Agria 42. (Az Egri Múzeum Évkönyve - Annales Musei Agriensis, 2006)

Löffler Erzsébet: Iparosok Eger közigazgatásában a XVIII. században

Erzsébet Löffler Artisans in the Local Government of 18th Century Eger In the 150 years following the expulsion of the Turks until 1854, Eger enjoyed a curious legal status. Being both the centre of a diocese and an episcopal market town was made all the more complicated by a special contract signed between the town and the landowners (the bishop and the chapter) regulating the status of the town's inhabitants. This is an agreement, known in the annals of the town as the Fenesy Transaction. It can be considered a form of substitute for statute labour. The artisan citizen was an important element in the life of Eger during the course of the whole century. This is something seen not only in the growth in their numbers, but in the important role the guilds played in the life of the town. For a considerable time it was they, using their "right to frame statutes", who made the rules, which were then endorsed by the municipal authorities. They could rightly claim that they were totally responsible not only for the right to practice a trade but training as well. Craftsmen also attained an important role in the governance of the town, as they made up quite a substantial proportion of the population. Not only this, but during the course of Hungary's social development this particular group helped fill a gap normally occupied by an intellectual elite in more developed societies. The guild artisans took part in a training that required the ability to read and write, and a wide range and high standard of professional knowledge. It was by no means rare for apprentices to benefit from several years of study abroad. As a master had to carry out all the phases of their particular trade, they had to be versatile and competent in all the different work processes. This occasionally demanded a lot of theoretical knowledge (mathematics, geometry, physics, draughtsmanship). Others had to display artistic qualities in their work (architects, carpenters, goldsmiths, jewellers, potters). It was such knowledge that made them suitable for official posts and public service. From the beginning of the 19th century, however, the craftsmen found themselves driven out of official posts, and those positions they were allowed to occupy, were only accompanied by menial tasks. Industrialisation and mass production, the upper-middle classes, and the arrival of an intelligensia drove these social groups that had played such an important role in the lives of towns like Eger into the background during the course of the 18th century. 591