Austrian land cadastre (Josephine cadastre) as a source of military history, with particular emphasis on eastern Galicia

DOI 10.12797/KPK.14.2022.14.01. nieaktywne

The Austrian land cadastre (Josephin record) drawn up in the years 1785-1788 in Galicia, i.e. in the territories of the First Polish Partition, is an important material for economic research (especially regarding agriculture and tax matters) in these areas. An in-depth analysis of these materials reveals that they are of some importance for reconstructing the military significance of cities and towns. This applies to two periods of time:

1. Times of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (late 16th-early 18th century)
2. Austrian rule (late 18th century) For the times of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Josephine record contains scarce, but in individual cases valuable information about the city’s fortifications. The most valuable are the data on small defensive sites, which until now remain almost unknown. For Austrian times, information about military garrisons, especially in small towns, is of value, omitted in the collective summaries from the times. As a source of a tax nature, the Josephine record is only complementary to other sources concerning military history.