Revista Analele Banatului S.N. Arheologie-Istorie

Sandra Hirsch

ALCOOL ȘI DELICTE ÎN CÂRCIUMILE DE ALTĂDATĂ. POVESTIRI CU MORALĂ DIN BANATUL HABSBURGIC

1 Ianuarie 2022

Abstract

The 18th century Banat represents the province conquered by the Habsburgs and transformed from a vilayet into a land of the imperial Crown. The transformation began in 1716/1718, with the moment of winning the Austro-Turkish war, followed by the establishment of garrisons, the arrival of the first settlers, the first officials, and the drafting of plans for the organization of the province. Some of the improvements desired by the new administration pertained to the field of the economy and its recovery based on the principles of Austrian mercantilism. Already active branches such as animal husbandry or cereal cultivation were encouraged by the state and brought up to date with technologies. A reduction in imports, specific to mercantile policy, was also attempted regarding alcoholic beverages (beer, brandy, wine); viticulture developed successfully even though wine imports were still accepted and necessary, unlike beer and brandy, whose local production was strictly protected. Not only was the trade in alcohol subject to strict rules from the center, but so was the alcohol consumption in taverns, and in general, public houses’ activities. Thus, the colourful world of public houses and alcohol consumption lies at the border between economic history, social history, and the history of everyday life. In this sense, the rules sometimes go beyond the economic sphere and rather target the behaviour of the subjects. Considering the specialized bibliography on these topics and archive sources, it was possible to outline the portraits of ideal or less ideal subjects (referring strictly to innkeepers or their employees), according to the Habsburgs’ expectations. The world of taverns is present not only in documents such as regulations or citizens’ requests but also in criminal inquests. With the discovery of very interesting judicial investigations, I decided to associate this theme with crimes committed in or around the tavern or under the influence of alcohol. The purpose of this association was to highlight snippets from the everyday life of ordinary people, as well as the authorities’ attitudes towards these deviations (drunkenness, violence, murder). The information contained in such unpublished documents represent fertile ground for research into Habsburg Banat. The examples chosen for this study directly or subtly prove the ways in which the authorities tried to discipline the inhabitants of the province, to shape them to be useful to the enlightened rule from Vienna.