our understanding of central institutions over the past three decades, most studies focusing on early... more
This essay examines the consequences of the wars of Leopold I. Whereas the diffusion of the “fiscal-military state” thesis transformed our understanding of central institutions over the past three decades, most studies focusing on early modern state development employ top-down perspectives. By contrast, I am interested in the interlinkages of war and taxation on the regional and local levels in one of the monarchy’s core lands, Bohemia, and how they relate to the ongoing processes of centralisation. Based on the premise that individual actions and structural developments entail differing consequences for central institutions and the geographically more remote areas, this essay argues that state integration in the centre was accompanied by decreasing of cohesion on and control over the lower administrative levels. The Eggenberg possessions around Krumau serve as the basis for an in-depth case study, out of which emerges that the establishment of the Habsburgs’ fiscal-financial-military regime led to added, not reduced institutional complexity due to the composite nature of traditional patrimonial domination, or Herrschaft.
Research Interests: Military History, Economic History, Early Modern History, Czech History, Rural History, and 11 moreState Formation, Administrative History, Central European history, Habsburg Studies, Early Modern Europe, Social History, Early Modern economic and social history, Bohemia, Central and Eastern Europe, Economic and Social History, and Habsburg Monarchy in the 18th century
This essay investigates the unknown episode of the fiscal-financial history of Bohemia during the reign of Joseph I (1705–1711) and considers its disintegrative consequences. These events played out against the background of the –... more
This essay investigates the unknown episode of the fiscal-financial history of Bohemia during the reign of Joseph I (1705–1711) and considers its disintegrative consequences. These events played out against the background of the – well-known – role of the Jewish “court factors” of Leopold I. At the height of War of the Spanish Succession, the emperor found himself threatened by the French and by the Rákóczi-led Hungarian War of Independence in the east. With empty state coffers, Joseph in 1706/07 turned to the Bohemian diet and proposed to negotiate a loan of 1,333,333 gulden with a consortium of Jewish bankers from Würzburg and Frankfurt am Main, which was to be underwritten by future tax revenues. In exchange the Bohemian diet conferred upon the financiers the right to collect the outstanding sums. This de facto ‘outsourcing’ of royal prerogatives to a third (foreign) party led to a series of entanglements and disputes, which are investigated from the perspectice of the Eggenberg domains in Southern Bohemia. Reconstructing the interrelated consequences that tied together Prague, Würzburg, and Český Krumlov, this episode offers insights into into the little-known realities of the fiscal-financial activities of the Bohemian diet around 1700.
Research Interests: Economic History, Early Modern History, Administrative History, Habsburg Studies, Financial History (History), and 7 moreHistory of Communication, Early Modern economic and social history, Central European Studies, Fiscal History, Bohemia, Central and Eastern Europe, and War of the Spanish Succession
Recent decades witnessed the ‘return’ of the state in mainstream historiographic discourse. This development was greatly facilitated by the contemporaneous demise of histories of everyday life and social history in general as well as the... more
Recent decades witnessed the ‘return’ of the state in mainstream historiographic discourse. This development was greatly facilitated by the contemporaneous demise of histories of everyday life and social history in general as well as the seemingly unstoppable emergence of early modern ‘fiscal-military state[s]’. In combination, this dual shock reinforced the already-existing biases, i.e., History’s focus on the Courts’ great men, military and political affairs, and the nascent milieus of the urban bourgeois circles. Given the prevailing foci of Crime History—gender, age, and social status—, theft and punishment, especially so outside the afore-mentioned spatial circumstances, continue to remain blind spots in both ‘statist’ and crime-related historical inquiries.
By contrast, my essay looks at the intersections of these fields of research. Using the large and composite Bohemian possessions of the princes of Eggenberg, centred around Český Krumlov in the present-day Czech Republic, as an example, I am investigating instances of thievery around 1700. The Bohemian Lands, situated both in the heart of Central Europe as well as on the periphery of the Habsburg monarchy (Bohemia was the Emperor’s richest crown land yet, in many ways, far away from Vienna), constitute the context for my argument: State integration, understood as elite processes that gradually re-ordered social relations outside the urban centres and milieus, was accompanied by loss of social cohesion and often (in-) directly encouraged the transgression of norms by the majority of people due to economic stress, exploitation, and the struggle for bare survival. Thanks to this approach, certain reciprocities about the two certainties of life, ‘death and taxes’, with Daniel Defoe and Benjamin Franklin, that are usually overlooked or ignored by both historiographic traditions, become visible once again.
By means of carefully analysing the relevant sources such as initial reports by village judges, interrogation protocols, correspondence by princely officials, ducal decrees, and the like, the following questions are addressed: What drove rural subjects to break the law? How did both local and higher authorities as well as the victims and neighbours react to these acts of thievery? And, lastly, what were (are) the implications of investigating such records that, at least in the Bohemian context, stand to be incorporated into the larger framework of early modern crime history?
By contrast, my essay looks at the intersections of these fields of research. Using the large and composite Bohemian possessions of the princes of Eggenberg, centred around Český Krumlov in the present-day Czech Republic, as an example, I am investigating instances of thievery around 1700. The Bohemian Lands, situated both in the heart of Central Europe as well as on the periphery of the Habsburg monarchy (Bohemia was the Emperor’s richest crown land yet, in many ways, far away from Vienna), constitute the context for my argument: State integration, understood as elite processes that gradually re-ordered social relations outside the urban centres and milieus, was accompanied by loss of social cohesion and often (in-) directly encouraged the transgression of norms by the majority of people due to economic stress, exploitation, and the struggle for bare survival. Thanks to this approach, certain reciprocities about the two certainties of life, ‘death and taxes’, with Daniel Defoe and Benjamin Franklin, that are usually overlooked or ignored by both historiographic traditions, become visible once again.
By means of carefully analysing the relevant sources such as initial reports by village judges, interrogation protocols, correspondence by princely officials, ducal decrees, and the like, the following questions are addressed: What drove rural subjects to break the law? How did both local and higher authorities as well as the victims and neighbours react to these acts of thievery? And, lastly, what were (are) the implications of investigating such records that, at least in the Bohemian context, stand to be incorporated into the larger framework of early modern crime history?
Research Interests:
Often treated as Crime History’s proverbial ‘poor relation’, I am arguing that extrajudicial settlements were not restricted to the privileged and more fortunate social groups. Instead, I demonstrate that such settlements were in fact... more
Often treated as Crime History’s proverbial ‘poor relation’, I am arguing that extrajudicial settlements were not restricted to the privileged and more fortunate social groups. Instead, I demonstrate that such settlements were in fact more diffused throughout the Venetian Commonwealth, and, as such, they may even be considered characteristics of everyday life that transcended social, economic, and geographical provenances. In doing so, I am addressing the following main questions: (a) what constitutes such ‘infrajudicial’ dealings and (b) how could this concept, derived with respect to Old Regime France (Benoît Garnot), be made useful in the context of the Republic of St Mark, long considered one of the prototypes of pre-modern ‘rule of law’? (c) How and under which circumstances may additional differentiations such as class, education, and gender be useful categories of inquiry? By juxtaposing experiences and practices of Venetian subjects from all social backgrounds, new insights into a field of research dominated by traditional approaches derived from legal history stand to be gained.
Research Interests: Early Modern History, Sociology of Crime and Deviance, Early Modern Europe, 16th Century (History), Social History, and 10 moreHistory of Everyday Life, Early Modern economic and social history, HISTORY OF CRIME AND LAW, Dalmatian history, Venetian possessions in the Eastern Mediterranean, Adriatic Sea, Venice, 16th century Venice, History of Crime and Punishment, and History of Venice
This essay, a brief overview in English of the main findings of my recently completed professorial thesis, focuses on the crucial role of the lordship in Habsburgs' attempts of state formation from the Thirty Years'War to Charles VI.... more
This essay, a brief overview in English of the main findings of my recently completed professorial thesis, focuses on the crucial role of the lordship in Habsburgs' attempts of state formation from the Thirty Years'War to Charles VI. During these decades, Austria became a great power, mostly from accident, helped by the unintended consequences of an ill-conceived Ottoman assault on Vienna in 1683. This essay focuses on the usually overlooked by-products of state formation in early modern composite monarchies, administrative confusion and social disruptions. Using the example of Bohemia and contrary to most books available, which employ a top-down perspective, my approach is based on two different premises: First, individual actions and structural developments convey different-and differing-consequences for central institutions vis-à-vis those occurring contemporaneously in more remote areas. And, second, state integration, understood as an elite-driven process emanating from a centre, is accompanied by countervailing and at times opposing trends whose consequences only increased with geographical distance. War thus gives rise to a certain kind of state formation, which was accompanied by the contemporaneous disintegration and loss of cohesion outside the centre. This essay explores, how, as the government tried to cope with war-induced stresses, its actions started to tear apart the administrative and social fabric that held society together.
