Alba Regia. Annales Musei Stephani Regis. – Alba Regia. A Szent István Király Múzeum Évkönyve. 32. 2002 – Szent István Király Múzeum közleményei: C sorozat (2003)

Tanulmányok – Abhandlungen - Lukács László: Multiethnic and Homogenous Periods in the History of Székesfehérvár. p. 43–51.

administration was Hungarian, German and Latin. In 1724 the Hungarian burghers asked for the employment of town clerks who could speak these languages. In 1790 every member of the council could speak Hungarian and German. The language of the official report of economic sessions was Hungarian from 1804 and the sessions of council from 1814. The burghers asked that 'the Hungarian letters sealed by the town and the Hungarian documents sealed and certified by the town should be issued with Hungarian round seal' In 1845 King Ferdinánd V. allowed that the inscription of the town seal would be Hungarian instead of Latin (Kállay 1977, 253, 1974, 167). Churches, schools and drama played an important role in the Magyarization of Székesfehérvár. There were no religious differences between the Hungarian and German ethnic groups. The sermons were conducted by Jesuit, Carmelite and Franciscan monks who settled down after the Turkish withdrawal. The Jesuit order proved to be the best in ministering the mixed parish, for it had both Hungarian and German members. The prior parson conducted sermons for the German believers until 1786 in the Matthias sepulchral chapel built to the Northern walls of the Medieval royal basilica. The Hungarian member of the Jesuit cared for the Hungarian believers in the medieval St. Peter and Paul church built by King Béla IV. Until the middle of the 16

th century several coronations, administrations of justice and conferrings of knighthood were held here. After the Turkish withdrawal this church was dedicated to the honour of King St. Stephen, it became the first parish church of the town, and after the reconstruction in Baroque style in 1777, it became the episcopal cathedral. After the suppress of the Jesuit order their Baroque church built between 1745-51 was taken over by the Hungarian Paulite order in 1773, then passed over to the German believers in 1786 and to the Cistercian order in 1813. According to a contract between Antal Dréta abbot of Zirc and the town, the order had to keep one German chaplain for the German believers. The present-day episcopal cathedral was called the Hungarian church, the one-time Jesuit (today Cistercian) church was called the German church in Székesfehérvár (Németh 1977, 12, 21; Szvorényi 1851, 417; Juhász 1931a, 202, 204; Polgár 1936, 35; Kállay 1977, 253, 1988, 333-336; Sulyok 1996, 44-45). The white friars were mainly of German origin at the beginning of the 18

th century. At the annual festivity of the Carmelite order sermons were only held in German. Their holiday on 16 July became very popular in Székesfehérvár where guilds joined the procession with flags. (Németh 1977, 16) In 1732 the town handed over the old military hospital to the Carmelite church and cloister. In return the town requested that at least one priest of Hungarian origin should be included in the cloister. (Juhász 1931, 212; Kállay 1988, 351-352; Sulyok 1996, 46-47) In the 1720s by which time the Franciscans had established their order, they were popular with peasants and craftsmen. Their activity was to organise processions and pilgrimages. People from Székesfehérvár were the most active pilgrims in Transdanubia: large groups took part in the parish-feast in Bodajk, Csatka, Andocs, Celldömölk and Máriacell. We know that there were separate Hungarian and German groups starting off to Celldömölk in 1751 (Kállay 1976, 184, 1988, 349-351; Varró 1989; Sulyok 1996, 46; Soós 1996). There must have been a Hungarian school in Székesfehérvár under the Turkish occupation as well, because we can find in 1688 the name of András Parrag the schoolmaster in the land register. In 1728 there were two schoolmasters teaching in two schools. The Hungarian school {Hung. Schull Haus) and the German school (Teutsche Schull) was standing in the place where the Town Hall's new, Southern wing is today, that was built in the 1930's. The duty of the Hungarian schoolmaster (praeceptor) was, besides teaching, to toll the bells, whereas the duty of the German schoolmaster (Schullmeister) was to play the organ. The teachers in the 18

th century were earlier craftsmen and discharged soldiers. During the reign of Joseph II. in 1786 both languages were requested from a teacher teaching in primary school. In connection with this the town council found out that 'the situation was the same so far' (Juhász 1931a, 196— 197; Dormuth 1937, 20-21; Kállay 1977, 253. 1988, 285-289). The Jesuit (later Paulite and Cistercian) secondary school also played a significant role in the Magyarization of Székesfehérvár. The students of this secondary school presented plays in Hungarian as early as the second part of the 18

th century (Kilián 1976, 201-305). We know the text of their Hungarian Nativity play from 1767. The Paulites even taught the Hungarian language at the end of the 18

th century. The Cistercians were teaching in Hungarian for students in lower grades after 1813 (Dormuth 1936, 15-17; Kállay 1988, 289-291; Halmos 1988, 16-19). German troupes from Buda, Pécs and Zagreb played on the stages of Székesfehérvár for the first time at the end of the 18

th century. The first Hungarian troupe got on stage in the theatre of Pelikán Inn in 1813. Between 1818 and 1824 because of the destroying of the theatre in Pest, the Pelikán Inn gave place to the Hungarian troupe that was supported by the nobility of Fejér County. Only three burghers participated in the public contributions that was initiated for the maintenance of the troupe. The Hungarian acting and the high quality of the plays also contributed to the magyarization of the town (Dormuth 1936, 15-17; Kállay 1988, 304-310; Cenner 1972, 5-60). One more important factor in the magyarization of Székesfehérvár was the fact that it was the county town. The leaders of the Hungarian nobility and the clerks lived there. These people were the militants of the national 52