Instituţia Judelui Sătesc în Principatul Transilvaniei
The institution of the county village in the Principality of Transylvania

Author(s): Livia Magina
Subject(s): History, Law, Constitution, Jurisprudence, Cultural history, History of Law, Local History / Microhistory, Social history, Modern Age, 16th Century, 17th Century
Published by: Editura Mega Print SRL
Keywords: Transylvania; village justice; early modern administration; customary law; rural society;
Summary/Abstract: This study examines the structure, functions, and evolution of village‑level judicial and administrative institutions in early modern Transylvania. During this period, justice and administration were deeply intertwined, and every local authority—from princely and gubernial institutions to counties, districts, estates, and villages—held its own jurisdiction. For most of Transylvania’s population, the village represented the primary framework of daily governance, with the village judge acting as the central figure of authority. Despite the importance of these institutions, written documentation is scarce, surviving mainly through cases remitted from village courts to county or estate courts, as well as through legislative acts, noble archives, and documents preserved in urbariums and Libri Regii. Livia Magina’s work brings together this dispersed material for the first time, offering the most comprehensive analysis to date of the village as an administrative and judicial unit. The study highlights the diversity of local practices, the variability in the appointment and roles of village judges, and the complex interactions between villages, noble authorities, and county institutions. It also explores procedural norms, customary law, and the integration of village justice into the broader judicial system of the Principality. Through a wide range of sources—including unusual cases such as a 1728 vampire trial—the book illuminates rural society, legal culture, and power relations in Transylvania, making a significant contribution to social, cultural, and institutional history.

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