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Das Aufeinandertreffen von Residenz und städtischem Gemeinwesen, oftmals – üblicherweise – von divergierenden Interessen geprägt, stellt im altständischen Europa keinen Einzel- sondern vielmehr den Regelfall dar. Dieser Beitrag trägt... more
Das Aufeinandertreffen von Residenz und städtischem Gemeinwesen, oftmals – üblicherweise – von divergierenden Interessen geprägt, stellt im altständischen Europa keinen Einzel- sondern vielmehr den Regelfall dar. Dieser Beitrag trägt diesem Spannungsfeld zwischen fürstlichen Machtansprüchen und kommunaler Eigenständigkeit Rechnung und fokussiert die wechselvollen Verflechtungen von Herrschaft und Stadt Krumau (heute: Český Krumlov) um 1700. Diese Auswahl fußt auf folgenden drei zentralen Überlegungen: Erstens liegt der südböhmische Raum in einem zweifachen 'Randgebiet', das sowohl durch die ambivalente Position Böhmens innerhalb des Alten Reiches als auch durch Krumaus verhältnismäßig abseitige geographische Lage rund 140 Kilometer südlich von Prag beziehungsweise circa 165 Kilometer nordwestlich von Wien (jeweils Luftlinien) charakterisiert ist. Zweitens stellen die fokussierten Besitzungen Johann Christian von Eggenbergs gerade deswegen eine (halbe) Ausnahme dar, da das gegenüber der gleichnamigen Stadt hoch ob der Moldau gelegene Schloss Krumau seit Anfang des 17. Jahrhunderts nicht mehr Residenz war und dies ‚erst‘ ab der Mitte der 1660er Jahre erneut wurde. Drittens stellte die verneuerte Präsenz des Fürsten alle involvierten Akteure – dessen Verwalter, die Stadt und ihre Bürger sowie die übrigen Untertanen – vor eine Reihe von Herausforderungen, die zudem im Kontext des frühneuzeitlichen Verdichtungsschubs von Herrschaft und Staatlichkeit um 1700 zu betrachten sind; insofern stellt das Wechselspiel lokaler (die Herrschaft Krumau), regionaler (die böhmischen Kreis- und Landesämter) und überregionaler Zusammenhänge (die gesamte zusammengesetzte Habsburgermonarchie – aber auch der Status der Eggenberg als Reichsfürsten) einen ebenso essentiellen Bestandteil dar.
Der vorgeschlagene Beitrag orientiert sich jedoch nicht an der traditionellen Perspektive von 'oben' sondern nähert sich den Verflechtungen zwischen Stadt und Herrschaft vornehmlich aus dem Blickwinkel der fürstlichen beziehungsweise städtischen Verwaltung an. Die Fallstudie fokussiert die Krumauer Residenzjahre des letzten (männlichen) Eggenberger Fürsten, Johann Christian, und basiert auf Material aus dem herrschaftlichen und dem städtischen Archiv und thematisiert die folgenden Fragen: An welchen Fragen entzündeten sich Konflikte zwischen Stadt und Herrschaft, die angesichts der vielfachen Kriege Leopolds I. zudem steigenden Steuerforderungen aus Prag und Wien unterworfen waren? Wie und vermittels welcher Instrumentarien beziehungsweise Medien verliefen derartige Auseinandersetzungen jenseits der oftmals ebenso dichotomisch wie idealtypisch charakterisierten Streitfälle zwischen Fürst und Untertan? Welche Akteure und Handlungsspielräume standen den Konfliktparteien zur Verfügung und inwiefern, wenn überhaupt, unterschieden sich diese von vergleichbaren Situationen mit anderen dem Eggenberger Fürsten ebenso untertänigen Körperschaften? – Eine derartige Annäherung erlaubt es, die traditionellen Zugänge, die ja vorrangig die Möglichkeiten und, seltener, Grenzen staatlicher Machtentfaltung in den Mittelpunkt stellen, zu erweitern. Dadurch wiederum können neue Erkenntnisse gewonnen werden, die eine nuanciertere Rekonstruktion der vielfältigen Verflechtungen und Kontaktsituationen von lokalem Wissen und sozialen Praktiken ermöglichen.
Der vorgeschlagene Beitrag orientiert sich jedoch nicht an der traditionellen Perspektive von 'oben' sondern nähert sich den Verflechtungen zwischen Stadt und Herrschaft vornehmlich aus dem Blickwinkel der fürstlichen beziehungsweise städtischen Verwaltung an. Die Fallstudie fokussiert die Krumauer Residenzjahre des letzten (männlichen) Eggenberger Fürsten, Johann Christian, und basiert auf Material aus dem herrschaftlichen und dem städtischen Archiv und thematisiert die folgenden Fragen: An welchen Fragen entzündeten sich Konflikte zwischen Stadt und Herrschaft, die angesichts der vielfachen Kriege Leopolds I. zudem steigenden Steuerforderungen aus Prag und Wien unterworfen waren? Wie und vermittels welcher Instrumentarien beziehungsweise Medien verliefen derartige Auseinandersetzungen jenseits der oftmals ebenso dichotomisch wie idealtypisch charakterisierten Streitfälle zwischen Fürst und Untertan? Welche Akteure und Handlungsspielräume standen den Konfliktparteien zur Verfügung und inwiefern, wenn überhaupt, unterschieden sich diese von vergleichbaren Situationen mit anderen dem Eggenberger Fürsten ebenso untertänigen Körperschaften? – Eine derartige Annäherung erlaubt es, die traditionellen Zugänge, die ja vorrangig die Möglichkeiten und, seltener, Grenzen staatlicher Machtentfaltung in den Mittelpunkt stellen, zu erweitern. Dadurch wiederum können neue Erkenntnisse gewonnen werden, die eine nuanciertere Rekonstruktion der vielfältigen Verflechtungen und Kontaktsituationen von lokalem Wissen und sozialen Praktiken ermöglichen.
Research Interests:
This essays looks at the manifold entanglements in the Renaissance Adriatic, in particular focusing on Venice’s Dalmatian possessions. Situated along the frontiers of the Catholic-Italianate cultural sphere, the central argument is that... more
This essays looks at the manifold entanglements in the Renaissance Adriatic, in particular focusing on Venice’s Dalmatian possessions. Situated along the frontiers of the Catholic-Italianate cultural sphere, the central argument is that neither mobility, nor communication, widely understood, were restricted to the more privileged social groups. I am arguing, however, that both were essential aspects of everyday life and thus phenomena that transcend social, economic, and geographical provenances.
In doing so, the following main questions to be addressed are: What were the spatial ranges of individuals living in the Venetian Adriatic? How and in which context did these 'topographies of everyday life' differ from each other (i.e., were there class/status or gender divisions)? What were the individuals' geographic ranges, in particular emphasis on those further down the social ladder. Thus a more nuanced interpretation of "the central paradox of Venetian history" (Martin and Romano 2000, 21) becomes a possibility. [Note that the essay is available in German "only").
In doing so, the following main questions to be addressed are: What were the spatial ranges of individuals living in the Venetian Adriatic? How and in which context did these 'topographies of everyday life' differ from each other (i.e., were there class/status or gender divisions)? What were the individuals' geographic ranges, in particular emphasis on those further down the social ladder. Thus a more nuanced interpretation of "the central paradox of Venetian history" (Martin and Romano 2000, 21) becomes a possibility. [Note that the essay is available in German "only").
Research Interests: Croatian History, Microhistory, Migration Studies, Social History, History of Everyday Life, and 9 moreHistory of Communication, Dalmatian history, Adriatic Sea, Histoire Croisée, 16th century Venice, Venetian Stato da mar, History of Venice, History of Media and Communication, and Entangled History
The present paper highlights the potential of procuratorial appointments for the reconstruction of ‘communication’ in Venice during the Late Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period. The approach is twofold: First, to present the... more
The present paper highlights the potential of procuratorial appointments for the reconstruction of ‘communication’ in Venice during the Late Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period. The approach is twofold: First, to present the advantages of including the procurae in the study of premodern communication precisely because of their suitable characteristics. Special emphasis is laid upon the potential for quantitatively analysing this particular notarial act within the framework of the Venetian Stato da mar. In the second part, a number of examples drawn from the instrument books of the city’s notaries, preserved in the Croatian State Archive in Zadar, serve to illustrate the value of the procuratorial appointments for future studies.
Research Interests: Medieval History, Early Modern History, Legal History, Communications History, Migration Studies, and 10 moreHistory of Communication, Migration History, Early Modern Italy, Dalmatian history, Adriatic Sea, Western Balkans, 16th century Venice, Venetian Stato da mar, History of Venice, and Renaissance Italy
This study investigates encounters in the early modern Adriatic, in particular focusing on the Venetian possessi- ons. The predominantly Catholic Dalmatian cities were incorporated into the Venetian maritime state around the turn of the... more
This study investigates encounters in the early modern Adriatic, in particular focusing on the Venetian possessi- ons. The predominantly Catholic Dalmatian cities were incorporated into the Venetian maritime state around the turn of the fteenth century and were home to small but bustling communities of merchants, companies of sailors, and soldiers. During the sixteenth century, Dalmatia was both the frontline of Catholicism and a valuable turno- ver hub for goods, ideas, and people. As the Ottomans continued their advance, life within the crammed forti- cations, threatened by bandits, disease, and pirates was tenuous at times. Despite these conditions, cooperation across the many fault lines dividing early modern Europe never ceased. The study uses a microhistorical approach to source material from the rich Croatian State Archive in Zadar and presents selected examples of cooperation, the bending of norms, and everyday life.
