Original scientific paper
The Origin and the First Documents of the Medieval Dalmatian Notarial Offices Particularly Those in Dubrovnik and Kotor in the 13th and 14th Centuries
Ante Marinović
Abstract
In my earlier works dealing with the same subject: Les origines de la chancellerie royal croate au Moyen Age, Rapport tenu au IV Congrès International de diplomatique à Budapest, le 1-6 octobre 1973, (the text now at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in Budapest) and Le caractère juridique de la charte (diplome) royale pendant l’epoque de la dynastie nationale croate (vers 839 à 1102 a.), in Folia diplomatica II, Opera Universitatis Purkynianae Brunensis, Facultas Philosophica 201, Brno 1976, pp. 7-16 — I pointed out that »Karta« (diploma) in the Medieval Croatia, i. e. in Dalmatian Croatia, is mostly a picture and reflexion of the Romanic life and Roman juridical principles which — in the period of Croatian ruling dynasty — were influenced by the Slav-Croatian and Italian elements. Then I said that the very influence of the Croatian folk juridical ideas had made »karta« lose its original characteristics, which would be newly restored a little later under the influence of notary offices, well known medieval institutions of the neighboring Italy.
In the continuation of the above mentioned works I want to show how the »karta« developed and what were the beginnings of the notary public offices in the medieval Dalmatian communities, particularly those in the South Dalmatia — Dubrovnik and Kotor — in the 13th and 14th centuries, better to say on the territory of the Roman-Byzantine Theme of Dalmatia, which had not immediately and directly entered the Slav Croatian state.
The first known notary public presbyter Junius is mentioned in Kotor as early as in 1200 as a »consilii notarius«, a little earlier than in Dubrovnik, where one appeared in 1204 as a »clericus Gutaldus et communis notarius iuratus«. According to known archival and other documents, it may be positively pointed out that the reception process of the Italian notary public office was ended and generally accepted. It was finally organized as a public juridical institution in the whole of Dalmatia at the end of the 12th, but not later than the beginning of the 13th century.
Keywords
notarial office; Dubrovnik; Kotor; 13th century; 14th century
Hrčak ID:
243088
URI
Publication date:
20.6.1985.
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