The Practice of Municipal Self-Government on the Example of Košice Statutes from the 17th Century: An Overview

The focus of the study is on the self-government of Kosice in the early modern period.The main sources for the research are the city statutes from the 17 th century, which are representing the functioning of the urban community.Statutes are valuable historical sources that allow us to trace the way in which conflicts were resolved, finances were regulated, and city administration was managed in a given period.The study offers a glimpse into the history of Kosice in the early modern period and also sheds light on the ways in which the urban community organized and governed itself by norms that were created according to the citizens' current needs.The aim of the study is to examine selected questions regarding the functioning of the local government of early medieval Kosice through the statutes adopted by the outer council.The main focus is on the circumstances of the creation of the statutes and their content: a quantitative overview of the number of statutes, the frequency of their adoption and their thematic focus in order to gain a deeper understanding of the functioning of the administration and law of the urban community.The text presents the process of the creation of statutes and discusses their role in the administration of the city.It provides an insight into the legal structure of Kosice in the 17 th century.