On the internal cohesion of the territorry of Gorizia in the 12th and 13th centuries

Abstract

The Counts of Gorizia were most probably the first to form a territory in the area of the south-eastern Alps. The territory comprised parts of the present-day Carinthia, Friuli and Istria, and had its administrative centres in Linz, Gorizia and Pazin. The area can be considered as the small-scale predecessor of the Inner Austria that would be formed in a later period. However, this political creation was fragmented to a high degree and its northern and southern parts were separated by high mountains. With regard to the Middle Ages, the question is to what extent this territorial formation was more than a just a personal union. The starting point to answer this question can be found in the journeys of the administrators appointed by the counts and accompanying their lords. A survey of the original relevant information shows that prerequisites for a union at lower levels did exist, but the result remains modest, even when compared with the successes of other dynasties. Considering its long duration, this political-territorial creation of the Counts of Gorizia, and later of the local aristocracy, must be considered valid.