Doc. dr. sc. Tomislav Matić na znanstvenoj konferenciji u Dijonu

Doc. dr. sc. Tomislav Matić sudjelovao je na međunarodnoj znanstvenoj konferenciji Expertise, confiance et réputation dans les pratiques de gouvernement médiévales (XIe-XVe siècles) koja je održana 14. prosinca 2023. godine na Université de Bourgogne u Dijonu, Republika Francuska. Održao je izlaganje pod nazivom „Memory as Evidence: The Function of Pristav in Disputes over Landed Estates in the Medieval County of Zagreb“. Na konferenciji su sudjelovali znanstvenici iz Francuske, Sjedinjenih Američkih Država, Brazila i drugih zemalja, a u publici su se nalazili znanstvenici i studenti sveučilišta-domaćina i drugih institucija.

Sažetak izlaganja:

In oral societies, personal testimonies and public faith are of paramount importance. As literacy was not widespread in Croatian lands in the Middle Ages, many of the local social functions depended on testimonies of persons who were considered trustworthy. Such persons were called pristav or pristaldus. These “human computers” were appointed to follow court cases and memorize testimonies, judicial acts and verdicts relevant to them. Their memory was considered a court record of sorts, and they were required to be able to, if necessary, recount the minutia of a case in later trials. This function existed in Medieval Slavonia, Croatia and Dalmatia – i. e., in the entire Croatian historical area – since at least the High Middle Ages, and as oral testimonies continued being important even on the brink of the Early Modern Age, it is also attested, although rarely, as late as the 15th century. The pristav was a private person and they had to possess knowledge of the local people, customs and terrain. Their role was mostly – in some areas exclusively – tied to cases concerning ownership of landed estates. They were usually tasked with witnessing transfers of ownership and memorizing boundaries. This was not always easy, as markers were sometimes obscure or difficult to identify. This presentation will analyze several instances of pristavs’ role in settling disputes over landed estates in the Medieval County of Zagreb, a part of the Kingdom of Slavonia and the greater Kingdom of Hungary – Croatia.