MARRIAGE IN THE METROPOLITANATE OF KARLOVCI IN THE LATE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY

Abstract

In the late eighteenth century, matrimony and marriage law in the Habsburg monarchy underwent changes due to the reforms of Emperor Joseph II and new political and social circumstances brought about by the war with France. These changes affected all Christian Churches, including the Metropolitanate of Karlovci. In the 1790s, Metropolitan Stefan Stratimirović was able to adapt to new circumstances and new laws, even though they were not always in accordance with his beliefs. This paper will present these changes and provide examples demonstrating how the episcopate of the Metropolitanate of Karlovci and its head responded to these new circumstances. It will also point to specificities that emerged during this time among Serbs and Orthodox Christians within the Habsburg monarchy.

Keywords

• Habsburg monarchy, Metropolitanate of Karlovci, Serbs, Stefan Stratimirović, Military Frontier, marriage