Research Interests: Early Modern History, Italian (European History), Italian Studies, Legal History, Renaissance History esp Venice, Veneto and empires, and 11 moreSocial History, Early Modern Italy, Dalmatian history, Adriatic Sea, 16th century Venice, Venetian Stato da mar, History of the Adriatic, History of Venice, Early modern venice, Renaissance Venice, and Venice and Its Maritime Empire
Der Beitrag hat das Militär und seine Einbettung in die venezianische Gesellschaft im Stato da mar während des 16. Jahrhunderts zum Thema. Als Herrin großer Besitzungen im östlichen Mittelmeerraum (Dalmatien, Kreta, Zypern) befand sich... more
Der Beitrag hat das Militär und seine Einbettung in die venezianische Gesellschaft im Stato da mar während des 16. Jahrhunderts zum Thema. Als Herrin großer Besitzungen im östlichen Mittelmeerraum (Dalmatien, Kreta, Zypern) befand sich die Markusrepublik direkt an der Grenze des Christentums und des Osmanischen Reiches. Eine Reihe kriegerischer Auseinandersetzungen mit der Hohen Pforte führte nach dem Fall Konstantinopels (1453) zu einer kontinuierlichen Militarisierung der venezianischen Besitzungen. Die Konsequenzen dieser Entwicklungen bis auf den heutigen Tag im Adriaraum deutlich sichtbar. Neben den imposanten Befestigungsanlagen lassen sich die militärische Mobilisierung und ihre Auswirkungen auf das tägliche Leben in diesem Grenzraum anhand der reichhaltigen Archivbestände nachvollziehen.
Die zweite venezianische Herrschaft über Dalmatien erstreckte sich vom 15. Jahrhunderts bis zum Untergang der Markusrepublik (1797). Zur Absicherung ihrer Herrschaft und zur Verteidigung gegen die Osmanen wurde eine Reihe an Gegenmaßnahmen ergriffen. Zum einen bedeutete dies die Stationierung leichter, mobiler Kavallerieeinheiten (stradioti) zur Verteidigung des Hinterlandes; zum anderen bewirkte dies den massiven Ausbau der Befestigungsanlagen, was wiederum höhere Truppenstärken, aber auch signifikante Investitionen in die lokale Wirtschaft bedeutete.
Der Beitrag geht demnach besonders den folgenden Fragen nach: Wie lassen sich die (temporären) Migrationsprozesse der Soldaten, Handwerker und Kommandanten innerhalb des „venezianischen Kommunikationsraums“ (Oliver Schmitt) im Adriaraum nachvollziehen? Welche Ressourcen standen den lokalen Befehlshabern zu Verteidigungszwecken zu Verfügung, woher kamen diese Gelder und wie wurden diese eingesetzt? Welche konkreten Auswirkungen hatte die durch die osmanische Expansion hervorgerufene Militarisierung zum einen auf das Alltagsleben der städtischen Gemeinwesen? Und wie wirkten sich diese Entwicklungen zum anderen auf die Institutionen und Mobilitätsprozesse innerhalb des venezianischen Herrschaftsbereiches aus?
Die zweite venezianische Herrschaft über Dalmatien erstreckte sich vom 15. Jahrhunderts bis zum Untergang der Markusrepublik (1797). Zur Absicherung ihrer Herrschaft und zur Verteidigung gegen die Osmanen wurde eine Reihe an Gegenmaßnahmen ergriffen. Zum einen bedeutete dies die Stationierung leichter, mobiler Kavallerieeinheiten (stradioti) zur Verteidigung des Hinterlandes; zum anderen bewirkte dies den massiven Ausbau der Befestigungsanlagen, was wiederum höhere Truppenstärken, aber auch signifikante Investitionen in die lokale Wirtschaft bedeutete.
Der Beitrag geht demnach besonders den folgenden Fragen nach: Wie lassen sich die (temporären) Migrationsprozesse der Soldaten, Handwerker und Kommandanten innerhalb des „venezianischen Kommunikationsraums“ (Oliver Schmitt) im Adriaraum nachvollziehen? Welche Ressourcen standen den lokalen Befehlshabern zu Verteidigungszwecken zu Verfügung, woher kamen diese Gelder und wie wurden diese eingesetzt? Welche konkreten Auswirkungen hatte die durch die osmanische Expansion hervorgerufene Militarisierung zum einen auf das Alltagsleben der städtischen Gemeinwesen? Und wie wirkten sich diese Entwicklungen zum anderen auf die Institutionen und Mobilitätsprozesse innerhalb des venezianischen Herrschaftsbereiches aus?
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is essay examines the roles of notaries as intermediaries between the ecclesiastical and temporal spheres in Zadar, then the capital of Venice’s Adriatic possessions. My focus is on the economic and social relationships between notaries... more
is essay examines the roles of notaries as intermediaries between the ecclesiastical and temporal spheres in Zadar, then the capital of Venice’s Adriatic possessions. My focus is on the economic and social relationships between notaries and urban society during the middle of the century. e essay’s main emphasis is not on the city’s arch- bishops, exclusively Venetian patricians as they were, but instead on notaries and their ecclesiastical customers. By utilizing the rich archival holdings of the Croatian State Archives in Zadar, I investigate the interactions of members of the cathedral chapter and examine their membership status, economic activities, and their formal and in- formal processes of exchange, as well as various linkages between these functionaries and the city’s inhabitants.
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The article gives an overview of the mercantile community of the city of Zadar (Zara) in the mid-sixteenth century. The city, then the capital of Venice‘s Albanian-Dalmatian double province, has been chosen because of its multi-ethnic and... more
The article gives an overview of the mercantile community of the city of Zadar (Zara) in the mid-sixteenth century. The city, then the capital of Venice‘s Albanian-Dalmatian double province, has been chosen because of its multi-ethnic and poly-confessional society, embedded into the larger framework of the imperial possessions of the Republic of St Mark. Situated at the peripheral frontiers of Latin Europe, the Adriatic elements of the Stato da mar constituted multi-facetted and dynamic urban societies existing in-between the two universal monarchies Spain and the Ottoman Empire, with often overlapping cultural, ethnic, and religious contexts. The timeframe of the proposed paper will not exceed the Cyprus War (1570 to 1573), as a number of border changes and the events leading up to the establishment of the Scala di Spalato in the 1590s significantly eroded Zadar‘s status as a commercial hub.
In a first step the size and origins of the city‘s merchants are detailed based upon the protocols of Zadar's public notaries, preserved in the local branch of the Croatian State Archives. Then their interactions with the local noblemen, artisans, and commoners as well as their potential integration into the host culture are analysed. In addition, the codified communal law, first published in Venice in 1563, provides the legal framework for the mercantile endeavours of the merchants of the Adriatic. Taken together, the methods, sources, and geographical location shed new light upon the trading communities in early modern Dalmatia, a region which, so far, has yet to attract renewed interest by the scientific community.
In a first step the size and origins of the city‘s merchants are detailed based upon the protocols of Zadar's public notaries, preserved in the local branch of the Croatian State Archives. Then their interactions with the local noblemen, artisans, and commoners as well as their potential integration into the host culture are analysed. In addition, the codified communal law, first published in Venice in 1563, provides the legal framework for the mercantile endeavours of the merchants of the Adriatic. Taken together, the methods, sources, and geographical location shed new light upon the trading communities in early modern Dalmatia, a region which, so far, has yet to attract renewed interest by the scientific community.
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Der hier dargestellten Nachbarschaftskonflikt zwischen dem Dritten Orden des Hl. Franziskus und einem benachbarten Handwerker in Zadar, der Hauptstadt des venezianischen Dalmatiens, um die Mitte des 16. Jahrhunderts, thematisiert das... more
Der hier dargestellten Nachbarschaftskonflikt zwischen dem Dritten Orden des Hl. Franziskus und einem benachbarten Handwerker in Zadar, der Hauptstadt des venezianischen Dalmatiens, um die Mitte des 16. Jahrhunderts, thematisiert das Spannungsfeld von Fäkalien und ihrer Entsorgung im städtischen Kontext. Der Grund für die Auseinandersetzung war, dass der Dritte Orden des Hl. Franziskus ein neues necessarium samt dazugehörigem Ablauf entlang einer gemeinsamen Hausmauer anlegen wollte. Da der betroffene Nachbar Schäden durch Fäkalien auch an dem von ihm bewohnten Haus befürchtete, wandte er sich an die zuständigen Behörden. Um sich den Problemen des alltäglichen Zusammenlebens in vormodernen Städten gleichsam auf Straßenniveau anzunähern, wird der 1564 schwelende Nachbarschaftsstreit aus einer mikrohistorischen Perspektive untersucht.
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Das Konzept des kulturellen Austauschs bietet seit etwa drei Jahrzehnten eine Klammer für viele neue Methoden, Fragestellungen und Perspektiven in der Geschichtswissenschaft. Darunter fallen etwa Untersuchungen zum Transfer materieller... more
Das Konzept des kulturellen Austauschs bietet seit etwa drei Jahrzehnten eine Klammer für viele neue Methoden, Fragestellungen und Perspektiven in der Geschichtswissenschaft. Darunter fallen etwa Untersuchungen zum Transfer materieller Güter, die Vermittlung von Ideen oder Migrationsbewegungen. Die Erforschung dieser Übertragungs- und Austauschphänomene zählt demnach auch zu den fruchtbarsten historischen Forschungsfeldern der letzten Jahrzehnte, an deren Anfang der wegweisende Tagungsbands Transferts (Espagne/Werner 1988) stand. Seither ist eine Vielzahl an thematischen, methodischen beziehungsweise theoretischen Beiträgen erschienen, die den Austausch, Transfer und die Umdeutung kultureller Phänomen thematisieren. Was als grenzüberschreitende wissenschaftliche Tagung zu den Konsequenzen der kulturellen Ausstrahlung Frankreichs zu beiden Seiten des Rheins begann, entwickelte rasch eine gewisse Eigendynamik, die zu immer mehr, sich immer weiter verzweigenden Forschungsansätzen geführt hat.
