A Hajdú-Bihar Megyei Levéltár évkönyve 30. 2004-2005 (Debrecen, 2005)

Tanulmányok - Szerdahelyi Zoltán: Szemelvények a Baranyi család XVIII. századi történetéből - A "Baranyi-per"

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Szerdahelyi Zoltán: Szemelvények a Baranyi család XVIII. századi...

Excerpts from the XVIII., history of the Baranyi family - The „Baranyilawsuit”

Zoltán Szerdahelyi

The social/economic position of the Baranyi family was fundamentally determined by two factors: the adaptation to the conditions after the Turkish expulsion and the Rákoczi-war of independence, and the behaviour displayed during these two events fundamentally determined the future of the individual noble families. Who more capably (like several members of the Baranyi family, emphasising the role of Baranyi Gábor), who less capably made use of the offered opportunities.

I studied the history of the Baranyi family in relation to the era when the entire territory of the country came uniformly under Habsburg jurisdiction and the country’s decentralisation was terminated, recording of the country’s resources was commenced in the interest of more efficient economic administration, together with stricter inspection of the chambers.

Those becoming loyal, or again becoming loyal to the royal court attempted to obtain the greatest possible part in the economic authority, and to further increase the gained part. Two main types can be listed in this sphere, in the first are those wishing to retain the estates and county/national influence, in the second are those wishing to acquire these advantages. The Baranyi family can also be listed as members of the latter category, who appeared almost from obscurity, and whose authority increased constantly during the XVIII century.

In my paper we can become acquainted with the legal suits of the kindred „appearing” from several branches of the Baranyi family, which lasted for almost one hundred years.

In presentation of the suits mentioned in the title, an „inexhaustible” source proved to be the Hajdú-Bihar County Archive’s volumes on Civil lawsuit documents, the full scale study of which is a task for the future.