Olomouc Diocese, 18th century, lower clergy, clerical careers, patrons, local communities, clerics’ families

Investigating the careers of clerics who were active in the Olomouc Diocese from the 1740s to the 1780s, this study focuses on how these clerics’ relationships with their patrons and local communities affected their careers. Clerics’ careers were dependent on their patrons; this was a consequence of the way in which parish benefices were granted. The surplus of clerics also contributed to the strengthening of their links to a specific patron. This phenomenon is demonstrated by analyzing the situation in selected estates of the Prince of Liechtenstein. A study of clerical careers in the wider context of the diocese as a whole shows that with regard to clerics’ relationships with their patrons, there were several variants of clerical careers, and that the course of a cleric’s professional life was influenced not only by his relationship with his patron, but also by other factors. Clerics’ connections with specific re-gions or locations (local communities), including the region or location of their birth, played an important role. These connections are demonstrated through their relationships with their own families. An analysis of the identities of those to whom clerics lent money reveals how the network of relationships within which clerics lived their everyday lives is reflected in documents related to economic matters (probate documentation).

Investigating the careers of clerics who were active in the Olomouc Diocese from the 1740s to the 1780s, this study focuses on how these clerics’ relationships with their patrons and local communities affected their careers. Clerics’ careers were dependent on their patrons; this was a consequence of the way in which parish benefices were granted. The surplus of clerics also contributed to the strengthening of their links to a specific patron. This phenomenon is demonstrated by analyzing the situation in selected estates of the Prince of Liechtenstein. A study of clerical careers in the wider context of the diocese as a whole shows that with regard to clerics’ relationships with their patrons, there were several variants of clerical careers, and that the course of a cleric’s professional life was influenced not only by his relationship with his patron, but also by other factors. Clerics’ connections with specific re-gions or locations (local communities), including the region or location of their birth, played an important role. These connections are demonstrated through their relationships with their own families. An analysis of the identities of those to whom clerics lent money reveals how the network of relationships within which clerics lived their everyday lives is reflected in documents related to economic matters (probate documentation).