Criminals before the provincial court of Šoštanj

Abstract

The provincial court of Šoštanj was an unprivileged court that had jurisdiction in criminal matters, investigating and trying serious crimes (murder, infanticide, aggravated assault, rape, crime of violence, robbery, aggravated theft). The materials of this court, now held by the Celje Historical Archives, comprise eleven cases from the period between 1822 and 1849: four thefts, two infanticides, and a case of robbery homicide, manslaughter, rape, robbery and crime of violence each. The article provides a detailed presentation of two criminal proceedings: one dealing with aggravated theft and the other with rape. In the continuation, the author focuses on the administrative aspects of four cases—infanticide or, rather, abortion, manslaughter, and two thefts. He describes the court’s endeavours to ensure the payment of court and other fees that arose from respective criminal proceedings.