On the road to safety-Part 1. The attitude of social elites towards peasant’s migrations from Croatia and Slavonia to the present- day Burgenland in the mid-16th century

Hrvoje Kekez

doi:10.21697/sc.2025.32.2.10

Published: 2025-11-17

Vol. 32 No. 2 (2025)

On the road to safety-Part 1. The attitude of social elites towards peasant’s migrations from Croatia and Slavonia to the present- day Burgenland in the mid-16th century

Hrvoje Kekez

Saeculum Christianum. Historical Writings

Section: Rozprawy i Artykuły

https://doi.org/10.21697/sc.2025.32.2.10

Abstract

The Ottoman raids on Croatian historical areas were documented as early as the beginning of the 15^th century, their frequency significantly increased after the Ottomans seized the medieval Bosnian Kingdom in 1463. One significant outcome of the Ottoman incursions was the prevailing sense of insecurity and the subsequent displacement of the indigenous populace to safer regions. In the Burgenland region, the first recorded Croatian refugees emerged in the middle of the second decade of the 16^th century, with the peak of immigration to Burgenland transpiring in the mid-16^th century. This study is the first part of a two-part study on the experience of Croatian population emigration from Croatia and Slavonia in the mid-16^th century due to the growing Ottoman threat, migrating to the territories of southwestern Hungary at the time, i.e., present-day Burgenland. These areas were significantly safer and considerably less threatened by Ottoman raiders. The focus of this study is on the attitude of the social elites of 16^th-century Croatia and Slavonia towards the emigration processes, particularly regarding the departure of their subjects from their estates. Additionally, it analyzes the relationship between newly arrived Croatian refugees and the social elites, as well as other groups in southwestern Hungary during that period, in the context of their settlement and integration.

Keywords:

This paper is the result of research conducted on the project “Topography of Medieval Zagreb County (14th – 16th century)” (IP-2020-02-8706), financed by Croatian Science Foundation.

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Kekez, H. (2025). On the road to safety-Part 1. The attitude of social elites towards peasant’s migrations from Croatia and Slavonia to the present- day Burgenland in the mid-16th century . Saeculum Christianum. Historical Writings, 32(2), 126–137. https://doi.org/10.21697/sc.2025.32.2.10

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Hrvoje Kekez

Affiliation:

Catholic University of Croatia Croatia

Bio Statement (e.g., department and rank)

Hrvoje Kekez is a Full Professor of Medieval History at the Department of History, Catholic University of Croatia in Zagreb. His scholarly interests encompass the history of medieval Croatian and Slavonian nobility, medieval urbanism, medieval and Renaissance narratives, anti-Ottoman defensive wars, medieval topography, and Croatian heraldic heritage