Povijesni prilozi, Vol. 37 No. 55, 2018.
Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.22586/pp.v55i0.88
Times of war, plague, and captivity. The noble families of Zadar and the consequences of the Venetian siege in 1345/1346 and Black Death
Zrinka Nikolić Jakus
Abstract
The city of Zadar suffered heavy demographic losses during the Venetian siege in 1345/1346 as well as afterwards when many citizens were taken as hostages to Venice or banned from the territories under Venetian jurisdiction. The consequences of Black Death were less considered in the historiography although, according by the preserved judicial proceedings, they were much stronger than it was earlier supposed. There are attempts, based on preserved sources, to estimate human losses, especially the losses suffered by the Zaratin nobility in this period, as well as to validate in what way their social status in the city was influenced afterwards. More detailed insight in the losses of nine noble families (the Senzaeo, the Detrico, the Botono, the Cande, the Sloraddo, the Soppe, the Saladini, the Rosa, the Drechia, the Bogde/the Lovrehna) was made possible by judicial proceedings. These can be complemented by data from testaments and contemporary Venetian sources. Although there are contrary examples, it seems that smaller and younger kindreds were more endangered as well as the old, already more demographically weakened ones. Especially vulnerable were families with young children living all together in households. Older kindreds with more branches had more chances for survival and further social and economic rise.
Keywords
Zadar; plague; demography; nobility; family
Hrčak ID:
214645
URI
Publication date:
14.12.2018.
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