In the High Middle Ages, the Diocese of Freising was one of the largest landowners in what is now the Republic of Slovenia. It owned a fairly large estate in Carniola in the vicinity of Škofja Loka and a few estates in Dolenjska in the vicinity of Klevež. The Loka estate, in particular, needed an efficient administrative apparatus to function due to its size. This work presents the development and structure of the administration of the Freising estates in Carniola, focusing in particular on the leading officials of the land holdings. Particular attention is paid to the famila of Loka knights, who were extremely active within the manorial administration for almost a century. The overview of the administrative apparatus concludes with the example of Bishop Sixtus (bishop of Freising 1474–1495), whose exceptionally well-preserved correspondence gives us a unique insight into the administration of remote land holdings.
|