Urbs - Magyar várostörténeti évkönyv 1. (Budapest, 2006)

Abstracts

until the early eighteenth century. This long process reached its final phase only after the so-called Rákóczi war of independence (1703-1711). The privilege finally achieved in 1712 was yet to be ratified by the Hungarian diet of 1712-1715. Sándor Károlyi, the mightiest lord of the region and the comes supremus of the county Szatmár appeared as the most significant opponent of the towns. What did the town risk in this conflict? The town had already achieved almost such extensive privileges, as the free royal towns, it just needed the "crowning". The royal charter and its codification at the diet were very important for the town, not only because of the prestige, but also in order to secure its rights and its special status. This meant among others collective nobility, the liberation from the influence of the county and the mighty count, Károlyi as well. The commutation of the fiscal income was similarly important for the town, because it enabled to regain the authority over the ius educillationis (wine selling licence) from the treasury. However, this was violated by two manor-houses and the inns belonging to them. Sándor Károlyi owned one of the inns. The story of Szatmárnémeti demonstrates, how the protestant citizens coming from remote areas and being forced to rely upon their own little financial power managed to get through the labyrinths of the Viennese, or respectively the Pozsony authorities. The way they struggled to make "Lobby" in their own interests, the "contactcapital" they possessed and the means they used to reach these aims. Our main sources were the letters sent home by the delegates of the towns between 1713 and 1715 from Vienna, or respectively from Pozsony. How could these people get on in the Viennese and Pozsony milieu? One of their means was to seek the favours of the influential people. The delegates also tried to get information from each other. They stood in constant contact with the other delegates. Town delegates formed a separated interest group at the diet; they also stood in steady connection with the delegates from their own region. The present or diseretio represented though the most important means of delegates to carry through their interests. The gifts could be money or payment in kind, especially cattle or wine. The presentation was mostly voluntary, but there are also some examples where the official or clerk expressed his demands. The town undertook therefore an attempt to put through its interests due to the leaks of the yet weakly established bureaucracy and to the still not exactly determined competence areas of the central authorities. They tried to neutralize Károlyi 's influential position and clientele network with the aid of his opponents and primarily with diseretio. However, Károlyi used the same "weapon" and simply "overbid" their offer. The town partially reached its most important goals: the title and the charter, as well as the commutation of the fiscal incomes. Only the fights against the mighty landlords were lost. However, the town reached and even exceeded the limits of its economic power during this struggle.