Page 208 - 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. 208
integr ated peasant economy in a compar ative perspective
Introduction
This article investigates the demographic development in the karstic
hinterland of Trieste from the mid-16th to the early 20th century. The Tri-
este territory was the rural district (in It. Territorio or Distretto, their in-
habitants were called territoriali or distrettuali) of the Triestine munici-
pality. It surrounded the port city of Trieste in the north-eastern Adriatic
region stretching from the north-west towards the south-east and was di-
vided into two areas, differing by settlement typology, land property struc-
ture and agricultural features. The plain and hilly area close to the city was
characterised, until the mid-19th century, by sparce peasant settlements and
was then progressively penetrated by urbanisation. The external part of the
municipality instead consisted of a series of peasant villages distributed on
the karstic plateau at a height ranging from 290 to 350 metres above sea lev-
el. Here the peasants were small farmers, organised in village communi-
ties. The villages were mostly of medieval origin. They were the result of the
colonisation undertaken by the city bishops. The villages Lonjer, Bazovica,
Gropada, Križ, Prosek, Opčine and Trebče are first documented in the 13th
and 14th centuries. Their origins supposedly date back to around the year
1000 when the Triestine diocese was held by German bishops, who pro-
moted the settlement of Slavic peasants in the city karstic surroundings.
The village of Kontovel was established in 1413, while those of Padriče and
Bani respectively, in the first half of the 15th century and in 1619. These vil-
lages were not faced with urbanisation. However, their economic, social
and demographic development were tightly connected with and influenced
by the city.
The study of the demography of the Trieste rural district in the long
run is quite a problematic matter because of very sporadic and uncertain
population statistics prior to the second half of the 18th century. For the
Early Modern times the so called perticazioni (measurements) are the only
known sources with this respect. They consist of two cultivated plots’ cen-
susses conducted by the Triestine municipal authority in 15251 and in 1647–
48.2 They also include a list of the farmers, on which the population num-
ber can be estimated (Montanelli 1905, 89–96; Merkù 1994).
1 BCT, AD, Libro di perticazioni di S.ta Croce, Proseco e Contovello fatto nell’A.no 1522
(1525).
2 BCT, AD, Perticationi di tutti li Terreni essistenti nel Territ.o della Città di Trieste
(1647–48).
206
Introduction
This article investigates the demographic development in the karstic
hinterland of Trieste from the mid-16th to the early 20th century. The Tri-
este territory was the rural district (in It. Territorio or Distretto, their in-
habitants were called territoriali or distrettuali) of the Triestine munici-
pality. It surrounded the port city of Trieste in the north-eastern Adriatic
region stretching from the north-west towards the south-east and was di-
vided into two areas, differing by settlement typology, land property struc-
ture and agricultural features. The plain and hilly area close to the city was
characterised, until the mid-19th century, by sparce peasant settlements and
was then progressively penetrated by urbanisation. The external part of the
municipality instead consisted of a series of peasant villages distributed on
the karstic plateau at a height ranging from 290 to 350 metres above sea lev-
el. Here the peasants were small farmers, organised in village communi-
ties. The villages were mostly of medieval origin. They were the result of the
colonisation undertaken by the city bishops. The villages Lonjer, Bazovica,
Gropada, Križ, Prosek, Opčine and Trebče are first documented in the 13th
and 14th centuries. Their origins supposedly date back to around the year
1000 when the Triestine diocese was held by German bishops, who pro-
moted the settlement of Slavic peasants in the city karstic surroundings.
The village of Kontovel was established in 1413, while those of Padriče and
Bani respectively, in the first half of the 15th century and in 1619. These vil-
lages were not faced with urbanisation. However, their economic, social
and demographic development were tightly connected with and influenced
by the city.
The study of the demography of the Trieste rural district in the long
run is quite a problematic matter because of very sporadic and uncertain
population statistics prior to the second half of the 18th century. For the
Early Modern times the so called perticazioni (measurements) are the only
known sources with this respect. They consist of two cultivated plots’ cen-
susses conducted by the Triestine municipal authority in 15251 and in 1647–
48.2 They also include a list of the farmers, on which the population num-
ber can be estimated (Montanelli 1905, 89–96; Merkù 1994).
1 BCT, AD, Libro di perticazioni di S.ta Croce, Proseco e Contovello fatto nell’A.no 1522
(1525).
2 BCT, AD, Perticationi di tutti li Terreni essistenti nel Territ.o della Città di Trieste
(1647–48).
206
