A Debreceni Déri Múzeum Évkönyve 1975 (Debrecen, 1976)

Néprajz - Dankó Imre: Changes in the Hungarian peasantry’s way of life and culture, with special regard to the Plain of Southern Bihar

Imre Dankó CHANGES IN THE HUNGARIAN PEASANTRY'S WAY OF LIFE AND CULTURE, WITH SPECIAL REGARD TO THE PLAIN OF SOUTHERN BIHAR In his comprehensive treatise which can be considered as a monography, the author draws the history of Hungarian peasantry with ample reference to previous results. His summary is built upon the analysis of economic basis, ownership circumstances, production methods and its determining characteristics. Economic situations have brought about sociological and cultural changes. The author stesses the fact that peasantry's social development raises numerous problems, being both a lengthy and complex process. Reference is made to the activity of Sámuel Tessedik, Ignác Acsádi, Imre Katona, Citing Péter Veres, he states

: in the course of the peculiar Hungarian sociological development, the notion „peasant" has become identical with „Hungarian" (man). Referring to Ferenc Erdei's work the author makes it clear that serfdom is not identical with peasantry. Examining the formation of serfdom he comes to the conclusion that its main part derives from castle-serfs, but one also finds a few have-been noblemen, as well as the mass of menials living on praedia. Historians date the establishment of a uniform serf class in Hungary to the middle of the XIV. th century, whereas every commoner outside the system of the Estates, small plot owner sefrs, partial plot owners, landless house owners or even cotters with no house - these were the peasants. Strata formed in the course of further development: day-labourers, servants and agricultural workers were also considered as peasants. The notion „peasant" generally implied subjugated, low-class agricultural workers. Examining the changing way of life of the peasantry in the southern Bihar plain (former district of Sarkad), this treatise is of folkloristic character, in spite of the fact that - referring to previous epochs - it uses historical data and historigraphic methods. Hungarian conquerors have occupied the plain of southern Bihar. Only a few placenames remind us of the original Slav minorities. The author describes the Hungarian tribes, breeds and families. This part of the treatise is mainly built upon the researches of János Karácsonyi and Zsigmond Jakó. Place-names show that Hungarians have settled here (Nyék, Tarján, Jenő, Harsány, Okány, Bocs etc.). Originally the territory was divided between the royal castallanies of Bihar and Zaránd. A part of the settlement was inhabited by „royal servants", they are free people by right of the first occupation ( these became later the nobility); another part was populated by people of the castellanies, castle-serfs, (most of which became later noblemen, too), and finally by people attached to the castle (these formed later the serfdom). A part of the plain of southern Bihar has been populated under King László I. by settling castle-serfs from neighbouring castles; some foreign tribes (Walloons - Gyán) have been established, too. During the course of the XI-XII th c. the plain of southern Bihar became populous, the landscape changed into a colony of small villages (Geszt, Gyanté, Remete, Ösi, Tárcsa, Zsadány, Fancsika, Győr, Негра, Iklód, Meggyes, Pata, Bagd, etc.) Two among these early colonies soon developed into market-towns (Cséfa, Kölesér). Population was heterogenous. Every colony had its noblemen and serfs. Some villages were so-called lower-nobility colonies since the majority of the inhabitants were smallholder noblemen. Compared with the previous nomad-nomadizing way of life, the settlement has brought about a decisive change. Simultaneously, a decisive change has occurred both in ownership relations (private estate) and in production conditions (agriculture). These changes had their results in society, too: they lead to the gradual development of feudalism, the system of Estates. In its research of the peasantry's life in the XIII-XIV th с the treatise in mainly based upon the results of Márta Belényesy. At that thime peasantry's economic and social life underwent a considerable differentiation in the plains of southern Bihar. Private ownership 475