In Castle and Town

The volume deals with medieval castles and their owners in present-day Slovenia - which comprises the medieval principality of Carniola and the southern parts of the former duchy of Styria - from the thirteenth to the early fiftheenth century, when different lordships were competing until Habsburg rule was firmly established. However, even after Bavarian and Carinthian dynasties had died out and the ecclesiastical lords, especially the patriarchs of Aquileia, had lost power, at the end of the period under investigation the counts of Cili emerged as a threat to Habsburg predominance. These developments left their mark on the history of the local lower nobility constisting of ministeriales and vassals. Comparing and contrasting the two countries under consideration allows to evaluate the characteristic features of their respective noble societies, which were closely interconnected by genealogical and legal relations. The first two parts of the volume are devoted to the study of each countrys castles and noble families. Firstly, a catalogue of castles with sufficient remaining documentation provides an outline of the history of the buildings and the estates atteched to them, focussing on the succession, history and genealogy of the noble owners and/or inhabitants and illustrating them with than 70 genealogical tables and photographs of almost 150 unpublished seals. The political, economic and legal framework are outlined and observations are made on the life in castles and towns, inhabited by noble families as well. The third part is based on this sample of case studies. The author indicates the political and economic role of castles and investigates their role in the fortunes and misfortunes of noble families. He discusses the legal and social matters connected with them, and outlines the changes which took place between the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries. The networks of the lower nobility and their relations of the lords and princes, the strategies used to obtain and to keep castles and the increasing importance of towns are made visible. The study shows the persistance of local traditions as well as the impact of the European nobilityßs common culture, brought into the region by the princely families with foreign roots and by the church, dominating both political and cultural life.