Release Proceeding: the Zbiroh Manor Farm Estate in the Years 1670–1690

Abstract

The present paper focuses on the release proceeding of the serfs on the Chamber estates of Točník, Zbiroh and Králův Dvůr in the years 1670–1690, i.e. during the office of the governor Ignatius Sebastian de Bois. The process was controlled by both provincial regulations, such as the Renewed Provincial Ordinance, and overlord regulations, such as the instructions for the governor. However, the exact release proceeding has not yet been described, so the thesis attempts to shed light on the process that both the serfs and the overlords had to undergo in order to issue a letter of release. The thesis concludes with the hypothesis that the mechanisms described are applicable to other chambered estates in the second half of the 17th century. The basis of the thesis are microhistorical probes, which, in conjunction with a quantitative-qualitative approach, allow to capture both the overall picture of the release proceedings and its individual aspects in detail.