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The present article investigates the interplay between the institutional framework of the Venetian Stato da mar and the commercial practices in the early modern Adriatic. Using the example of the city of Zadar, then known as Zadar and the... more
The present article investigates the interplay between the institutional framework of the Venetian Stato da mar and the commercial practices in the early modern Adriatic. Using the example of the city of Zadar, then known as Zadar and the capital of Venice’s dual province of Dalmatia-Albania, the following issues are discussed : In a first step the integration of the merchants into the social fabric of urban society is discussed, placing special emphasis upon the interactions between the judicial framwork as detailed in the city’s statutes and business practices. In the second part, a number of examples drawn from the protocol books of Zadar’s notaries, preserved in the Croatian State Archive in Zadar, is presented to illustrate the intricacies of commercial exchange in sixteenth-century Dalmatia.
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This essay surveys communication flows across the Mediterranean, in particular across the Adriatic during the 16th century. By analysing a type of contract that has all but escaped scholarly so far – procura contracts – questions... more
This essay surveys communication flows across the Mediterranean, in particular across the Adriatic during the 16th century. By analysing a type of contract that has all but escaped scholarly so far – procura contracts – questions pertaining to migratory patters, communication flows, and directions of travelling are addressed. Despite their relative uniformity and the variety of useful information they contain, such procura contracts from the capital of Venice's Dalmatian possessions, Zadar/Zara, are analysed. In many instances this particular kind of contract contains geographical, economic, religious, and/or social provenances of the stipulating parties as well as the destinations of the appointees. Thus procura contracts are imminently suitable for both quantitative and qualitative network analysis.
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This essay investigates the ways and means of self-representation of noblewomen of Zadar/Zara around the mid-16th century. The comparatively large number of ego-documents, in particular codicils, suggests a certain flexibilities and... more
This essay investigates the ways and means of self-representation of noblewomen of Zadar/Zara around the mid-16th century. The comparatively large number of ego-documents, in particular codicils, suggests a certain flexibilities and routines in dealing with one’s own death (and one's own post-mortem remembrance). Hence questions about the self-representation and strategies of individual noblewoman about their ceremonial burial practices, pious donations, the etc. are answered.
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Review (in German, English version forthcoming) of S. Messina's recent synthesis.
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Since the publication of Thomas Piketty's hefty study on the modern period, interest in distributive matters has increased markedly. Guido Alfani's and Matteo di Tullio's study is one of the recent additions to the literature that... more
Since the publication of Thomas Piketty's hefty study on the modern period, interest in distributive matters has increased markedly. Guido Alfani's and Matteo di Tullio's study is one of the recent additions to the literature that enlarges this field of research to the early modern period. Exemplarily focused on the Republic of Venice between 1500 and 1800, the authors track the long-term distribution of wealth inequality and investigate the role of the emerging fiscal state in these matters.
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This book, based on Elizabeth Hardman’s PhD thesis (Fordham Univer- sity, 2010), is a very dense study of the ecclesiastical court and its dealings with deviant behavior in the fifteenth-century town of Carpentras, set in the Comtat... more
This book, based on Elizabeth Hardman’s PhD thesis (Fordham Univer- sity, 2010), is a very dense study of the ecclesiastical court and its dealings with deviant behavior in the fifteenth-century town of Carpentras, set in the Comtat Venaissin part of the papal possessions east of Avignon . Hardman analyzes both criminal and civil records from the 1480s as well as the accompanying notarial record, and the results are a very valuable addition to the larger field of the crime history, which tends to focus more on the prominent regions and tends to stay comparatively clear of ecclesiastical jurisdictions such as the diocese of Carpentras, France . A church court, or consistory court, can be considered a special jurisdiction that has been identified virtually all over late medieval Europe (14) . Focusing on the extant sources from the 1480s, Hardman’s book offers a detailed case study of everyday church and court life in southwestern France, and her very readable analysis invites the reader to accompany a number of individuals as they appear in front of the church court .
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Review of Duncan Hardy's recent monograph on what he calls the "associative culture" of the late medieval Empire, exemplified by a number of case studies deriving from Upper Germany
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Review article of the recent volume on rural servants, edited by Jane Whittle. Text in German "only".
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Combined review of two recent German biographies focused on Austria-Hungary's penultimate emperor-king, Francis Joseph I (r. 1848-1916), by Karl and Michaela Vocelka and Christoph Schmetterer, respectively. Text in German "only".
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A review of William Godsey's recent monograph about the transposition of John Brewer's "fiscal-military state" model to the core province of the early modern Habsburg monarchy, Lower Austria. Please note that in the time between my... more
A review of William Godsey's recent monograph about the transposition of John Brewer's "fiscal-military state" model to the core province of the early modern Habsburg monarchy, Lower Austria.
Please note that in the time between my submission of the review and its publication, Franz L. Fillafer's review ( doi
10.1515/hzhz-2019-1495) of the same book was published as well; it is not noted in my review, hence this short note.
Please note that in the time between my submission of the review and its publication, Franz L. Fillafer's review ( doi
10.1515/hzhz-2019-1495) of the same book was published as well; it is not noted in my review, hence this short note.
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Since the cultural turn, social and economic history has taken a backseat to more fash- ionable approaches such as entanglements, migration, and symbols. Long considered one of the hallmarks of the post-1945 historiographic shift away... more
Since the cultural turn, social and economic history has taken a backseat to more fash- ionable approaches such as entanglements, migration, and symbols. Long considered one of the hallmarks of the post-1945 historiographic shift away from big-men history, the study of conjonctures and structures (Fernand Braudel) has receded considerably in recent decades. This collection, to a certain point, stands somewhere between these two poles and is a welcome addition to the literature on pre-modern urban communities.
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One of the few collections so far that approach a topic transregionally, this volume contains a number of valuable essays on Bavarian, Bohemian, and Silesian history--a must-read for (East) Central Europeanists!
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The collected works of social historian Manfred Vasold, now in one volume, incl. updates to some of his most important contributions.
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This collection assesses two of the three large, composite empires of Central and East Central Europe, the Holy Roman Empire and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (the third would be the Habsburg monarchy, omitted in this case). The... more
This collection assesses two of the three large, composite empires of Central and East Central Europe, the Holy Roman Empire and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (the third would be the Habsburg monarchy, omitted in this case). The essays in German and English contain a number of references to current research and recent developments, but the volume also highlights the fruitfulness of such transnational/comparative approaches.
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Throughout this volume by Heyberger and Fuess one encounters top-notch research on the frontiers of the Mediterranean from the 15th to the 17th centuries; particular attention should be given to Colin Heywood's contribution on "maritime... more
Throughout this volume by Heyberger and Fuess one encounters top-notch research on the frontiers of the Mediterranean from the 15th to the 17th centuries; particular attention should be given to Colin Heywood's contribution on "maritime microhistory" in which the author, an expert on Ottoman maritime history, makes a passionate plea fow what can arguably be described as a useful way to overcome the limitations of Braudelian historiography (see esp. 84-9); a different, but equally useful publication in this regard would be Peregrine Horden and Nicholas Purcell, The Corrputing Sea: A Study of Mediterranean History (Malden, Mass: Blackwell, 2013).
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Everybody who ever felt slightly uncomfortable by what Engels infamously called "non-historic peoples" should check out the translation of Petr Vorel's new account of the Schmalkaldic War (1546/47) and how that power-political and... more
Everybody who ever felt slightly uncomfortable by what Engels infamously called "non-historic peoples" should check out the translation of Petr Vorel's new account of the Schmalkaldic War (1546/47) and how that power-political and confessional conflict played out with respect to/in Bohemia. As such, Vorel's potentially revisionist account relates to Jaroslav Pánek's article "Bohemia and the Empire: Acceptance and Rejection", in The Holy Roman Empire, 1495-1806: A European Perspective, eds. R.J.W. Evans and P.H. Wilson (Leiden: Brill, 2012), 121-41, in which Pánek, and rightfully so, laments that too few historians read about current developments in/of Bohemian/Czech history. Go ahead and read up!
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Review of Ersie Burke's wonderful in-depth study of the Greek people of Venice, which, for the first time, readers will get a detailed look at the majority of Venetian Greeks, i.e., common people.
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Review of Philip Steiner's PhD-turned-monograph study of communication and exchange between the estates in Styria, Carniola, and Carinthia during the turbulent transition from Josephinism to reaction (1789-92).
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Book review of the recent volume ed. by Munck and Lyna that discusses Concepts of Value from 1500 to 1900.
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Review of Michel Stüeler's "diary", an account of the Thirty Years' War as experienced and written down by a tanner who lived in Graupen/Krupka in the Ore Mountain Range/Krušné hory between present-day Saxony and the Czech Republic.... more
Review of Michel Stüeler's "diary", an account of the Thirty Years' War as experienced and written down by a tanner who lived in Graupen/Krupka in the Ore Mountain Range/Krušné hory between present-day Saxony and the Czech Republic. Stüeler's "diary", or journal, covers the years from 1629 to 1649 and, in great detail, gives a different account of this great conflict. Also, make sure to check out Jan Kilián's more comprehensive (Czech-language) edition, which appeared under the title Paměti krupského měšťana Michela Stüelera (Dolní Břežany, 2013), and includes a Czech-German edition, too.
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Review of David Do Paço’s wonderful study of 18th-century Vienna as a "port city", focusing on "Ottomans" in the Habsburg monarchy's imperial residence.
