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Oba poddaných
Jan. 30th, 2010 09:30 amA couple years ago when we were in Germany, we took a trip to Vienna. Austria might not figure hugely on the world stage right now, but there was a time when the Austrian Empire ruled the world, with Vienna as its capital. Many, many tourists go there to enjoy the culture and history of it. It's certainly beautiful and interesting. But what I felt--overwhelmingly--when I set foot there was a sense of feudalism. When we arrived, my first thought was that the city was looking down on me, saying, "I used to own your SOUL. And don't you forget it!"
Because you see, it did.
Even if you aren't of English descent, you probably speak English if you live in the US or Canada, and so when you think of feudalism, you think of the middle ages. Castles. Something long, LONG ago. After all, there was all that humanism and enlightenment, not to mention the industrial age, etc. before you even get to us.
Well, central Europe--ie, the Austrian Empire--wasn't like that. In fact, the serfs were not freed in most places until 1848. Which is like, yesterday. And if you are like me--50% Czech--that means that your great-great-grandfather (well, maybe 3rd great--I have a skipped generation in my family) was, yes, born into serfdom.
I'm doing some family history right now because the church records for the place half my Czech came from are now on line. (See sample here.) It's fascinating. I'm about as well-prepared for it as any non-professional American could be, I guess. I've had several semesters of Russian, a couple of Czech, I speak German and have done a lot of German genealogy (the handwriting is similar), and I'm familiar with the basic genealogical terms in Latin. Plus, my husband does Germanic paleography as part of his job. And I have a word list. It's pretty formulaic, so finding the names, dates, and places aren't hard. Still, I wish I understood more to get the details. What I can understand is pretty interesting. Over and over again in the marriage records, my ancestors are listed as "oba poddaných"--both serfs--of the Lnare estate. (Please excuse the possibly bad grammar! I can recognize it but am shaky on coming up with it myself...) Considering my American side was nearly 100 years into a country founded on freedom for all (uh, and yes, I do recognize the irony of the fact that slavery didn't end here until 1863), it's a weird thought to realize my family's lives were so dictated.
No matter where it is, I'm always struck by the number of children who die young. I know it is somewhat fashionable among some to be against immunizations (I get why, although I disagree that they cause autism--a quarter of Americans share a gene pool with Germans, we both get the same shots, yet their autism rates are very low). However, if you spent an afternoon reading death records, you would RUSH out to get everybody shots! It's heartbreaking to see all the kids in a family die in the same month of a disease that is preventable today. I am sad with my kids when they get shots, but at the same time, I am always so grateful that one little stick can prevent so much pain and suffering.
The other thing I really notice is that those people who managed to survive childhood in this area lived a really long time!! Tons and tons of people living into their 80s and 90s in this tiny area--in the 1700s! Not what I'd expect. Maybe they were just outside a lot and had good food to eat? Or maybe the Czechs just have a secret?
Anyway, I'm very glad that the Empire does not own me. Hooray for all the blessings we've got today, is all I can say!
Because you see, it did.
Even if you aren't of English descent, you probably speak English if you live in the US or Canada, and so when you think of feudalism, you think of the middle ages. Castles. Something long, LONG ago. After all, there was all that humanism and enlightenment, not to mention the industrial age, etc. before you even get to us.
Well, central Europe--ie, the Austrian Empire--wasn't like that. In fact, the serfs were not freed in most places until 1848. Which is like, yesterday. And if you are like me--50% Czech--that means that your great-great-grandfather (well, maybe 3rd great--I have a skipped generation in my family) was, yes, born into serfdom.
I'm doing some family history right now because the church records for the place half my Czech came from are now on line. (See sample here.) It's fascinating. I'm about as well-prepared for it as any non-professional American could be, I guess. I've had several semesters of Russian, a couple of Czech, I speak German and have done a lot of German genealogy (the handwriting is similar), and I'm familiar with the basic genealogical terms in Latin. Plus, my husband does Germanic paleography as part of his job. And I have a word list. It's pretty formulaic, so finding the names, dates, and places aren't hard. Still, I wish I understood more to get the details. What I can understand is pretty interesting. Over and over again in the marriage records, my ancestors are listed as "oba poddaných"--both serfs--of the Lnare estate. (Please excuse the possibly bad grammar! I can recognize it but am shaky on coming up with it myself...) Considering my American side was nearly 100 years into a country founded on freedom for all (uh, and yes, I do recognize the irony of the fact that slavery didn't end here until 1863), it's a weird thought to realize my family's lives were so dictated.
No matter where it is, I'm always struck by the number of children who die young. I know it is somewhat fashionable among some to be against immunizations (I get why, although I disagree that they cause autism--a quarter of Americans share a gene pool with Germans, we both get the same shots, yet their autism rates are very low). However, if you spent an afternoon reading death records, you would RUSH out to get everybody shots! It's heartbreaking to see all the kids in a family die in the same month of a disease that is preventable today. I am sad with my kids when they get shots, but at the same time, I am always so grateful that one little stick can prevent so much pain and suffering.
The other thing I really notice is that those people who managed to survive childhood in this area lived a really long time!! Tons and tons of people living into their 80s and 90s in this tiny area--in the 1700s! Not what I'd expect. Maybe they were just outside a lot and had good food to eat? Or maybe the Czechs just have a secret?
Anyway, I'm very glad that the Empire does not own me. Hooray for all the blessings we've got today, is all I can say!
