Animals in Statutory Provisions

and Criminality of Medieval

Dubrovnik
International Medieval Congress
Leeds, July 5th, 2023
Session 1041: Animals and Criminality

TOPOGRAPHY OF POWER: EASTERN Gordan Ravančić

ADRIATIC CITIES IN MEDIEVAL SPHERES Croatian Institute of History, Zagreb
OF POWER (IP-2019-04-2055) gordan@isp.hr
Statutes of Dalmatian communes

• 2nd half of the 13th century

• Customary law
• Resurgence of the Roman Law
• Provisions of communal councils
• Regulation of everyday life

• Dubrovnik statute 1272.

• 484 provisions
• 19 provisions on animals and animal products
• Less than 4 %
Statutory provisions of Dalmatian communes

• Medieval cities Number of statutory provisions mentioning animals

and animals Dubrovnik 465 3 14 3

• Trogir Trogir 411 11 12 8

• Split
• Hvar Split 483 7 20 10

• Koručula Hvar 166 6 9 12

• Brač
Korčula 377 18 9 25
• Dubrovnik
Brač 226 20 2 31

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Other
Provisions on damage caused by animals in agriculture and public areas
Provisions on trade of animals and animal products
Provisions on the care of animals and animal products
Animal species in criminal records
• Lamenta de foris vol. 1 (1370 – 1373)
• 613 cases (records)
• 119 mention animals (approx. 19,5 %) The share of representation of individual animal species
• no cases against animals 12%
10%
• Teft of various animals 88 % 37%

• Damage of property caused by animals 12 %

• Types of animal species 8%

• Cattle
• Goats 1%
2%
4% 9%
• Sheep 6% 11%

• Pigs Cattle (boves, vacchas, pecus) Goats (capra, edis, ircus, beccho)
• Horses Horses (equos) Sheep (oves, angelinas, arietes)
Donkeys (asini) Pigs (porchos)
• Donkeys Poultry (pullum, galina) Castrates (castrati)
• Poultry Animals (bestia, animalia) Pasture (Pastura / pastinandum)
Cows, goats, horses and sheep – the most
common species Distribution of cattle nomenclature

2%
• Value of animals as motive for crime? 2% 9%
41%
• Economic
• Daily usage
47%
• Food
Boves Vacchas iunica vitulos pecus
Distribution of sheep nomenclature
30% Distribution of goats nomenclature

30%
50%

55%

20% 5%
10%

Oves Angelina Arietes

Capra Edis (H)ircus Beccho
Prosecutors and perpetrators / defendants
Distribution of prosecutors
• Mostly men 7%

• Unknown perpetrators (theft /damage of

property)
• Mostly theft and robbery of livestock 93%

male female
Types of crimes
23% Distribution of perpetrators / defendants
35%
27%

3%
42% 71%

robbery theft
damage of property male female unknown
Defendants by the type of crime

• Damage of property (23 %) Defendants by the type of criminal offense

– perpetrators mostly
animals of unknown unknown
damage of unknown robbery female theft

owner (15 %) property

15%
1% 2%
male theft
27%

unknown theft
13%

male male robbery

damage of 34%
property
7%
female
damage of
property
1%
 Spatial distribution of ”animal crimes”
Crime scenes
Konavli
14%
Ston
3%
• Majority of crimes on
Župa
dubrovačka
Islands
Dubrovačko
10%
primorje
periphery
19%
19%

Brgat Rijeka
3% dubrovačka
Šumet Gruž
12% Dubrovnik 7%
7%
7%

Distribution of cases with regard to the crime scene

28%
Primorje

Župa

72%

with recorded crime scene without recorded crime scene

 Time of crime Cases with and without crime time stamp

• Thefts – night crimes 46%

• Robberies – festivities 54%

• Only 2 cases have recorded verdict

cases with time stamp cases without time stamp

Types of criminal offenses by month Total number of recorded criminal offenses by

12
month
25
10
20
8
15
6

4 10

2 5

0 0
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Azg Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

robbery theft demage of property

Conclusions

• Share of statutory provisions lesser than share of recorded

criminal offenses connected with animals and animal products

• Value of animals – thefts and robberies

• Animal criminal offenses

• No major crimes
• Majority in district
• Animals part of urban landscape
• Analogy with the rural calendar and Christian festivities
 Thank you for your attention

Animals in Statutory Provisions and Criminality of Medieval

Dubrovnik

International Medieval Congress

Leeds, July 5th, 2023
Session 1041: Animals and Criminality

Gordan Ravančić
TOPOGRAPHY OF POWER: EASTERN ADRIATIC CITIES
Croatian Institute of History, Zagreb
IN MEDIEVAL SPHERES OF POWER (IP-2019-04-2055)
gordan@isp.hr