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Research Interests: Military History, Italian (European History), Naval History, Spanish History, 16th Century (History), and 9 moreLatin Language and Literature, 16th Century Eastern Mediterranean, 16th century Europe, Papal History, Early Modern Poetry, Lepanto, History of the Papacy, The Battle of Lepanto and the Great Siege of Malta, and Medieval and Neolatin Texts
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This study, my professorial thesis, or Habilitationsschrift, focuses on administrative confusion and social disruptions in the Habsburg monarchy from the Thirty Years' War to Charles VI (r. 1711-40). I will demonstrate that these two... more
This study, my professorial thesis, or Habilitationsschrift, focuses on administrative confusion and social disruptions in the Habsburg monarchy from the Thirty Years' War to Charles VI (r. 1711-40). I will demonstrate that these two aspects were the by-product of state formation in early modern composite monarchies. Whereas the advent of the 'fiscal-military state' (Brewer 1989) transformed our understanding of central bureaucracies over the past three decades, these days most studies of early modern state formation apply top-down perspectives.
By contrast, my study approaches the Habsburg monarchy's re-emergence after 1648 based on two distinctively different premises: First, individual actions and structural developments entail differing consequences for central institutions and the geographically more remote areas; and, second, by analysing these developments from outside the courtly and urban settings, I am arguing that state integration in the centre was accompanied by increasing state disintegration and loss of cohesion on the lower administrative levels. As the central government tried to cope with war-induced stress, its actions started to tear apart the administrative and social fabric that held traditional society together. By emphasising the crucial role of local actors, regional interlinkages, and the disintegrating consequences that warfare had on state formation, my book offers a counter-narrative to traditional interpretations in the fields of History, IR, and Historical Sociology.
By contrast, my study approaches the Habsburg monarchy's re-emergence after 1648 based on two distinctively different premises: First, individual actions and structural developments entail differing consequences for central institutions and the geographically more remote areas; and, second, by analysing these developments from outside the courtly and urban settings, I am arguing that state integration in the centre was accompanied by increasing state disintegration and loss of cohesion on the lower administrative levels. As the central government tried to cope with war-induced stress, its actions started to tear apart the administrative and social fabric that held traditional society together. By emphasising the crucial role of local actors, regional interlinkages, and the disintegrating consequences that warfare had on state formation, my book offers a counter-narrative to traditional interpretations in the fields of History, IR, and Historical Sociology.
Research Interests: Early Modern History, Czech History, Administrative History, Central European history, Habsburg Studies, and 15 more17th-Century Studies, Czech & Slovak Studies, Financial History (History), Social History, Fiscal History, Bohemia, Central and Eastern Europe, Austrian History, Early Modern Bohemia, Habsburg Monarchy in the 18th century, Habsburg Monarchy, History of (Early) Modern Nobility, administrative history, Political Economy and History, History of taxation, Fiscal Military State, and Princely family of Eggenberg
This study examines the economic, geographical, and social mobility in the early modern Adriatic using the example of the urban elites of Zadar (Zara) between the two naval battles of Preveza (1538) and Lepanto (1571). Based upon the... more
This study examines the economic, geographical, and social mobility in the early modern Adriatic using the example of the urban elites of Zadar (Zara) between the two naval battles of Preveza (1538) and Lepanto (1571). Based upon the protocols of fifteen public notaries, preserved in the Croatian State Archive in Zadar, the present thesis combines both unpublished primary and published secondary sources ? the Venetian relazioni as well as the city?s statutory laws, codified in 1563/64 ? to provide for a vivid images of past times.Methodically, the present study applies a three?pronged approach: An introductory chapter is followed by the first major part. By means of analysis of more than 900 individual procura contracts, the geographical range of Zadar?s urban elites are surveyed. So far this source type has attracted little scholarly attention despite its advantages of both qualitative and quantitative analysis potential to reconstruct pre?modern communication.The subsequent part surveys the interactions among Zadar?s various urban elites along ecclesiastical, economic, and political lines; the intricate relationship of clergy and nobility is of particular interest in this context. While the first segment of this part focuses on the analysis of the interrelationships of the elite groups, the second segment is a case study examining the real estate market. Thorough analysis of more than 1.700 individual contracts sheds new light on the developments of the economic foundations of an early modern frontier society.Zadar?s various urban elites ? nobility, elite commoners, Croats, and Jews ? and their marriage behaviour, material culture and, more general, interactions are the main topics of the final part. Based upon marriage contracts, dowry quitclaims, and testaments, colourful images of life in Venice?s maritime state in the 16th century emerges.
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Join us for a discussion of this book, published in 2021 by McGill Queen’s University Press
Saturday, May 29, 2021 4:30–6:00pm EST / 10:30pm–12:00AM CET
Zoom link: https://lakeheadu.zoom.us/j/99597652152
Saturday, May 29, 2021 4:30–6:00pm EST / 10:30pm–12:00AM CET
Zoom link: https://lakeheadu.zoom.us/j/99597652152
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7° convegno internazionale, Venezia 14-16 febbraio 2019 / 7th International Congress, Venice 14-16 February 2019
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Società dalmata di storia patria in collaborazione con / in collaboration with the Istituto ellenico di studi bizantini e postbizantini Convegno internazionale / International Congress Venezia e il suo Stato da mar / Venice and its Stato... more
Società dalmata di storia patria in collaborazione con / in collaboration with the Istituto ellenico di studi bizantini e postbizantini
Convegno internazionale / International Congress Venezia e il suo Stato da mar / Venice and its Stato da mar
Venezia / Venice, Castello 3412, Istituto ellenico di studi bizantini e postbizantini
Giovedì-sabato 9-11 marzo 2017 / Thursday-Saturday 9-11 March 2017
Convegno internazionale / International Congress Venezia e il suo Stato da mar / Venice and its Stato da mar
Venezia / Venice, Castello 3412, Istituto ellenico di studi bizantini e postbizantini
Giovedì-sabato 9-11 marzo 2017 / Thursday-Saturday 9-11 March 2017
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International conference at Sciences Po, April 7-8, organized by David Do Paço
Sponsored by: Centre d'Histoire de Sciences Po, CIERA, CMMC, FMSH, CEU-IAS, IHMC.
Sponsored by: Centre d'Histoire de Sciences Po, CIERA, CMMC, FMSH, CEU-IAS, IHMC.
Research Interests: International Studies, British History, Indian studies, French Revolution, Eighteenth Century History, and 27 moreHabsburg Studies, Cross-Cultural Studies, Napoleonic Wars, History of Belgrade, Ottoman-Habsburg relations, Social History, History of the Mediterranean, 18th Century France, Cross-Cultural Interaction (History), Banat of Temesvar, History of Diplomacy, Holy Roman Empire, Police History, Versailles, Indian History, Early Modern Bohemia, History of the Adriatic, Foreigners Modern Period, 17th century France, Court of Louis XIV, 17th century French theater, Foreigners, History of Transylvania, Habsburg Monarchy in the 18th century, Neuchâtel, Habsburg Monarchy, History of (Early) Modern Nobility, administrative history, Military Frontier, MIlitary Border, History of Banat, and Hamburg History
The paper investigates the role Venetians played in the life and times of urban societies in Venetian Dalmatia during the sixteenth century. Situated along the frontiers of the Catholic-Italianate cultural sphere, the focus rests on... more
The paper investigates the role Venetians played in the life and times of urban societies in Venetian Dalmatia during the sixteenth century. Situated along the frontiers of the Catholic-Italianate cultural sphere, the focus rests on Central Dalmatia, a region more often than not treated peripherally by the mainstream of Venetian studies. Geographically, the area under survey is the nominal capital of Venetian Dalmatia, Zadar (Zara), and its neighbouring but subject territorial entities of Nin, Novigrad, and Pag.
By carefully analysing ego-documents such as last wills, testaments, and codicils with respect to the testator’s or testatrix’s personal relations with Venetians, the following questions are addressed: How intricate and interwoven were the ties that bound the local populace to the Venetians? What were the—e.g., gender, personal, and/or professional—roles these individuals from Venice proper played in the lives of nobles, functional elite groups, the clergy, and commoners beyond the lagoon?
By carefully analysing ego-documents such as last wills, testaments, and codicils with respect to the testator’s or testatrix’s personal relations with Venetians, the following questions are addressed: How intricate and interwoven were the ties that bound the local populace to the Venetians? What were the—e.g., gender, personal, and/or professional—roles these individuals from Venice proper played in the lives of nobles, functional elite groups, the clergy, and commoners beyond the lagoon?
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The paper investigates the dissemination of body knowledge among the lower classes of Central European society in the decades around 1800. Change during these years was particularly manifest in German Europe, as reflected by, among other... more
The paper investigates the dissemination of body knowledge among the lower classes of Central European society in the decades around 1800. Change during these years was particularly manifest in German Europe, as reflected by, among other things, the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire and the waning influence of (absolutist) Enlightenment ideas. The last decades of the Ancien Régime witnessed the rapid growth of state institutions, a trend reinforced by the effects of the French and Industrial Revolutions. Within a few decades, everyday life in Western and Central Europe underwent a considerable transformation – which I seek to illustrate by looking at the circulation of body knowledge ‘on the ground’.
Within the exemplary setting of the Josephine Habsburg Monarchy and the Austrian Empire, the paper looks at the availability, media, transfer, and practices of dissemination of anatomical knowledge on the basis of wanted posters from rural Lower Austria. In particular, I focus on the following aspects: What kind of body knowledge was available and to whom? Primary education in the Habsburg Monarchy had been compulsory from 1774 and the transformative consequences of Gerard van Swieten’s health reforms certainly played a considerable role. Yet, how much did the authorities and the local populace really know? How much of the new medical knowledge did in fact ‘trickle down’ from the centres of higher education to the rural population? What methods were employed to disseminate body knowledge in a time of widespread illiteracy? In addition, the comparison of wanted posters from the same geographical area also allows for an assessment of how (much) these practices changed – if they did – from the late eighteenth to the early nineteenth centuries.
