Publication details
Od Libice ke Kolínu. Dějiny jedné oblasti do husitství II
| Title in English | From Libice to Kolin. History of one region until 15th c. |
|---|---|
| Authors | |
| Year of publication | 2011 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Mediaevalia historica Bohemica |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Field | History |
| Keywords | Middle Ages; Libice; Kolín; monasteries; gentry; history of power; social controle; communication; peasantry |
| Attached files | |
| Description | The author contemplates about the power structure of a fairly small territory delimited with Libice in the north, Kolín in the south, Pňov in the west and Ohař in the east during the pre-Hussite era using almost all available sources. The article specifically analyzes mutual relationships and ways of communication between individual people, institutions or branches of noble families. The study is not linked with a single method because the fact that the sources were very varied and fragmented required a flexible approach rather than methodical purity. Already the first part of this analysis showed that the monitored territory was an interconnected unit where large monastery demesnes blended with smaller possessions owned by local noblemen. They were connected not only through neighbourly links, but also due to the participation of noble families in important decisions of monastery leaders, or due to the involvement of gentry representatives in administration and protection of the demesnes. The attitude of serfs was determined, beside legal liabilities, also by the actual situation – a monastery could theoretically reject some serfs’ claims, however, in reality it had to rely on their respect which was so difficult to enforce. These relationships resulted from dynamic balance rather than from stiffly interpreted legal rules which were just a weapon in the hands of disputing parties. The relationship between the monastery and its subjects was also influenced by the presence of the nearby royal town – a potential market on one hand and an appeal court of justice on the other – but available sources make it possible to monitor only the situation in Strahov demesnes; as far as the convent of St. George and the Sedlec monastery are concerned, sources only enable us to monitor the effort of the town and its burghers to capture some monastery villages, Mnichovice and Brankovice, situated near the town. |