Istražni postupak zagrebačkog biskupa Emerika Esterházyja godine 1708. - poimanje suvremenika o biskupovoj osobnosti i slika stanja biskupije
The election of Zagreb’s bishop Emerik Esterházy in 1708 - witness’ opinion of bishop’s personal qualities and the circumstances in the Zagreb

Summary/Abstract: The election of a new bishop by the canon law of the Catholic Church demanded a procedure in order to establish a firm opinion of the candidate’s ability for such responsible and important function. This procedure was developed between 1591 and 1627 by popes Gregory XIV and Urban VIII. The procedure included carefully chosen witnesses. They had to answer 13 questions about bishop’s personality and circumstances in his diocese. During their depositions they were under oath and supervised by the apostolic nuncio, in order to make sure that their depositions are truthful. In Habsburg Monarchy the apostolic nuncio was located in Vienna, where all procedures from 1611 to 1913 (also the procedure for Bishop Esterházy) took place. The documents presented in this paper show us that three witnesses were called from Zagreb diocese. Each of them gave deposition individually to avoid conformity in their statements. This fact is helpful for present day researchers because we can compare different statements and establish the real facts about the situation in 18th century Zagreb. All witnesses knew the bishop candidate personally, but they were not close friends and therefore they were not prejudiced. Their testimonies give us information on Emerik Esterházy and how he preformed his duties before 1708. Every catholic bishop’s candidate went through the identical procedure. Therefore this historical source should not be neglected in a historical research. The vast amount of information in these documents can lead every researcher to new and improved conclusions about various historical persons and events.

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