Within the exemplary setting of the Josephine Habsburg Monarchy and the Austrian Empire, the paper looks at the availability, media, transfer, and practices of dissemination of anatomical knowledge on the basis of wanted posters from rural Lower Austria. In particular, I focus on the following aspects: What kind of body knowledge was available and to whom? Primary education in the Habsburg Monarchy had been compulsory from 1774 and the transformative consequences of Gerard van Swieten’s health reforms certainly played a considerable role. Yet, how much did the authorities and the local populace really know? How much of the new medical knowledge did in fact ‘trickle down’ from the centres of higher education to the rural population? What methods were employed to disseminate body knowledge in a time of widespread illiteracy? In addition, the comparison of wanted posters from the same geographical area also allows for an assessment of how (much) these practices changed – if they did – from the late eighteenth to the early nineteenth centuries.
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The paper investigates the role of informal knowledge in processes of cultural exchange in the Renaissance Mediterranean. So far one particular source has all but escaped scholarly attention – the humble procura contract. Despite its... more
The paper investigates the role of informal knowledge in processes of cultural exchange in the Renaissance Mediterranean. So far one particular source has all but escaped scholarly attention – the humble procura contract. Despite its relative uniformity and uibiquity within the sphere of Italianate cultural influence, these notarial documents have only rarely been used to reconstruct late medieval and early modern flows and means of communication, in particular with reference to the transfer of individuals and the dissemination of information.
Split in two parts, the first segment briefly discusses the particularities and potentials of the procura in terms of its suitability for both qualitative and quantitative analysis. These appointments typically contain information about the geographical, economic, religious, and social provenances of both contracting parties. In addition, a procura often contains the destination and, at times, also information about the specific task of the appointee(s) which allows the historian to retrace their steps.
While these characteristics certainly render large-scale quantitative analysis possible, even more interesting qualitative aspects may be gleaned from the study of individual cases. In the second part processes of trans-cultural contact and the various processes of exchange are addressed. Focusing on the sixteenth-century Adriatic, in particular on the city of Zadar, then the capital of Venice’s possessions in Dalmatia and Albania, the following issues are discussed: First, who were the contracting individuals, what were the motives for their appointments, and where were they sent? In a second step, the role of informal knowledge is assessed by carefully looking at those words left unspoken in these legal documents, in particular assessing the role of kinship ties, social etiquette, and practical know-how available to the concerned parties.
Split in two parts, the first segment briefly discusses the particularities and potentials of the procura in terms of its suitability for both qualitative and quantitative analysis. These appointments typically contain information about the geographical, economic, religious, and social provenances of both contracting parties. In addition, a procura often contains the destination and, at times, also information about the specific task of the appointee(s) which allows the historian to retrace their steps.
While these characteristics certainly render large-scale quantitative analysis possible, even more interesting qualitative aspects may be gleaned from the study of individual cases. In the second part processes of trans-cultural contact and the various processes of exchange are addressed. Focusing on the sixteenth-century Adriatic, in particular on the city of Zadar, then the capital of Venice’s possessions in Dalmatia and Albania, the following issues are discussed: First, who were the contracting individuals, what were the motives for their appointments, and where were they sent? In a second step, the role of informal knowledge is assessed by carefully looking at those words left unspoken in these legal documents, in particular assessing the role of kinship ties, social etiquette, and practical know-how available to the concerned parties.
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In my paper, entitled “Mapping the Frontier,” I am focusing on the cartography and iconography of the Republic of St Mark and its multi-facetted relationships with – against – the Ottoman Empire in the early modern period. After a few... more
In my paper, entitled “Mapping the Frontier,” I am focusing on the cartography and iconography of the Republic of St Mark and its multi-facetted relationships with – against – the Ottoman Empire in the early modern period. After a few brief introductory remarks on the general background I will proceed in three steps: First, I will contextualise my approach within the existing scholarship, in particular focusing on the ‘period eye’ (Baxendall) and present you with my own analytical approach to the imagery of (mostly) Venice’s overseas possessions. In a second step I will exemplarily focus on cartographic evidence and, thirdly, move on to the more illustrative sources. The brief conclusion serves both to highligh my paper’s main points and to suggest additional possibilities for the application of my take on (early) modern cityscapes. The time period covered here extends roughly from around 1400 to the end of the Republic of St Mark (1797).
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In den letzten knapp zwei Jahrzehnten konnte sich die Hypothese „zusammengesetzter Staaten“ (Elliott 1992) als Erklärungsansatz der fragmentieren Territorialität des vormodernen Europas durchsetzen. In den darauf folgenden Jahren rückten... more
In den letzten knapp zwei Jahrzehnten konnte sich die Hypothese „zusammengesetzter Staaten“ (Elliott 1992) als Erklärungsansatz der fragmentieren Territorialität des vormodernen Europas durchsetzen. In den darauf folgenden Jahren rückten Bürokratisierung, Verdichtung von Herrschaft und eine als fragmentiert aufgefasste Staatlichkeit verstärkt in den Fokus. Bis heute dominieren in der Forschung allerdings Studien zu Höfen, Residenzen und Zentralbehörden; die nach- und untergeordneten Einheiten Grundherrschaft und Kleinstadt beziehungsweise deren Subeinheiten finden dem gegenüber deutlich seltener Eingang in die Forschung.
Der vorgeschlagene Beitrag lehnt sich unter anderem an jüngst erschienene Überlegungen (z.B. Blockmans/Holenstein/Mathieu 2009) an, die die traditionellen Modelle der Genese des modernen Staates „von oben“ hinterfragt, und nähert sich der Problematik der fragmentierten Territorialität des europäischen Mittelalters und der frühen Neuzeit aus dem Blickwinkel der „zusammengesetzten Stadt“ an. Diese wird dabei als eine konstruierte Einheit, die aus mehreren Lokalitäten beziehungsweise Sublokalitäten besteht, aufgefasst, deren Übergänge fließend, situativ und von den jeweiligen Kontexten abhängig sind (z.B. Jones/Woolf 2007); Differenzierungsmerkmale können unter anderem linguistische (Sprachkompetenz der Einwohner), naturräumliche, rechtliche (geistliche und weltliche Rechts- und Steuerräume), soziale (Armenviertel, Ghettos) oder wirtschaftliche (Handwerksbezirke, Vorstädte) Faktoren sein. Das Ziel dieser Annahmen ist es, die symbolisch wie gesetzlich durch die Befestigungen umschlossene Einheit gleichsam aufzubrechen, um deren einzelne Bestandteile so weit wie möglich zu identifizieren und zu analysieren.
Diese Zugangsweise ermöglicht es, die Entwicklungen auf den lokalen und sublokalen Ebenen nachzuvollziehen und Fragen nach den kleinsten möglichen Einheiten der als „fragmentiert“ angenommenen Städte zu stellen. Auf theoretische Ausführungen folgen zwei kurze Exkurse in die (zentral-) europäische Vormoderne, um die Annahme einer zusammengesetzten Stadt anhand ausgewählter Beispiele aus zwei unterschiedlichen wie fragmentierten Staatswesen, der Habsburgermonarchie beziehungsweise der Republik Venedig, zu überprüfen.
Der vorgeschlagene Beitrag lehnt sich unter anderem an jüngst erschienene Überlegungen (z.B. Blockmans/Holenstein/Mathieu 2009) an, die die traditionellen Modelle der Genese des modernen Staates „von oben“ hinterfragt, und nähert sich der Problematik der fragmentierten Territorialität des europäischen Mittelalters und der frühen Neuzeit aus dem Blickwinkel der „zusammengesetzten Stadt“ an. Diese wird dabei als eine konstruierte Einheit, die aus mehreren Lokalitäten beziehungsweise Sublokalitäten besteht, aufgefasst, deren Übergänge fließend, situativ und von den jeweiligen Kontexten abhängig sind (z.B. Jones/Woolf 2007); Differenzierungsmerkmale können unter anderem linguistische (Sprachkompetenz der Einwohner), naturräumliche, rechtliche (geistliche und weltliche Rechts- und Steuerräume), soziale (Armenviertel, Ghettos) oder wirtschaftliche (Handwerksbezirke, Vorstädte) Faktoren sein. Das Ziel dieser Annahmen ist es, die symbolisch wie gesetzlich durch die Befestigungen umschlossene Einheit gleichsam aufzubrechen, um deren einzelne Bestandteile so weit wie möglich zu identifizieren und zu analysieren.
Diese Zugangsweise ermöglicht es, die Entwicklungen auf den lokalen und sublokalen Ebenen nachzuvollziehen und Fragen nach den kleinsten möglichen Einheiten der als „fragmentiert“ angenommenen Städte zu stellen. Auf theoretische Ausführungen folgen zwei kurze Exkurse in die (zentral-) europäische Vormoderne, um die Annahme einer zusammengesetzten Stadt anhand ausgewählter Beispiele aus zwei unterschiedlichen wie fragmentierten Staatswesen, der Habsburgermonarchie beziehungsweise der Republik Venedig, zu überprüfen.
