Sófalvi András - Visy Zsolt (szerk.): Tanulmányok a székelység középkori és fejedelemség kori történelméből - Énlaka konferenciák 3. (Énlaka - Székelyudvarhely, 2012)

Pál-Antal Sándor: A középkori székely önkormányzat kérdései

Pál-Antal Sándor

A KÖZÉPKORI SZÉKELY ÖNKORMÁNYZAT KÉRDÉSEI

Szekler Self-government in the Middle Ages

(Abstract)

A poorly researched part of the history of Szekler self-government is the medieval one. The formation of the Szekler self-government is not well-known yet due to the scarcity of resources. This paper has set forth to provide a general presentation of the current status of the research and of the late medieval conditions of the Szekler self-government.

Szeklers practiced the right of self-government through their institutions encompassing both smaller and larger communities, from villages up to the „nation”. The main elements of self-government are: the regional character, the right of assembly, the right to choose a representative and manage one’s official problems in front of the chosen representative, the right to make their own rules as well as to send representatives into the Parliament. The paper sketches the beginnings of practicing these rights and the modifications that occurred in time: in peaceful times it became broader while in extraordinary periods like the late 16th century it diminished but did not disappear.

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