Fehér György szerk.: A Magyar Mezőgazdasági Múzeum Közleményei 1992-1994 (Budapest, 1994)

11. Nemzetközi Gazdaságtörténeti Kongresszus, 1994., Milánó (llth International Economic History Congress) - FÜLÖP ÉVA MÁRIA: German peasants settled in a feudal estates in Transdanubia (Hungary) in the middle of the 18th century. A case-study of Tata - Gesztes domain

The large feudal estates among them the above mentioned Tata-Gesztes located near the market of Vienna, Pozsony (Pressburg) and the towns of Komárom and Győr (Raab) were in an advantageous position not to mention the huge military store-houses for food in the two latter towns. There was a natural road to transport the agricultural products — mainly the grain and the timber —: river Danube. In that period of our history the extensive method was the only possible way to enlarge the production. In order to get larger territories for ploughing they began — with the financial support of the state — to dry up marsh-lands from 1747 and a drainage-system (canalisation) took place between Tata and the Danube. They increase the number of cut-over (clearing) lands, too. For the above mentioned complex of estates the count tried to increase the number of his serfs. As József Esterházy wrote: „Ubi Popiilus, ibi Obulus". He issued a letter's patent (patens) on 4. February 1733 in order to get more workers for his domains. Several villages were settled with German peasants. They came from Frankish and Alsatian territories (from the dioceses of Würzburg and Strasbourg). The main reason for them was the special way of succession in the southern part of Germany: only the eldest son of a peasant family could inherited the land in villein tenure so there were not enough plough-lands for the serfs. Some German peasants came from county Moson from the western part of our country or from other Hungarian villages hoping better conditions for themselves in József Esterházy's estates (for instance from the village Vörösvár /county Pest-Pilis-Solt/ to the count's other village Szár /county Fejér/. Moreover sometimes the first settlers left a settlement because of the unfavourable growing and weather conditions and only the second group of serfs began the cultivation (that was the case in a small clearing (cutover area) in Vertes mountain at Kozma /county Fejér/. There were 7 villages settled with German peasants in the Tata-Gesztes estate that had a so-called „permanent contract" (contractus): Agostyán, Baj, Alsó- and FelsőGalla, (Duna)Szentmiklós, Tolna, Zsemlye (Vérlessomló). It meant free (exempt) years from the state and manorial taxes (contributio). As for the state regulation there was an act in 1723: these settlers had got 6 (ploughmen) or 15 (craftsmen) free years from state taxes. They have a permission to change their residence. During these years they were obliged to build a house but they were allowed to sell it as well after paying some money („Erbführ geld"). There were other 6 villages in the estates with German and Hungarian inhabitants: Kecskéd, Környe, Szomód, Tarján (Tata domain) and Boglár, Mezőörs (Gesztes domain). These German newcomers served as the Hungarian serfs except that they have the right for leaving the domain and for selling their houses. The requirement of the domain regarding the settlers' implements and their livestock was different. They never noticed data about the tools (e. g. ploughs, harrows) but the newcomers were expected to have draught animals. Young, healthy people having at least a voke of draught animals could meet the domain's requirements only. Considering the rate of oxen and horses it is a well-known fact that there have usually been more horses in German settlements than in Hungarian ones. There were ma-