Izvorni znanstveni članak
The Vlach law and its comparison to the privileges of Hungarian brigands
Ladislav Heka
; Pravni fakultet Sveučilišta u Szegedu, Szeged, Mađarska
Sažetak
When Military Border was established (Croatian -Vojna granica; German - Militärgrenze) in Croatia and Hungary, numerous former serfs, nomad farmers and immigrants from the areas occupied by the Ottoman Empire assumed the duty of border-guards for the Habsburg Monarchy. Most distinct among them were the Vlachs and brigands that acquired privileges in the 17th century (the Vlach law and brigand privileges) and became privileged classes of society. The Vlachs that emigrated from the Balkans brought along their customary law, cooperative as an old Slavic socio-economic community, dukes and their self-government and judicial system, i.e. dukes as military commanders. The Habsburgs also gave them tax reductions and other privileges and in return the Vlachs as border-guards supervised major roads and mountain passages and ensured safety of travelers and cargo transport. The Austrian military commanders later on realized that it is necessary to build fortresses in the area of the Military Border. The first one was built in Karlovac in 1581. When it became inhabited, the inhabitants were promised hereditary ownership of land and houses, organisation of two fairs per year and one market day a week. In this way the Vienna court accomplished several objectives: cheap army for border defense, grouping of border-guards within a single firmly enclosed area, collection of all financial resources in one place and structuring of central institutions and centralized military and political order. The border-guards were linked to this order through their right on land and personal freedom and the self-government assigned to them. For that reason, they were endlessly loyal to the king and he could use them not only in battles against the Turks, but also for internal confrontations such as rebellions of peasants or noblemen. Hungarian b rigands were of similar social origin like Croatian border-guards, and their inclusion in regular army (in the 16th century) led to legalisation of their special social status. Since then the term brigand primarily denoted Hungarian infantry consisting mainly of peasants. Unlike the Vlachs, who obtained privileges from the Habsburgs, the brigands obtained privileges not only from their feudal masters (Duke Bocskai gave them settlements and collective peerage within them), but also from the Ottomans (1608 the Archduke Matija and the Budin Pasha by joint declaration confirmed the privileges obtained from the Duke Bocskai) and the Habsburgs (the privileges mentioned above were confirmed by the King Ferdinand III). This paper analyses the Vlach law and brigand privileges, as well as attempts of the Croatian-Hungarian nobility to bring border-guards under their power.
Ključne riječi
Military Border; Vlachs; brigands; Statuta Valachorum; privileges of brigand towns; aspirations of Croatian and Hungarian nobility to bring border-guards under their power
Hrčak ID:
223345
URI
Datum izdavanja:
1.6.2019.
Posjeta: 3.153 *