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Mein Forschungsprojekt thematisiert die Auswirkungen der habsburgischen Machtpolitik auf die abseits der höfischen Zentren gelegenen Regionen der Habsburgermonarchie in der zweiten Hälfte des 17. und den ersten Jahrzehnten des 18.... more
Mein Forschungsprojekt thematisiert die Auswirkungen der habsburgischen Machtpolitik auf die abseits der höfischen Zentren gelegenen Regionen der Habsburgermonarchie in der zweiten Hälfte des 17. und den ersten Jahrzehnten des 18. Jahrhunderts. Fernab des Glanzes der kaiserlichen Residenzstadt Wien und der blutgetränkten Schlachtfelder der zahlreichen kriegerischen Auseinandersetzungen stehen vielmehr die Hauptmänner und deren Verwaltungspersonal, die Sekretäre und Untertanen im ländlichen Raum der südböhmisch-österreichischen Grenzregion im Mittelpunkt. Der Aufstieg der „zusammengesetzten Monarchie“ (Elliott)des Hauses Österreich um 1700 führte, im Kontext des durch das Frankreich König Ludwigs XIV. dominierten Europas, zur Etablierung einer „zweiten Habsburgermonarchie“ (Ingrao) zu beiden Seiten der südöstlichen Grenzen des Heiligen Römischen Reiches. Vor dem Hintergrund der internationalen Situation ereignete sich diese Verschiebung innerhalb des entstehenden Systems europäischer Großmächte beinahe „zufällig“, gleichsam als eine Art „Nebenprodukt“ der Kampfes der protestantischen Seemächte England/Großbritannien beziehungsweise der Niederlande gegen Frankreich.
Traditionell nähert sich die Forschung diesen entscheidenden Jahrzehnten aus höfischer, biographischer und/oder zentralbehördlicher Perspektive an. Hingegen stehen in dem gegenständlichen Forschungsvorhaben die Auswirkungen, Beeinflussungen und Konsequenzen dieser Entwicklungen fernab der Schlachtfelder wie der kaiserlichen Residenzstadt Wien, besonders aber die Dokumentation und Nachvollzug der durch die steigenden Belastungen hervorgerufenen Belastungen auf die abseits der städtischen Zentralräume der Habsburgermonarchie lebenden Untertanen des Hauses Österreich. Von besonderer Bedeutung sind demnach die Spannungsfelder „Krieg“ und „Policey“, die vermittels statistischer, praxeologischer sowie alltags- und mikrohistorischer Perspektiven und Zugänge erschlossen werden sollen.
Traditionell nähert sich die Forschung diesen entscheidenden Jahrzehnten aus höfischer, biographischer und/oder zentralbehördlicher Perspektive an. Hingegen stehen in dem gegenständlichen Forschungsvorhaben die Auswirkungen, Beeinflussungen und Konsequenzen dieser Entwicklungen fernab der Schlachtfelder wie der kaiserlichen Residenzstadt Wien, besonders aber die Dokumentation und Nachvollzug der durch die steigenden Belastungen hervorgerufenen Belastungen auf die abseits der städtischen Zentralräume der Habsburgermonarchie lebenden Untertanen des Hauses Österreich. Von besonderer Bedeutung sind demnach die Spannungsfelder „Krieg“ und „Policey“, die vermittels statistischer, praxeologischer sowie alltags- und mikrohistorischer Perspektiven und Zugänge erschlossen werden sollen.
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The paper investigates the margins of the early modern criminal justice system by comparing two seemingly similar yet remarkably different cases. In the late 17th century two southern Bohemian women stood accused of “adultery” and... more
The paper investigates the margins of the early modern criminal justice system by comparing two seemingly similar yet remarkably different cases. In the late 17th century two southern Bohemian women stood accused of “adultery” and “fornication” which, while in and of itself nothing too far out of the ordinary, allows us to see beyond the normative narratives for two reasons: First, both cases occurred within a relative short period of time and raised the same issue. The second aspect, though, is what constitutes the particular: In one case, the prosecutors ask very long, detailed, and elaborated questions, which are answered mostly by the accused simply stating “yes” or “no”. In the other instance, however, the situation is almost completely reversed as the prosecutors ask only very open, general questions to which the accused answers at great length. In the end, questions about the reproduction of (extra-) marital sexual discourses are discussed on the basis of how the different instances dealt with the situation.
The case study focuses on the Eggenberg estates in southern Bohemia and is based upon source material preserved in the exceptionally rich manorial archives at ?eský Krumlov (Krumau). In doing so the paper aims to shed new light on a region and a period that has yet to attract renewed scholarly attention. By analysing the records of these two similar yet diverse proceedings and the accompanying correspondence between the various instances of the local administration, it becomes possible to get a glimpse beyond the normative narratives of the inner workings of early modern criminal justice. Also, it allows for a critical assessment of the latitude the involved parties – the accused, the (character) witnesses, the prosecutors, and the manorial administrators – enjoyed. In doing so, new insights about the relationships between the individual, communal, and manorial parties involved can be gleaned from the rich documentation.
The case study focuses on the Eggenberg estates in southern Bohemia and is based upon source material preserved in the exceptionally rich manorial archives at ?eský Krumlov (Krumau). In doing so the paper aims to shed new light on a region and a period that has yet to attract renewed scholarly attention. By analysing the records of these two similar yet diverse proceedings and the accompanying correspondence between the various instances of the local administration, it becomes possible to get a glimpse beyond the normative narratives of the inner workings of early modern criminal justice. Also, it allows for a critical assessment of the latitude the involved parties – the accused, the (character) witnesses, the prosecutors, and the manorial administrators – enjoyed. In doing so, new insights about the relationships between the individual, communal, and manorial parties involved can be gleaned from the rich documentation.
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The paper investigates the different approaches to memory and remembrance undertaken by a selec- tion of nobles, clerics, and merchants of Zadar (Zara) in the sixteenth century. While neighbouring Italy and Venice proper in particular... more
The paper investigates the different approaches to memory and remembrance undertaken by a selec- tion of nobles, clerics, and merchants of Zadar (Zara) in the sixteenth century. While neighbouring Italy and Venice proper in particular continue to attract considerable scholarly attention, the same cannot be stated about the peripheral regions of the Venetian Stato da mar. The focus rests on the city of Zadar, then the capital of Venice’s Adriatic dual province of Dalmatia and Albania.
Its purpose is to compare the testaments, codicils, and related documents of Zadar’s urban elites addressing the following questions: How subtle were the distinctions of status and wealth that sepa- rated the nobility from the non-noble elites? Which strategies did these individuals pursue and to which extent did the choice of the burial place influence the descendants’ behaviour beyond the grave?
Its purpose is to compare the testaments, codicils, and related documents of Zadar’s urban elites addressing the following questions: How subtle were the distinctions of status and wealth that sepa- rated the nobility from the non-noble elites? Which strategies did these individuals pursue and to which extent did the choice of the burial place influence the descendants’ behaviour beyond the grave?
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Der Beitrag hat die Auswirkungen der österreichischen Großmachtpolitik auf den südböhmischen Raum im späten 17. und frühen 18. Jahrhundert zum Thema. Anhand der Steuerakten der Herrschaft Crummau (heute Český Krumlov/Krumau) kann die... more
Der Beitrag hat die Auswirkungen der österreichischen Großmachtpolitik auf den südböhmischen Raum im späten 17. und frühen 18. Jahrhundert zum Thema. Anhand der Steuerakten der Herrschaft Crummau (heute Český Krumlov/Krumau) kann die Verdichtung vormoderner Staatlichkeit exemplarisch für einen Zeitraum nachvollzogen werden, in dem sich die jährlichen Ausgaben der Habsburgermonarchie schlagartig vervielfachten. Während dieses Zeitraumes fochten die habsburgischen Kaiser mehrere Kriege gegen das Osmanische Reich beziehungsweise gegen Frankreich; besonders die Jahre zwischen der zweiten Belagerung Wiens durch osmanische Truppen (1683) und dem Friedensschluss von Passarowitz (1718) stellen einen Kulminationspunkt der frühen Neuzeit dar.
Basierend auf Beständen aus dem Archiv der Eggenberger Herrschaft Krumau in Südböhmen wird vorgeschlagen, die ausgesprochen reichhaltigen Bestände (insgesamt sechs Faszikel) einer vor al- lem quantitativen Auswertung zu unterziehen. Diese Ergebnisse werden den Hochrechnungen der Ausgaben gegenüber gestellt. dadurch können etwaige Korrelationen – oder deren Absenz – in den größeren Kontext der Konflikte während der entscheidenden Jahrzehnte von Österreichs Aufstieg zu einer der führenden europäischen Großmächte gestellt werden. Die quantitative Erhebung, Ana- lyse und Auswertung der Steuerakten ist zum einen durch die Berichterstattung des Krumauer Hauptmanns Johann Sebastian von Liebenhaus (1704) unterstützt; zum anderen kann auf eine Vielzahl von überlieferter Korrespondenz (Briefe, Supplikationen, etc.) beziehungsweise Gerichtsakten zurückgegriffen werden.
Basierend auf Beständen aus dem Archiv der Eggenberger Herrschaft Krumau in Südböhmen wird vorgeschlagen, die ausgesprochen reichhaltigen Bestände (insgesamt sechs Faszikel) einer vor al- lem quantitativen Auswertung zu unterziehen. Diese Ergebnisse werden den Hochrechnungen der Ausgaben gegenüber gestellt. dadurch können etwaige Korrelationen – oder deren Absenz – in den größeren Kontext der Konflikte während der entscheidenden Jahrzehnte von Österreichs Aufstieg zu einer der führenden europäischen Großmächte gestellt werden. Die quantitative Erhebung, Ana- lyse und Auswertung der Steuerakten ist zum einen durch die Berichterstattung des Krumauer Hauptmanns Johann Sebastian von Liebenhaus (1704) unterstützt; zum anderen kann auf eine Vielzahl von überlieferter Korrespondenz (Briefe, Supplikationen, etc.) beziehungsweise Gerichtsakten zurückgegriffen werden.
