Ribnica in the grip of fear from brigands

An attempted brigand raid on Ribnica in 1768

Abstract

The article deals with brigand incursions into Carniola in the second half of the eighteenth century, including an attempted raid on Ribnica in 1768. According to official reports, gangs of brigands were composed of Orthodox population, most often labelled in official sources as »Vlachs«, i.e., Christian semi-nomadic peoples of the Ottoman Empire. It is highly likely that these gangs also included soldiers and other inhabitants of the Military Frontier, especially given the fundamental changes that were taking place at the time when brigandage in the area reached its height. Brigand gangs occurred due to political, economic, environmental, geomorphological, climate and general social conditions, as well as the vicinity of economically crucial transport connections. The article also focuses on the collective fear and collective memory of brigands.