In the bustling Adriatic city of Dubrovnik, taverns were more than just places to enjoy a jug of wine. They were spaces of gossip, gambling, and, frequently, violence. A close examination of the city’s records from the late Middle Ages offers insights about crime in the Later Middle Ages.
Historian Gordan Ravančić researched the court records from the Dubrovnik (then known as Ragusa) archives—especially the Libri de maleficiis and Lamenta de foris—to explore what he calls “tavern-life,” an often-overlooked aspect of everyday medieval experience. His article, “Crime in Taverns of Late Medieval Dubrovnik,” shows how taverns functioned not only as places of entertainment, but also as stages for conflict, crime, and the performance of masculinity.
As Ravančić would discover, “a brawl or fight was the most common ‘answer’ to any kind of unpleasant ‘question’ or remark,” in this medieval city.
A Male-Dominated Space
Dubrovnik depicted in 1486, from Konrad Grünenberg’s’ Beschreibung der Reise von Konstanz nach Jerusalem
Taverns in Dubrovnik served a clientele largely made up of men from the city’s working classes: stonemasons, shoemakers, hired labourers, sailors, and indentured servants. Wine was the only drink served—no ale or beer—and patrons entertained themselves with dice, cards, and conversation. According to the criminal records, 95% of tavern visitors were men. Women entered these spaces rarely, often only to buy wine that they then brought home or to accompany a husband.
This absence reflects broader social expectations about gender roles. As Ravančić explains:
The possible reason why women were rare guests in taverns is that tavern life very often was quite violent, and thus dangerous for women. Men in taverns, while they drank, used to joke among themselves, often at the expense of women. An additional explanation might be the general attitude towards women’s role in family and society, which still exists today in some parts of Mediterranean—the tavern was a public place and women were supposed to be a part of the domestic sphere. This perfectly corresponds with the fact that even the female tavern-keepers, who had to spend much time in taverns because of their profession, did not have the best reputation.
When Things Got Ugly
Tavern scene appears in a 14th-century book on Vices – Britsih Library MS Add. 27695, fol. 14
Violence was the most common form of tavern crime. In Ravančić’s study, fighting or brawling accounted for 57% of documented offences. Often triggered by intoxication, disputes over payment, or insults, these conflicts could erupt quickly.
Some of the insults recorded in the trial records are vivid and vulgar. One man was accused of shouting “tua mater est meretrix et magiça” (“your mother is a whore and witch”), while another called someone “tu es bastardus.” Pulling someone’s beard was also considered a grave provocation.
While it might seem the tavern-keeper was often the victim, they were frequently the instigators. In a 1374 case, one tavern-keeper named Sriedan accused a patron of assaulting him, but testimony from another tavern-keeper revealed Sriedan had started the fight himself after refusing to accept payment for a broken jug. Overall, Ravančić notes that tavern-keepers were “very often the main promoters and perpetrators of tavern fights.”
Profession, Crime, and Social Hierarchies
The article reveals important insights into Dubrovnik’s social structure. Merchants and nobles generally avoided taverns, and if they happened to be nearby, scribes went out of their way to note their distance from any trouble. In one case, a patrician witness was described as “qui transibat per viam”—he was merely passing by.
When examining the professions of those visitors who got into trouble at taverns, the top three groups were indentured servants, stonemasons and government officials. You could also find seamen, butchers, tanners and shoemakers among those charged with crimes at taverns.
Women committed far fewer crimes overall, and when they did, they were more likely to be involved in theft and verbal insults than physical violence. Still, one striking detail is that 6% of female offenses were classified as robbery—surprisingly high given the risk of violent confrontation.
When did people go to taverns?
Tavern visits followed the seasonal rhythm of agrarian labour. January saw a spike in attendance, likely due to reduced outdoor work in winter, while July was also popular, a lull between vineyard work and the grape harvest. Fewer people visited in August and November, when labour demands were highest.
Weekends also brought more tavern-goers. Ravančić found that Saturdays and Sundays had significantly higher crime rates than weekdays, reinforcing the tavern’s role as a key leisure space in the late medieval city.
A Shared European Pattern
Ravančić notes his findings are similar with other studies from medieval Europe, drawing comparisons to tavern culture in England, Sweden, and Germany. Dubrovnik fits a broader European pattern: taverns were spaces of male-dominated leisure, often at odds with civic regulation, and frequently scenes of crime.
“Crime has to be viewed as one of the basic social activities,” Ravančić argues, “and… the patterns of crime can tell us important features of the cultural setting in which people lived.”
Far from being peripheral or marginal, taverns stood at the centre of urban life. They were places of laughter and violence, community and conflict—and, as this study shows, they reveal a great deal about the social fabric of medieval Dubrovnik.
Gordan Ravančić’s article, “Crime in Taverns of Late Medieval Dubrovnik,” was published in Medium Aevum Quotidianum, Vol. 38 (1998). You can read it onRavančić’s Academia.edu page.
Gordan Ravančić is a Faculty Member at the Croatian Institute of History in Zagreb.
