Urbs - Magyar Várostörténeti Évkönyv 9. (Budapest, 2014)
Abstracts
Abstracts 325 The marriage was/is the framework of the human life, with other words the groundwork of community of property and life. Hence and in line with the laws of God the protection of the family stood above all and the Buda Law Book set fairly tough sanctions in order to punish the adulterers and remove them from the community. These were punished as aggravated crimes by death. In the 16th century the law was strictly executed, the penalization of this crime became softer only in the second half of the 17th century. The present article analyses a case of multiple adultery (adulterium) in which two women were charged in Kassa, 1579. The confessions of Mrs. Magdolna, the wife of Hagymás Pál and Mrs. Dorottya, the wife of István Szabó made under torture were drawn out on 4th March 1579, next day both of them confessed again, in that case at liberty. By the first ones, the notary drew up the list of those whom the women fornicated with. Mrs. Magdolna, the wife of Hagymás Pál in her confession made at liberty told incriminating things only about the other women and nothing similar about herself. Moreover she confessed that Dorka encouraged her in being together with men in order to obtain as much money as she did. She told as well that Dorka caused her and her husband’s destruction. As stated in the confession made under torture, men visited both of them. Accordance with the final list, Mrs. Dorottya “sinned” with eight while in case of Mrs. Magdaléna this number was seven. Furthermore the circumstances of the forbidden sexual togethernesses were revealed by the confessions. Through the interrogations the magistrate could discover a courtesan network. Not only the said two and other women, pimps were at the top of the list, but the names of so called “respectable”, rich citizens of Kassa as adulterer men were added to this register. The verdict was obvious: as multiple fornicators and adulterers capital punishment was imposed on them. SÁNDOR PÁL-ANTAL Conflicts Resulted Law in Marosvásárhely in the Second Half of the 17th Century Székesvásárhely free Szekler market town became a free royal city in 1616 and was renamed for Marosvásárhely. The new legal environment provided promising circumstances for the economic development and turning the civil living conditions in the city more ordered and favourable. The organisational structure of the city was not changed for a five decades which generated tensions, later led to escalation of direct confronta
