Original scientific paper
In the Shadow of the Croatian Pragmatic Sanction
Ivana Jukić
; Hrvatski institut za povijest, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Abstract
The Croatian Pragmatic Sanction of 1712 has been until now analysed by historiography primarily with regard to the conflicts between Croatia and Hungary at the end of the seventeenth and the beginning of the eighteenth century and as a mirror of Croatian loyalty to the Court of Vienna. Even though the aforementioned theses are not doubtful, the more thorough reading and analysis of published and hitherto unpublished sources show that these theses regarding the genesis of that document should be brought up to date. The article tries to point to the reasons motivating the majority of the Croatian nobility in composing the document precisely in that year. The catalyst of the process was undoubtedly provided by the gravamina of the Kingdom of Croatia composed during the joint session of the Hungarian and Croatian Diet in 1708, the text of which was composed by magnates enjoying the rights of the Kingdom of Croatia, and which attacked Croatian municipal rights. This process demonstrates that within the political body of the Kingdom of Croatia at the beginning of the eighteenth century there existed two political options: the “pro-Habsburg” one, headed by Bishop Esterházy and Protonotary Plemić, and the “pro-Hungarian” one, headed by the members of the Erdödy family and Adam Keglević. Since the “pro-Hungarian” option did not have as a goal the preservation of Croatian particularity within the commonwealth, the majority of the Croatian nobility supported the “pro-Habsburg” party, which won the victory in this political struggle by composing the Croatian Pragmatic Sanction. A proof of that is also the composition of Article 14 of 1712, which prohibited Croatian magnates from acting against the interests of the Kingdom of Croatia. Even though that article remained in the shadow of Article 7 (that is, the Croatian Pragmatic Sanction), precisely the content of Article 14 contains real causes for composing the Croatian Pragmatic Sanction. The most merits for the composition of both articles belong to Bishop Esterházy and Protonotary Plemić.
Keywords
Croatian Pragmatic Sanction; Bishop Emeric Esterházy; Protonotary George Plemić; the Hungaro-Croatian Diet; the eighteenth century
Hrčak ID:
33614
URI
Publication date:
5.1.2009.
Visits: 3.515 *