!!!Untertanenstrafpatent Untertanenstrafpatent, detailed stipulation made by Emperor Joseph II on September 1, 1781 on the forms of punishment sovereigns were allowed to impose on their subjects within the scope of summary jurisdiction: prison with bread and water; forced labour; arrest aggravated by the use of foot irons; forfeiture of land and buildings. A detailed record of the proceedings had to be kept and delivered to the subjects in case they wanted to file an appeal. The Untertanenstrafpatent was a first step to protect farmers against arbitrary rule, and it was of particular importance in those places where serfdom was no longer practised. Another act which made it possible to seek recourse by appealing to the provincial authorities or even to the emperor was also promulgated on the same day. !Literature H. Feigl, Geschichte der niederoesterreichischen Grundherrschaft vom ausgehenden Mittelalter bis zu den theresian.-josephinischen Reformen, 1964. %%language [Back to the Austrian Version|AEIOU/Untertanenstrafpatent|class='wikipage austrian'] %% [{FreezeArticle author='AEIOU' template='Lexikon_1995_englisch'}] [{ALLOW view All}][{ALLOW comment All}][{ALLOW edit FreezeAdmin}]