Polizeiordnungen#

Polizeiordnungen, regulations of the local princes or rulers of the early modern age, developed out of the necessity to regulate several areas of civil and criminal law in the course of the development of new states. The local princes and Estates had many interests in common but differed on many other matters. The term "Polizey" was used to mean "good order" in line with the concept of "politeia" as used by Aristotle. Accordingly, the areas of law regulated by the police were extensive and heterogeneous (trade, servants system, clothes, control of public abuses, etc.). The oldest Polizeiordnung was that for the laender of Lower Austria (Lower Austria, Upper Austria, Styria, Carinthia, Krain/Krajnska, Goerz/Gorizia and Trieste) of 1527; similar Polizeiordnungen for these territories were passed in 1542, 1552, 1671 and 1676. Tirol was given a Polizeiordnung in 1573, Styria and Carinthia in 1577.

Literature#