Bács-Kiskun megye múltjából 19. (Kecskemét, 2004)

SUMMARY

TIBOR IVÁNYOSI-SZABÓ István Koháry, the most honoured landlord of Kecskemét Nowadays town of Kecskemét payes homage to István Koháry'

s memory by naming a street after him. His statue is standing in front of the oldest, most famous and most popular school of the town. Unfortunately Koháry's name is known by very few people. His family got into the Hungarian political life at the beginning of the 17

th century. He became the most popular member of the family during the most difficult period of Hungarian history. He was brave, faithful to the house of Habsburg and very religious. After his father's death he became the captain of Fülek and the Lord Lieutenant of Hont county. At that time he was only 15 years old. He studied in Nagyszombat, later in Vienna. He spent most of his life among soldiers. He was kept in prison for three and a half years by leader Thököly, where he was very close to death. Later he bacame the main representative of the peace between the catholics and protestants. Later he became an outstanding figure of the poetry of Hungarian Baroque. Toward the end of his life he worked as one of the leaders of jurisdiction. He lost his wealth several times then he became a rich baron. He devised his wealth to cultural and charitable institutions. A statue was erected in honour of this excellent man by Kecskemét town at the turn of the millenium. This profile wishes to commemorate István Koháry. TIBOR IVÁNYOSI-SZABÓ Inventories and assessment of lists of Kecskemet's reform period Plenty of excellent historians have already tried to analyse the Hungarian feudal latifundiums. The lifestyle of village peasants were scientifically investigated by plenty of scientists. They consisted the biggest part of the feudal state. Lots of studies were published about the situation of the legal and economic system of the serfdom. There were free peasants within narrow bounds in Hungary, for example in the town of Nagykőrös, Kecskemét and Cegléd. However, formally they depended on the landowner's supremacy. The tithe was relinguished for the Church by contracts. Free work and domanial farming were unknown for the peasants. They might move freely from the towns. The study contains thirty inventories and assessment of lists, which demonstrate that the serfdom living here grew dynamically.