Demographic Indicators in the Registers of Marriages of the 18th Century Parish of Miholjac

Abstract

This paper, using historical demography methods, as well as quantitative, analytical and descriptive methods, determines, analyses and interprets the demographic indicators contained in the registers of marriages of the 18th century Parish of Miholjac. In addition to identifying the corpus of the data contained in the registers of marriages, to be potentially used as indicators of certain demographic facts relating to the past of the population of the 18th century Donji Miholjac and its immediate surroundings, the paper also determines the annual, seasonal, monthly and daily distribution of marriages and examines the level of the impact which social, religious, cultural, and economic factors had on entering into marriage. The assumption that the population of the 18th century Parish of Miholjac did not enter the demographic transition phase, in other words that it exhibits characteristics specific to pre-transitional societies, is verified by determining the age of newlyweds when entering marriage and by analysing remarriages.