Page 91 - Panjek, Aleksander, Jesper Larsson and Luca Mocarelli, eds. 2017. Integrated Peasant Economy in a Comparative Perspective: Alps, Scandinavia and Beyond. Koper: University of Primorska Press
P. 91
integr ated peasant economy in medieval slovenia: a pr eliminary study
When exactly the estates in the territory under investigation started
with the introduction of money dues is hard to establish. Their emergence
depended on the circulation of money, manorial reorganisation from de-
mesne to individual holdings and the existence of the local market, which
again depended on the existence of urban settlements.
In the 7th century money stopped circulating in western Europe, but
started to recover in the 10th (Spufford 1988, 12ff). Even though a certain de-
lay can be detected in the south-eastern part of the empire, the vicinity of
Italy had a positive effect on the reappearance of money at least in the first
half of the 12th century, when several mints (Aquileia, Breže/Friesach) were
already well established around the area studied here; at the beginning of
the 13th century, however, the mints also appeared in the territory of pres-
ent-day Slovenia (Kos 1996, 158–74).
The establishing of estates took place here only after the end of the
Hungarian raids, i.e. at the end of the 10th century (Vilfan 1980, 111). That
was the time when the system of individual holdings started to spread over
Middle Europe until it prevailed in the 11th and 12th centuries. The first es-
tates in this area were probably already of a mixed type, whereas demesne
was not very significant (its last remains can be traced in the land register
for Bled of 1253; Bizjak 2006b, 158, 188). In spite of the predominantly rural
character of non-coastal areas in the Slovenian territory there is early evi-
dence of some proto-urban settlements where local trade took place (Ptuj,
Kranj, Slovenj Gradec, Škofja Loka, Ljubljana, Gorica; Kosi 2009). All this
evidence leads to the conclusion that the estates, at least in the 12th century,
collected a portion of their dues in money. This is also confirmed in a writ-
ten source, namely, the first preserved land register for this territory, the
Škofja Loka estate belonging to the Freising Bishopric, dating back to 1160
(Blaznik 1963, 127–8).
All the above led to the following situation at the end of the Middle
Ages. The ratio of money rents in some estates gradually increased until the
end of the 15th century. One such instance was Škofja Loka, which showed
the following trend: 55% in 1310, 65% in 1396–1400, 67% in 1437–1500 (Zahn
1871, 127–8; Bizjak 2003, 182), or Gornji Grad: 44% in 1426, 58% in 1490–1500
(Bizjak 2003, 218). Other areas, such as Bled, however, revealed a different
trend: 51% in 1253, 19% in 1309, 30% in 1464 (Bizjak 2006b, 166). And even
though in some areas the rent in kind was still dominant in the late 1400s,
the majority of estates show the share of money rent higher than 50% (Jablje
12% in 1493, Gamberk 34% in 1498, Križe 46% in 1498, Kamnik 50% in 1493,
89
When exactly the estates in the territory under investigation started
with the introduction of money dues is hard to establish. Their emergence
depended on the circulation of money, manorial reorganisation from de-
mesne to individual holdings and the existence of the local market, which
again depended on the existence of urban settlements.
In the 7th century money stopped circulating in western Europe, but
started to recover in the 10th (Spufford 1988, 12ff). Even though a certain de-
lay can be detected in the south-eastern part of the empire, the vicinity of
Italy had a positive effect on the reappearance of money at least in the first
half of the 12th century, when several mints (Aquileia, Breže/Friesach) were
already well established around the area studied here; at the beginning of
the 13th century, however, the mints also appeared in the territory of pres-
ent-day Slovenia (Kos 1996, 158–74).
The establishing of estates took place here only after the end of the
Hungarian raids, i.e. at the end of the 10th century (Vilfan 1980, 111). That
was the time when the system of individual holdings started to spread over
Middle Europe until it prevailed in the 11th and 12th centuries. The first es-
tates in this area were probably already of a mixed type, whereas demesne
was not very significant (its last remains can be traced in the land register
for Bled of 1253; Bizjak 2006b, 158, 188). In spite of the predominantly rural
character of non-coastal areas in the Slovenian territory there is early evi-
dence of some proto-urban settlements where local trade took place (Ptuj,
Kranj, Slovenj Gradec, Škofja Loka, Ljubljana, Gorica; Kosi 2009). All this
evidence leads to the conclusion that the estates, at least in the 12th century,
collected a portion of their dues in money. This is also confirmed in a writ-
ten source, namely, the first preserved land register for this territory, the
Škofja Loka estate belonging to the Freising Bishopric, dating back to 1160
(Blaznik 1963, 127–8).
All the above led to the following situation at the end of the Middle
Ages. The ratio of money rents in some estates gradually increased until the
end of the 15th century. One such instance was Škofja Loka, which showed
the following trend: 55% in 1310, 65% in 1396–1400, 67% in 1437–1500 (Zahn
1871, 127–8; Bizjak 2003, 182), or Gornji Grad: 44% in 1426, 58% in 1490–1500
(Bizjak 2003, 218). Other areas, such as Bled, however, revealed a different
trend: 51% in 1253, 19% in 1309, 30% in 1464 (Bizjak 2006b, 166). And even
though in some areas the rent in kind was still dominant in the late 1400s,
the majority of estates show the share of money rent higher than 50% (Jablje
12% in 1493, Gamberk 34% in 1498, Križe 46% in 1498, Kamnik 50% in 1493,
89
