Craftsmanship of the Lika Regiment

Abstract

With the ambition of strengthening the autarkic economy of the Military Frontier subordinated to military needs, reforms began in the middle of the 18th century, during which Maria Theresa, on September 21, 1767, established a new order for artisans in Karlovac Generalate, which also referred to craftsmen from the area of the Lika regiment. In the Military Frontier headquarters, the Krajina administration inhabited foreign craftsmen who were organized into guilds, and on May 1, 1773, in Karlovac Generalate, all of them were associated with the main Karlovac guild. Foreign craftsmen contributed to the expansion of the towns they inhabited by settling and performing their trades, so in the 60s of the 18th century, farming settlements began to develop in the wider Gospic area, and trade and craft shops began to open in the central part of the town. The influx of craftsmen and merchants led to a denser population in Gospic, the headquarters of the Lika regiment.