Original scientific paper
Village Guards and Field Police in Dalmatian Land (from 1814 till the Second Half of 19th Century)
Tado Oršolić
; Zavod za povijesne znanosti HAZU u Zadru, Zadar, Hrvatska
Abstract
In comparison to the other provinces of the Habsburg Monarchy, Dalmatia had its own form of police force which had its own traditional character regimented in territorial forces already during the time of Venetian rule. This continuous context of police work went on with its activities during the second Austrian administration but with the introduction of necessary reforms and novelties. On the basis of books of rules and individual sources, the article makes an attempt to show their role and importance in maintaining order on the land, in the rural part of the province. Besides the troopers as enlisted men in the territorial forces, that is the gendarmerie, after 1850 village guardsmen and after 1845 district guardsmen and field police were designated to keep the order, peace and security. Their basic task was the prevention of different crimes and misdeeds and keeping watch that some kind of damage be not done on the tilled fields and in the woods both private and state-owned. It was especially the village, that is district guardsmen and field police who with their presence and patrols greatly prevented and significantly decreased misdeeds and crimes in their rural surroundings. Because of their tradition of existence and the distinctiveness of their activities the Austrian administration maintained them as far as the end of the 19th century. It has to be emphasized that through the prism of the activities of village, that is district guardsmen and of field police one can perceive certain elements of the social problematic of the Dalmatian field workers. In that respect their significance and role is important for the understanding of the entire Dalmatian history particularly of its hinterland component.
Keywords
Dalmatia; village districts; Austrian administration
Hrčak ID:
26693
URI
Publication date:
19.12.2007.
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