Diaconescu, Marius (szerk.): Mediaevalia Transilvanica 1999 (3. évfolyam, 1-2. szám)
Mentalităţi
12 Mária Makó Lupescu preserved the text of the ordeal-ceremony.47 In those 345 cases related to the trial by hot iron, 353 are the number of individuals who bore the iron48 This higher number of the individuals bearing the iron then those of the cases related to this type of ordeal, can be explained by the fact that sometimes several individuals bore the iron on the same charge,49 sometimes other persons bore the iron, not the accused,50 sometimes a person bore the iron in his and/or the name of a community,51 and sometimes the ordeal was ordered but did not take place.52 The comes, frater Seud, praecepto regis eos discutieris, posuit super juramentum Lule, qui super sepulchrum sancti Regis Ladislai coram pristaldo regis, nomine Toma, filio Tup, de villa Mata, et coram capitulo Varadiensi iurans, iustificatus est.” Ibid., no. 229, p. 239 cp. Zsigmond Jakó, ed., Codex diplomaticus Transsylvaniae. Diplomata, epistolae et alia instrumenta litteraria res Transsylvanas illustrantia 1023-1300. Erdélyi okmánytár. Oklevelek, levelek és más írásos emlékek Erdély történetéhez, vol.l (Budapest, 1997), no. 104, p. 150. Other times, it took place in front of saint Ladislas' altar: “Intelleximus igitur, ut sacramento duorum cognatorum eius dictum Beniamin defenderit, juraverunt, inquam, Chuma et Azarias super altare sancti Ladislai Waradini et Beniamin liberatus est”. Karácsonyi, and Borovszky, Regestrum Varadinense, no. 362, p. 293. 47 Ibid., pp. 146-52. 48 The more common denomination for this act was “portato ferro, iustificatus est" if the accused was innocent, and “portato ferro, combustus est” if he/she was guilty. Keeping in mind the result of the bandaged hand, the number of individuals who bore the iron can be distributed in the following way: 222 persons were declared innocent, 101 were found guilty, at 7 persons the seals on the bandaged hands were damaged, in 4 cases the litigants came to agreement after the carrying of hot iron, 7 cases are related to the refusal to come out to the church, 8 cases are related to the refuges in the church, in 3 cases the individulas disappeared after having carried the hot iron, and in 1 case the result was not communicated. 49 I counted 45 cases in which more then one person was involved in carrying the hot iron. See, for instance the case of some tenants from 1219: “Praedicti latrones [ioubagiones Martini, scilicet: Nemek, Miklous, Eguch, Bibies, Rubuzo et Tekam de villa Sarang], portato ferro, mundati sunt.” Karácsonyi, and Borovszky, Regestrum Varadinense, no. 185, p. 220; or the case of some castle-men from 1221: “Varadini Paul, Zalduba, Sune, Stephanus, Buchuk, Tomas, Rasum, Banlus et Merk, portato ferro, justificati sunt; Michael vero, Buda et Milus combusti sunt.” Ibid., no. 292, p. 263. 50 1 counted 32 such cases. See, for example Scegen’s case from 1219, who bore the iron instead of his daugther: "... ubi praenominatus Scegen, portato ferro pro filia sua, combustus est.” Ibid., no. 197, p. 225. Scorcomer, in 1221, bore the iron for his patron: “... ad examen ferri candentis Waradinum, ubi homo praedicti Scorcomer, portato ferro pro domino suo, combustus est.” Ibid., no. 322, p. 275. Fileka's case from 1219 is interesting because the state of his helth did not allow him to go Oradea to trial, so, his brother carried the hot iron for him: “Cum Fileka propter infirmitatem in locum [Oradea] venire non posset, Simon frater eius pro illo, portato ferro, mundatus est.” Ibid., no. 205, p. 228. Le Goff supposed that this possibility to carry the hot iron for another person was meant to compensate the weaknesses of these individuals, mostly women or sick persons. Jacques Le Goff, Civilizaţia occidentului medieval (The Civilisation of Medieval Occident), trans. Maria Hóiban (Bucharest, 1970), 428. 51 I counted 21 such cases. See, for instance the buctiniferis case from 1219: “Quos magister Dionysius praecepto regis discutiens, misit ad examen ferri candentis, per pristaldum nomine Beke de provincia Puchia Varadinum, ubi unus pro omnibus buctiniferis, portato ferro, combustus est.” Karácsonyi, and Borovszky, Regestrum Varadinense, no. 198, pp. 225-26. In 1219, Egud and Benedict bore the iron for themselves and the other accuseds: “Pro his omnibus Egud et Benedictus pro se ipsis et aliis [ioubagiones Martini comitis de villa Vamus, scilicet: Botyka, Zobotha, Karasun, Torka, Zekus, Ioacyn, Tukay, Iroslou, Iacobum, et item ioubagiones monasterii de Taplucia, pertinentis ad genus Miscoucy, de eadem villa, quorum nomina sunt haec, Nunige, Zobozló, Borathe, Henuc, Lusutha, Zamacziomut, Buchi, Tomac], portato ferro, justificati sunt...” Ibid., no. 209, p. 229.
