Short-term demographic fluctuations in the croatian military border of austria, 1830–1847

Crude birth, death and marriage rates are examined for the Croatian military defence zone andcordon sanitaire against Turkey for the period 1830–1847. From 20 to 80 per cent of the variance in medium- and short-term swings in rates can be attributed to epidemics and fluctuations in grain harvest and livestock holdings. Standardization of the data to adjust for extreme ecological variation between micro-regions is essential. The ‘Malthusian’ status of this late feudal population is established, at the outset of long-term fertility decline.