Original scientific paper

THE BURGHERS OF RAKOVEC (Oppidani Rakonczenses)

Franjo Pajur ; Gradišće; Zagreb

Abstract

Inhabitants of the market town Rakovec are named as citizens (cives) in 15th and 16th century documents. However, due to the fact that their settlement was not a free royal town (libera villa, civitas), but a nobility market town of local significance (oppidum), not later than the 16th century they were made equal to “jobagioni” (later called burghers) in respect to their obligations; i.e. privileged serfs in villages of town areas, the so-called purgarije (boroughs). The question arises whether they had a different status in King Korvin’s golden times when there were as many as 115 family homes in Rakovec, which was quite an impressive number then. Bearing in mind the structure of levies in those times, it is obvious that the majority of citizens were of the “mixed” type (both peasants and tradesmen/craftsmen), and therefore suitable for gradual converting into serfs, as were some others because they were working at different jobs (foresters, customs duty collectors, clerks), and others were partly or entirely freed serfs and former one-village nobility, as well as nobility of lower rank. The “higher level of importance” (Bedeutungsüberschuss) of Rakovec’s basic functions (defence, economy, religion) was evidently insufficient for Rakovec to be named a city. Finally, in the 18th century the “citizens” and the burghers, and serfs of the once existing Rokonok were made equal as to status: they all became serfs, and Rakovec became a village.

Keywords

Rakovec; burghers, oppidum

Hrčak ID:

194112

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/194112

Publication date:

29.12.2017.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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