Pro patria. Tanulmányok - A Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg Megyei Levéltár Kiadványai III. Tanulmányok 12. (Nyíregyháza, 2004)

Summaries

ISTVÁN BALOGH: In his work - entitled The Taxation of Szabolcs County (1699-1703) - he presents the years that got straight ahead of Rákóczi's insurrection. In this period the military garrisoning and the paying of the increasing tax meant a heavy burden to every inhabitant of the county. During their trips to Vienna and Buda the superiors of the county tried to find protectors at the highest governmental authorities for the decreasing of the burdens that seemed unrealisable. They were not very successful because the nearly one hundred and fifty villages of the four district of Szabolcs had to pay almost sixty-four thousand "rénes" forint tax at the beginning of the new century that promised the hope of peace. The collection of this amount often meant an insolvable problem to the principals who were re-elected on the election of officials not without difficulty. Owing to the increasing tax more and more people fled from the villages year by year. Those noblemen tried to avoid taxation too who used units of land held in villeinage either in pawn or tenancy. The number of people who were dissatisfied increased day by day. Later many of them joined Rákóczi's flag. In the early summer of 1703 he was already among the rebellious people of 'Tiszahát' region. Soon the rebellion spread over Szatmár, to the Szamos margin then to the counties near and far. Consequently the collection of the 1703 year's taxation could not be carried out. ÁGNES KOVÁCS: In her study which bears the title Rákóczi and Károlyi she examines the heroic prince and the characteristics of Károlyi, as well. Károlyi was often characterized as an anti-hero in historiography, nevertheless he was the one who made peace without sacrifice in the eighth year of the hopeless war. In her work she illuminates the background of the war of independence. Ferenc Rákóczi II as a descendant of families with a great past was raised in the spirit that he was qualified for reign and keeping up with the family traditions was his moral obligation. Although Sándor Károlyi was a descendant of a conqueror clan, he was known only in his homeland Szatmár county and in the neighbouring areas. Rákóczi was an educated but reserved man while Károlyi - who tried to complement his imperfect education in a self-educated way - had to take stock of the situation objectively and had to react flexibly to the changing circumstances all through his life. He was not hamstringed by those points of views like Rákóczi, who interpreted himself as "supreme" and was not willing to give up his dynastic heritage in any conditions. This heritage was threatened by the military liquidation of the war of independence