Stručni rad

ILLEGITIMATE CHILDREN IN VODNJAN/DIGNANO FROM 1816 TO 1845

Lea Lešić Pustijanac ; Ricercatrice indipendente Sanvincenti – Croazia

Sažetak

The paper looks at the prevalence of illegitimate children in the Dignano/Vodnjan
parish in the first half of the nineteenth century, drawing on a systematic study of
baptism records. From 1816 to 1845 5,412 children were baptized, 157 of whom
were born out of wedlock. The research examines the temporal distribution of conceptions
and baptisms, gender distribution, onomastic practices, the methods of
recognizing and establishing paternity, as well as cases of child abandonment and
orphanage care. Special attention is paid to the role that parish priests, midwives,
and godparents had in the religious and social management of illegitimate children.
The data emphasise that births outside of marriage were a structural reality
of the local community, regulated by canonical norms, social customs, and economic
conditions. The paper confirms the value of baptism registers as a privileged
source for analysing family dynamics and forms of control and assistance in nineteenth-
century Istrian society.

Ključne riječi

Nineteenth-century Istria, Dignano/Vodnjan parish, baptism registers, illegitimate children, family and marginalisation

Hrčak ID:

348678

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/348678

Datum izdavanja:

1.7.2026.

Podaci na drugim jezicima: hrvatski talijanski

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