The Istrian Perambulation is one of the most important sources of knowledge about the autonomous rural communes of Istria in 14 th (or perhaps even 13 th) century. Even thought the document mostly describes proceedings of perambulation in... more
The Istrian Perambulation is one of the most important sources of knowledge about the autonomous rural communes of Istria in 14 th (or perhaps even 13 th) century. Even thought the document mostly describes proceedings of perambulation in the interior of Istria, a part that is now in Croatia, it touches the borders of three Istrian communes now located in Slovenia: Piran, Koštabona and Topolovec. The latter two of them were autonomous rural communes represented by two perfects (župan) and inhabited by apparently Slavic population. The Istrian Perambulation paints a picture of Istria as an uniform cultural place as there are no notable differences visible between what is now Slovenia or Croatia. The rural communes have similar economic problems, and the perambulation is one of the ways how to deal with disputes and quarrels emerging among them due to the transformation to more intensive animal husbandry. The Istrian Perambulation also shows us what were the usual legal practices employed in the process of delimitation among rural (as well as urban) communes.