Top Image: ‘A Brawl outside an Ale House ‘ by Alexander Carse (1770–1843)
In the bustling Adriatic city of Dubrovnik, taverns were more than just places to enjoy a jug of wine. They were spaces of gossip, gambling, and, frequently, violence. A close examination of the city’s records from the late Middle Ages offers insights about crime in the Later Middle Ages.
Historian Gordan Ravančić researched the court records from the Dubrovnik (then known as Ragusa) archives—especially the Libri de maleficiis and Lamenta de foris—to explore what he calls “tavern-life,” an often-overlooked aspect of everyday medieval experience. His article, “Crime in Taverns of Late Medieval Dubrovnik,” shows how taverns functioned not only as places of entertainment, but also as stages for conflict, crime, and the performance of masculinity.
As Ravančić would discover, “a brawl or fight was the most common ‘answer’ to any kind of unpleasant ‘question’ or remark,” in this medieval city.
A Male-Dominated Space
Taverns in Dubrovnik served a clientele largely made up of men from the city’s working classes: stonemasons, shoemakers, hired labourers, sailors, and indentured servants. Wine was the only drink served—no ale or beer—and patrons entertained themselves with dice, cards, and conversation. According to the criminal records, 95% of tavern visitors were men. Women entered these spaces rarely, often only to buy wine that they then brought home or to accompany a husband.
This absence reflects broader social expectations about gender roles. As Ravančić explains:
The possible reason why women were rare guests in taverns is that tavern life very often was quite violent, and thus dangerous for women. Men in taverns, while they drank, used to joke among themselves, often at the expense of women. An additional explanation might be the general attitude towards women’s role in family and society, which still exists today in some parts of Mediterranean—the tavern was a public place and women were supposed to be a part of the domestic sphere. This perfectly corresponds with the fact that even the female tavern-keepers, who had to spend much time in taverns because of their profession, did not have the best reputation.
When Things Got Ugly
Violence was the most common form of tavern crime. In Ravančić’s study, fighting or brawling accounted for 57% of documented offences. Often triggered by intoxication, disputes over payment, or insults, these conflicts could erupt quickly.
Some of the insults recorded in the trial records are vivid and vulgar. One man was accused of shouting “tua mater est meretrix et magiça” (“your mother is a whore and witch”), while another called someone “tu es bastardus.” Pulling someone’s beard was also considered a grave provocation.
While it might seem the tavern-keeper was often the victim, they were frequently the instigators. In a 1374 case, one tavern-keeper named Sriedan accused a patron of assaulting him, but testimony from another tavern-keeper revealed Sriedan had started the fight himself after refusing to accept payment for a broken jug. Overall, Ravančić notes that tavern-keepers were “very often the main promoters and perpetrators of tavern fights.”
Profession, Crime, and Social Hierarchies
The article reveals important insights into Dubrovnik’s social structure. Merchants and nobles generally avoided taverns, and if they happened to be nearby, scribes went out of their way to note their distance from any trouble. In one case, a patrician witness was described as “qui transibat per viam”—he was merely passing by.
When examining the professions of those visitors who got into trouble at taverns, the top three groups were indentured servants, stonemasons and government officials. You could also find seamen, butchers, tanners and shoemakers among those charged with crimes at taverns.
Women committed far fewer crimes overall, and when they did, they were more likely to be involved in theft and verbal insults than physical violence. Still, one striking detail is that 6% of female offenses were classified as robbery—surprisingly high given the risk of violent confrontation.
When did people go to taverns?
Tavern visits followed the seasonal rhythm of agrarian labour. January saw a spike in attendance, likely due to reduced outdoor work in winter, while July was also popular, a lull between vineyard work and the grape harvest. Fewer people visited in August and November, when labour demands were highest.
Weekends also brought more tavern-goers. Ravančić found that Saturdays and Sundays had significantly higher crime rates than weekdays, reinforcing the tavern’s role as a key leisure space in the late medieval city.
A Shared European Pattern
Ravančić notes his findings are similar with other studies from medieval Europe, drawing comparisons to tavern culture in England, Sweden, and Germany. Dubrovnik fits a broader European pattern: taverns were spaces of male-dominated leisure, often at odds with civic regulation, and frequently scenes of crime.
“Crime has to be viewed as one of the basic social activities,” Ravančić argues, “and… the patterns of crime can tell us important features of the cultural setting in which people lived.”
Far from being peripheral or marginal, taverns stood at the centre of urban life. They were places of laughter and violence, community and conflict—and, as this study shows, they reveal a great deal about the social fabric of medieval Dubrovnik.
Gordan Ravančić’s article, “Crime in Taverns of Late Medieval Dubrovnik,” was published in Medium Aevum Quotidianum, Vol. 38 (1998). You can read it on Ravančić’s Academia.edu page.
Gordan Ravančić is a Faculty Member at the Croatian Institute of History in Zagreb.
Top Image: ‘A Brawl outside an Ale House ‘ by Alexander Carse (1770–1843)
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