The paper investigates the metropolitan chapter of Zadar (Zara) in the light of the economic and social interactions of its members around the mid-sixteenth century. While neighbouring Italy in general and Venice proper in particular... more
The paper investigates the metropolitan chapter of Zadar (Zara) in the light of the economic and social interactions of its members around the mid-sixteenth century. While neighbouring Italy in general and Venice proper in particular continue to attract considerable scholarly attention, the situation in the peripheral areas of the Stato da mar have yet to attract renewed academic interest. The focus of the paper rests on the city of Zadar, then the capital of Venice‘s Adriatic possessions, between the wars of two ‛holy leagues’ against the Ottoman empire (1537 to 1540 and the Cyprus War from 1570 to 1573).
The repercussions of Venetian expansion over the course of the fifteenth-century in the Adriatic were far-reaching and influenced virtually all aspects of Dalmatian societies, eventually resulting in comparable ecclesiastical and temporal structures between the lagoon metropolis and its dependencies. The main interest is not focused on the archbishop, a position exclusively reserved for Venetian patricians. Instead, the paper surveys questions of membership, economic activities, and the (in-) formal processes of exchange, interactions, and linkages between members of the chapter and wider society.
This approach promises new insights into the multi-faceted relationships of individuals and their friends, relatives, and business partners between families and institutions. This is of particular importance as the integration of the Church into urban society is one of the less known aspects of the early modern Adriatic.
The repercussions of Venetian expansion over the course of the fifteenth-century in the Adriatic were far-reaching and influenced virtually all aspects of Dalmatian societies, eventually resulting in comparable ecclesiastical and temporal structures between the lagoon metropolis and its dependencies. The main interest is not focused on the archbishop, a position exclusively reserved for Venetian patricians. Instead, the paper surveys questions of membership, economic activities, and the (in-) formal processes of exchange, interactions, and linkages between members of the chapter and wider society.
This approach promises new insights into the multi-faceted relationships of individuals and their friends, relatives, and business partners between families and institutions. This is of particular importance as the integration of the Church into urban society is one of the less known aspects of the early modern Adriatic.
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"Der Beitrag hat das Militär und seine Einbettung in die venezianische Gesellschaft im Stato da mar während des 16. Jahrhunderts zum Thema. Als Herrin großer Besitzungen im östlichen Mittelmeerraum (Dalmatien, Kreta, Zypern) befand sich... more
"Der Beitrag hat das Militär und seine Einbettung in die venezianische Gesellschaft im Stato da mar während des 16. Jahrhunderts zum Thema. Als Herrin großer Besitzungen im östlichen Mittelmeerraum (Dalmatien, Kreta, Zypern) befand sich die Markusrepublik direkt an der Grenze des Christentums und des Osmanischen Reiches. Eine Reihe kriegerischer Auseinandersetzungen mit der Hohen Pforte führte nach dem Fall Konstantinopels (1453) zu einer kontinuierlichen Militarisierung der venezianischen Besitzungen. Die Konsequenzen dieser Entwicklungen bis auf den heutigen Tag im Adriaraum deutlich sichtbar. Neben den imposanten Befestigungsanlagen lassen sich die militärische Mobilisierung und ihre Auswirkungen auf das tägliche Leben in diesem Grenzraum anhand der reichhaltigen Archivbestände nachvollziehen.
Die zweite venezianische Herrschaft über Dalmatien erstreckte sich vom 15. Jahrhunderts bis zum Untergang der Markusrepublik (1797). Zur Absicherung ihrer Herrschaft und zur Verteidigung gegen die Osmanen wurde eine Reihe an Gegenmaßnahmen ergriffen. Zum einen bedeutete dies die Stationierung leichter, mobiler Kavallerieeinheiten (stradioti) zur Verteidigung des Hinterlandes; zum anderen bewirkte dies den massiven Ausbau der Befestigungsanlagen, was wiederum höhere Truppenstärken, aber auch signifikante Investitionen in die lokale Wirtschaft bedeutete.
Der Beitrag geht demnach besonders den folgenden Fragen nach: Wie lassen sich die (temporären) Migrationsprozesse der Soldaten, Handwerker und Kommandanten innerhalb des „venezianischen Kommunikationsraums“ (Oliver Schmitt) im Adriaraum nachvollziehen? Welche Ressourcen standen den lokalen Befehlshabern zu Verteidigungszwecken zu Verfügung, woher kamen diese Gelder und wie wurden diese eingesetzt? Welche konkreten Auswirkungen hatte die durch die osmanische Expansion hervorgerufene Militarisierung zum einen auf das Alltagsleben der städtischen Gemeinwesen? Und wie wirkten sich diese Entwicklungen zum anderen auf die Institutionen und Mobilitätsprozesse innerhalb des venezianischen Herrschaftsbereiches aus?"
Die zweite venezianische Herrschaft über Dalmatien erstreckte sich vom 15. Jahrhunderts bis zum Untergang der Markusrepublik (1797). Zur Absicherung ihrer Herrschaft und zur Verteidigung gegen die Osmanen wurde eine Reihe an Gegenmaßnahmen ergriffen. Zum einen bedeutete dies die Stationierung leichter, mobiler Kavallerieeinheiten (stradioti) zur Verteidigung des Hinterlandes; zum anderen bewirkte dies den massiven Ausbau der Befestigungsanlagen, was wiederum höhere Truppenstärken, aber auch signifikante Investitionen in die lokale Wirtschaft bedeutete.
Der Beitrag geht demnach besonders den folgenden Fragen nach: Wie lassen sich die (temporären) Migrationsprozesse der Soldaten, Handwerker und Kommandanten innerhalb des „venezianischen Kommunikationsraums“ (Oliver Schmitt) im Adriaraum nachvollziehen? Welche Ressourcen standen den lokalen Befehlshabern zu Verteidigungszwecken zu Verfügung, woher kamen diese Gelder und wie wurden diese eingesetzt? Welche konkreten Auswirkungen hatte die durch die osmanische Expansion hervorgerufene Militarisierung zum einen auf das Alltagsleben der städtischen Gemeinwesen? Und wie wirkten sich diese Entwicklungen zum anderen auf die Institutionen und Mobilitätsprozesse innerhalb des venezianischen Herrschaftsbereiches aus?"
Research Interests:
The paper presents a selection of examples of ‘frauds‘ centred on 16th-century Zadar / Zara, then the capital of Venice‘s Adriatic possessions in Albania and Dalmatia. While the wars of dominion in western Europe and Italy came to a close... more
The paper presents a selection of examples of ‘frauds‘ centred on 16th-century Zadar / Zara, then the capital of Venice‘s Adriatic possessions in Albania and Dalmatia. While the wars of dominion in western Europe and Italy came to a close in the late 1550s, the Ottoman empire continued to threaten the Republic of St Mark. Yet, despite the importance of the period, only little scholarly attention has been focused on the period between the two wars of ‘holy leagues‘ against the Ottomans in the 16th century in recent decades.
Split in two segments, the paper first provides a short overview of the early modern history of the Adriatic in general and the most important developments and events in Venetian Dalmatia in particular. The manifold changes introduced by the new suzerain after re-acquiring most cities and towns along the Adriatic oriental littoral in 1409 and the normative framework they established are at the centre of the argument. In the second, larger part selected examples from the rich notarial funds, preserved in the Croatian State Archive in Zadar (Državni arhiv u Zadru, DAZd) are presented; the sources are appointments of judges, court proceedings, and arbitration settlements from the period after the conclusion of peace in 1540 to the outbreak of the Cyprus war. It will be interesting to assess these cases in the light of comparable instances from other parts of the Mediterranean basin.
Split in two segments, the paper first provides a short overview of the early modern history of the Adriatic in general and the most important developments and events in Venetian Dalmatia in particular. The manifold changes introduced by the new suzerain after re-acquiring most cities and towns along the Adriatic oriental littoral in 1409 and the normative framework they established are at the centre of the argument. In the second, larger part selected examples from the rich notarial funds, preserved in the Croatian State Archive in Zadar (Državni arhiv u Zadru, DAZd) are presented; the sources are appointments of judges, court proceedings, and arbitration settlements from the period after the conclusion of peace in 1540 to the outbreak of the Cyprus war. It will be interesting to assess these cases in the light of comparable instances from other parts of the Mediterranean basin.
Research Interests:
This study investigates encounters in the early modern Adriatic, in particular focusing on the Venetian possessions. The predominantly Catholic Dalmatian cities were incorporated into the Venetian maritime state around the turn of the... more
This study investigates encounters in the early modern Adriatic, in particular focusing on the Venetian possessions. The predominantly Catholic Dalmatian cities were incorporated into the Venetian maritime state around the turn of the fifteenth century and were home to small but bustling communities of merchants, companies of sailors, and soldiers. During the sixteenth century, Dalmatia was both the frontline of Catholicism and a valuable turnover hub for goods, ideas, and people. As the Ottomans continued their advance, life within the crammed fortifications, threatened by bandits, disease, and pirates was tenuous at times. Despite these conditions, cooperation across the many fault lines dividing early modern Europe never ceased. The study uses a microhistorical approach to source material from the rich Croatian State Archive in Zadar and presents selected examples of cooperation, the bending of norms, and everyday life.
Laura Cruz, Joel Mokyr (ed.), The Birth of Modern Europe. Culture and Economy. 1400–1800. Essays in Honor of Jan de Vries, Leiden (Brill) 2010, XVI–259 p., ISBN 978-90-04-18934-8, EUR 99,00.