Župa, zhupa, żupa (Cyrillic: Жупа) is a Slavic term, notably among the Southern and Western branches of the Slavs, originally denoting various territorial and other sub-units, usually a small administrative division, especially a gathering of several villages. Most probably, the Hungarian term, "ispán" evolved from this term, and denoted most cases juidical rank of similar to Latin comes our count. Leader of the county.
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Early Middle Ages
Originally, since nomadic times, the zupa started as an extended family, where authority rested with a pater familias (as that Latin words testifies, so it was originally with the Italic peoples), called župan (various spellings are used, including zhupan, hugely varied in different languages). In time, some evolved into larger clans, and its origin made a hereditary principle for the succession to the chiefship logical.
The Slavs were tribes at the time of their migration to the south between 5th and 7th centuries.[citation needed] Most župas were organized according to tribes and each tribe had its own chieftain called the župan. The term it seems, is ultimately of Avar origin[citation needed]from "Çoban" (in Turkish, "çoban" means "the ruler".)
Late Middle Ages
The župas were present in Great Moravia in the 9th and 10th century. When St. Stephen of Hungary organized the Hungarian Kingdom in the 11th century, the Magyars adopted the Slavonic term župan to ispán for the head of their new royal provinces or 'counties'.[citation needed]
The Slovaks and the Croats used the terms župa, župan and/or županija for the counties in the Kingdom of Hungary and the Kingdom of Croatia. German language translation of the word for those counties was Komitat (from Latin Comitatus, 'countship') during the Middle Ages, but later it was Gespanschaft (picking up the span root that previously came from župan).
The župas were prominent in the Balkans among the South Slavs throughout the Middle Ages. De Administrando Imperio (10th c. Byzantine text) mentions županijas, as the provinces of the Croatian kingdom in the chapter 30.
The župas were also an administrative unit in the First Bulgarian Empire, a subdivision of a larger unit called comitatus.
Grand Župan (Veliki župan, Cyrillic: Велики жупан), is also a Serbian medieval title (equivalent to the prince) of the rulers of Rascia from 11th to early 13th century.
The župan title was also used in Wallachia (in modern Romania).
"Ispán" in Kingdom of Hungary
There were several 'ispán's in the royal court: 'udvarispán' (court ispán), 'kápolna ispán' (chapel ispán), and 'ispán's of the financial hierarchy ('harmincadispán', 'pénzverőispán', 'sókamaraispán', 'urburaispán'). Similarly the leaders of the ethnic groups were called 'ispán' like 'besenyők ispánja' (Besermian ispán) 'székelyispán' (Sekler ispán)
The 'ispán' was nominated by the king for not defined time. From the 14th century, the 'ispán' controlled all incomes of the vármegye and was the military commander.
The rank was gradually replaced by 'főispán' in the 18-19th century.
The authority of megyésispán was the leader of the vármegye which was nominated by the king but could be expelled anytime. In Transylvania the nomination was done by the vajda of Transylvania, similarly, the ban made the nominations in Slavonia. One person could be 'ispán' of several counties, but one county could have more 'ispán's at the same time (in most cases, they were brothers). His deputy, 'alispán' was selected by the 'megyésispán', but then later this right was moved to the Noble Assembly (megyegyűlés). From the 15th century, this position was more and more hereditary.
The alispán or in Latin, "vicecomes" was the leader of the jurisdiction in the county if the 'megyésispán' was not available. He received the royal orders and issued decrees. After the Battle of Mohács in 1526, he became the representative of the noble's assembly, and so the assembly's approval was needed for his election from this time (Law of year 1548, nr LXX.). After the Ausgleich, he is the leader jurisdiction and administration (Law of year 1870 nr. XLII.). He executed the orders of the government. The authority ceised to exist after the law of year 1950. nr I.
The várispán, or in Latin, "comes castri" was more linked to the "vár" (fortress) in Hungary in the times of Árpád. He was the leader of all peasants around the fortress and the military commander. The authority was not hereditary, however, as one of the highest rank in Kingdom of Hungary, he was member of the "honor regni" (honourables of the kingdom).
Modern times
The Croats preserved the term župa until the modern times as the name for local clerical units (parishes) and slightly modified županija as the name for their regional government (the counties of Croatia).
The Slovaks have also preserved the term: it was used as the official name of administrative units of Slovakia within Czechoslovakia in 1918 - 1928 and then again in the Slovak Republic during WWII in 1940-1945. Today it is used semi-officially as an alternative name for the "Autonomous Regions" of Slovakia (whose territory is identical with that of the administrative Regions).
When Slovenia was partitioned between Italy, Hungary, and Germany on 17 April 1941, in the Italian portion, named province of Lubiana, the new administration was lead by an Italian High Commissioner, but there also were Presidents of the Council of Zhupans of Lubiana:
- 27 May 1941 - 1941 Marko Natlachen, the last Ban of Drava (September 1935 - 17 April 1941; b. 1886 - d. 1943)
- 1941 - 7 June 1942 ?
- 7 June 1942 - 20 September 1943 Leon Rupnik (b. 1880 - d. 1946)
See also
Compare:
Sources and references
- Smiljanić, F. (1990) ‘Beitrag zur Erforschung der Županien – Ordnung in Sklavinien Kroatien’, Diadora (Zadar) 12: 371-90.
- WorldStatesmen - here Slovenia
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