Dénes Dienes: History of the Reformed Church Collég in Sárospatak (Sárospatak, 2013)
THE SCHOOL IN ITS “OLD NEST” AGAIN HISTORY OF THE COLLEGE BETWEEN1703 AND 1777 - Fight for survival, 1710 -1714
HISTORY OF THE COLLEGE BETWEEN 1703 AND 1777 60 Pál Ráday did much to help ensure the survival of the College authorities decided to take no action but to wait. In the meantime, the newly- elected school teacher, András Fiileki, having been invited from the parish in Ernőd, immediately tried to make best use of the time to build relationships and mobilize people in the interests of mere survival. The Peace Treaty of Szatmár, finalized on 30 April 1711, referred all questions pertaining to religion to the next meeting of the Parliament, thus providing more breathing time for the school in Patak. Professor Fiileki wrote a letter to Vienna on 10 March 1711 to the royal administrator whose job was to represent and protect the rights of Protestants. In this letter, Fiileki detailed the situation of the College and entrusted him with representing the interests of the College. Later, Fiileki was able to convince Gömör Szentimrey Sámuel, a nobleman of the county and a patron of the school, to assist them in their cause. This was an important step because it was by means of this relationship that he was able to reach the influential Pál Ráday, who, from 1712 onwards, expended great effort in protecting the College. Another stalwart partner in this undertaking was Ferenc Aszalay, a nobleman from Miskolc, who knew Ráday through Ferenc Rákóczi’s administration, given that Ráday was the chief administrator while Aszalay worked as a royal clerk. Aszalay had enrolled as a student in 1693 when the College operated in Gyulafehérvár so he had an inherent emotional attachment, also. Both of them were the issue of Reformed- faith, middle class nobility; both of them remained loyal to Rákóczi to the end, all the while remaining loyal to their faith as well. These two were able to mobilize their connections within the Kuruc administration for the interests of their cause. An example of their effectiveness was that they were able to convince Ágost Keresztély, archbishop of Esztergom, that the matter of the school in Patak was of national significance and, should there be a decision in the question proving unfavourable for the Calvinists, it would present a significant obstacle to the settling of issues pertaining to religion. They were also able to procure the support of Dutch and English diplomats in Vienna who were Protestant allies of the Habsburgs. Shortly thereafter, on 14 August 1714, the reigning Charles III issued a decree which guaranteed the independence of the College of Patak: “we strictly order that the school in Patak, which adheres to the Helvetic faith, together with its students and professors, be left undisturbed in possession of their church and school properties and be able to operate without disruption”. The royal decree provided a temporary solution: the school could remain in Sárospatak until it was able to return to Kassa, according to the wording of the official document. Although this resulted in an ambiguous situation, it, nonetheless, helped to ensure survival in Patak. After all, the Jesuits had no interest whatsoever in having a strong Calvinist school in Kassa. Given that they had little choice but to accept the existence of a Reformed Church school, they agreed that it would be better to have it in a small town in the peripheral region of Hegyalja. During the time when feverish efforts were being expended to secure the survival of the school, the Jesuits were also actively busy on their side. They managed to convince one of the principle officers of Zemplén county to attempt to seize the College by force. Thus, Márton Kossovics, second bailiff, on 23 June 1714, led the local German garrison to the school and ordered it to break through the gates which had been barricaded by the students.
