Nyakas Miklós: A hajdúvárosok országgyűlési képviseleti jogának elnyerése 1790-1791 / Hajdúsági Közlemények 17. (Hajdúböszörmény, 1992)

Tartalom

How did the Heyducks win the right for parliamentary representation? When István Bocskai, the Prince of Transylvania by virtue of his Charter issued in Korpona on 12th December, 1605 invested 9245 Heyduck soldiers with land and nobiliary freedoms, their delegates were theoretically invited to the Diet too. But the events shaped in a different way, though it is a fact that every single town was invited by Gábor Bethlen to the Diet in Besztercebánya in 1620 and it is also a fact that during Rákóczi's War of Independence the delegates of the seven Heyduck towns were present in the Diet of Szécsény in 1705. In 1702, however, the Heyduck Region was in great danger when their particulars were taken with the intention of taxation. (Here I cannot advert to how they managed to avoid the fate of the small Heyduck towns of Bihar, as it has a large number of components.) Obviously that was also a reason why they sent observers (among them the three captaingenerals named Csanády were the most eminent) to represent them at the 18th century Hungarian Diets from the very beginning partly upon taxation considerations and partly because they wanted to avert Szabolcs County's constantly repeated legal claims. During the 18th century essential changes took place in the social structure of the Heyduck towns which resulted in significant social tenses too and this circumstance made it even more urgent for them to win the right for parliamentary representation. 11 was at the end of the 18 th century - during the 1790/91 Diet - that an opportunity occured owing to the real power and importance of the Heyduck towns and also to the noblemen's sudden enthusiasm ensuing after Joseph II's death. Then the endeavours of the Estates were supported not only by the annalists, but also by the great masses of Heyducks and JazygiansCumanians. The latter were eager to regain their full rights, their former real or presumptive privileges and they pledged themselves to fight to the very last for the feudal-national cause. The endeavours of die Heyduck towns were also supported by Szabolcs County thus treating the Heyduck towns as partners for the first and perhaps the last time in the history of country nobility. The espousal of the Heyduck towns was directed not only against the Hapsburgs, but also against the peasantry. In April, 1790 the Heyduck towns submitted an application to Leopold II requiring him to re-establish the Heyduck towns in their former rights and to withdraw them from under the control of Chamber.Though they did not get an appreciable answer to their request, according to the king's ordinance issued through the Hofkammer (i.e. the Court Cancellary) they were allowed to appear at the Diet. Their legal status, however, was complelety uncertain. According to the form of oath which their delegates had been given they were to act on everything according to the interests of the noble towns, to follow the instructions given to their hands and they were not to invite any strangers to represent the noble towns. Let us see what instructions the delegates of the Heyduck towns were given for the Diet in Buda! The following was formulated for János JABLONCZAY PÉTER, the captain general and Mihály OLÁH, the chief recorder at the general assembly on 17th May, 1970: - They were to manage to get full rights and full right of voting at the Diet. - For the sake of this they had to arrive in Buda before the beginning of the Diet and to get in touch with the delegates, „with the low-ranked and the high-ranked as well", i.e. with the county and free-town delegates as well. - In order to fortify their arguments they had to take all the Heyducks' charters with them and dependent on circumstances they had to compile documents based on the charters, expressing their requests with all the necessary proofs. - They had to throw a strong light upon tbe origin of Heyduck freedom and upon the unlawfulness of laying a tax on them. - They had to protest against subjecting them to the Chamber which obviously violated their nobiliary freedom. - Exemption from duty and paying the 30th part as a tax was also to be achieved. 93