Folia historica 24

I. Tanulmányok - Bognár Katalin: Kisnemcsek az 1843-as Zala megyei követválasztáson

és magyarázhatják adott esetben a nemesi összeírások, az egyes tisztségviselők után maradt iratok és a családi levéltárak anyagai, továbbá egy nemes halála után fennmaradt gyámügyi iratok. Lower nobility in the elections of deputies to the diet in Zala county in 1843 Summary The study gives an insight into the events of the elections of deputies to the diet in Zala county in 1843, more specifically, into the role and behaviour of lower nobility in these events. The elections took place amidst fierce and widespread canvassing. The opposing parties were divided not only along one of the most important questions of the Reform Age (should the nobles pay the tax for the expenses of county self-government), but also by personal rivalry among leaders of county politics. The heads of these parties used a number of ways to collect as many votes as possible, for example providing feasts for the members of lower nobility or bribing them. The canvassing using illegal methods led in many counties to scandalous events and crimes. The few criminal suits which survived at the Archives of Zala County, provide many interesting data concerning the role played by lower nobility in the elections. What these people thought about the current political issues, how they got to know them at all, what effects the canvassing had on them, what kind of life and economic situation made them responsive to bribery, and so on. We can also learn from the confessions that the opposing parties from the lower nobility (both the bullies and the witnesses) were motivated by previous discontents and hostilities, too. Archival documents can serve as essential sources for the research of the mentality of lower nobility, and they can also add a more detailed picture to the censored reports on the elections published in newspapers. 10