Poljica Statute

First mentioned in the late 14th century,[1] and preserved in codified form since the 15th century, the statute determined the law of Poljica, which is, by its form, style, content and establishment of social-economic relations, totally different from the rest of Croatian statutes.

Public rights were manifested in the relations between serfs and their masters and in the impossibility for citizens to be elected to the Table of Poljica (the government).

For example, if a tenant cursed his landlord his tongue was cut out, and if he dared to rise a hand against him, his right arm would be chopped off.

[3] The earliest redaction from the 15th century Poljica Statute is written in Cyrillic (Bosančica) under influence of Glagolitic script.

[1][4] The language of the redactions is a mixture of steadily receding Čakavian dialect and increasingly mode widespread Štokavian dialect (specifically Western Ikavian) and, given that Glagolite clergymen contributed to the text, a considerable number of Church Slavonicisms are present.