Original scientific paper
Osijek's legal position in the 18th century
Darko Vitek
Abstract
Osijek's legal position was one of the key factors in the development of the city in the Modern Age. It was largely determined with the establishment of the Habsburg reign after Turks had been banished towards the end of the 17th century. At that time the city magistrate was founded, and the city instruction was passed, assigning Osijek to the category of the Imeprial Chamber's market towns. The Instruction, or more precisely two instructions, granted a superordinated position of the Chamber authority in all the important segments of Osijek's social life. This Regulation emerged from the soil of a legal tradition, so that it does not represent an exclusive document which would make Osijek stand out from its political surroundings. The instruction laid down the legal position of settlements of the western part of Monarchy and of the newly liberated areas. The next important moment in the legal history of Osijek was the foundation of the Upper Town and the Lower Town, which emerged on the basis of the former Osijek suburbs. The Upper Town thus largely inherited the legal tradition of the former Osijek, while the Lower Town followed a somewhat different path. After the establishemnt of the mentioned quarters, and after the establishment of independent city magistrates and their inclusion into the category of the Chamber market towns, the unity of Osijek was upset, which lasted all through the end of the 18th century. Then, the city was reunited again, which marked the beginning of a new era in the history of Osijek.
Keywords
Osijek; legal position; urban history; 18th century
Hrčak ID:
7962
URI
Publication date:
30.9.2005.
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