Karl Graf von Zinzendorf - Band 4 - Index

The two-volume transcription of the diaries written by Count Karl von Zinzendorf (1739-1813) during his governorship in Trieste, 1776 to 1782, is complemented by a general index which includes a glossary and translations of dialect, Latin, Greek and obsolete words. The diaries, written in French, cover a compact period of Zinzendorf`s life, i.e. his first executive function as governor after having studied at the university of Jena, having served on boards of economic affairs in Vienna and having travelled through all of Europe, except the Osman Empire. In the multi-ethnic free port of Trieste he ushered in the era of economic and political liberalism by deregulating traffic, transport, the sale of consumer goods such as meat, bread, grain and salt, while he proposed elements of corporate governance for the self-administrating body of the stock exchange. In Carinthia and Styria the governor was instrumental in abolishing traditional restrictions imposed on the production, manufacture and trade of iron-ore. In 1778, he succeeded in procuring the right of public worship for the growing number of Lutherans who had settled in Trieste since around 1720. Through oral reports of visitors, letters, books, newspapers and magazines he received continuously information about past and present events in and outside Europe. Aside from Trieste and neighbouring Venice, the main scenarios are metropolitan Vienna and the provinces of Carinthia, Carniola, Istria and the Croatian military border which offer insights into backstages of the European enlightenment. However, the geographical horizon comprises not only Europe, but includes also Africa, the Americas, Asia, and the Pacific. The entries, all written in French, give evidence of a stupendous variety of interests and of a great versatility and dexterity in observing persons, situations, and geographical spaces. The information contained in the diaries is very dense and precise and also reflects the high degree of introspection and self-observation which are characteristic of the writer. In view of the extraordinary number of personal and geographical names, and in view of the highly variegated subjects pertaining to all major spheres of contemporary life such as politics, warfare, economy, churches, education, theatre, opera, ballet, shipbuilding, seafaring, discoveries, the arts, the letters and the sciences, a comprehensive general index, including a glossary and translations of Latin, Greek, dialect and obsolete words, has been designed. It contains 4. 212 names of persons, 2. 015 of geographical sites, 1.197 technical items, 1.164 titles of printed material, 110 operas and ballets and 280 pieces of theatre, and furthermore 4.607 cross-references. Only in exceptional cases, previous and posterior contexts are added to the entries in order to facilitate the comprehension of the texts in question. It is the editors`endeavour not to indulge in generalities, but to elicit Zinzendorf`s and his contemporaries` concrete living conditions. The general index is the product of many years of basic research which has been conducted in the archives and libraries of Vienna, Graz, Ljubljana, Gorizia and Trieste. The bibliography pertaining to all the four volumes of the edition is contained in the introduction ( first volume). It lists more than 1000 titles.