Urbs - Magyar várostörténeti évkönyv 3. (Budapest, 2008)

Abstracts

managing and mediating power, resources, and information. The role of the mediating persons until the state apparatus was fully built out - that is still for a rather long time remained very important also because of the great spatial and cultural distances. However, what happened, if the "mediator" himself was foreign? During my research I examined several such persons, who were the clients of the Károlyi family, and who nevertheless maintained a close relationship with the town of Szatmárnémeti as well. One person among them was a Vas county nobleman, Mr. József Zanathy, who was born in 1716, and who served under even two Károlyi persons, Ferenc and his son Antal. Zanathy in the beginning, till 1748, was the secretary of Mr. Ferenc Károlyi. The secretary office was a well known excellent jumping board for talented youngsters. His efforts won their award. Mr. Ferenc Károlyi probably was satisfied with his services, because soon he arranged for rum an office in Szatmár county as well. In 1751 Zanathy - again through his Catholic religion - got a new role. In the middle of the century, exploiting a financial abuse, a newer Catholic offensive took place in Szatmárnémeti. In 1751 the Chamber of Szepes ordered an investigation against the town. Mr. Pál Melczer, the secretary of the Chamber of Szepes executed the investigation, on the basis of which he presented several recommendations as well. His activity had far reaching consequences in respect of the Protestants of the region, but also for the town as a whole. Among others they appointed the Catholic Mr. József Zanathy to be the head the town with removing the former Protestant Chief Judge, Mr. Sámuel Szatmári - probably upon the advice of the főispán (royal officer in charge of a county) Mr. Ferenc Károlyi. Zanathy had conflicts with the old Protestant town elite several times: in connection with the termination of the Protestant school and the building of the so-called „Staff House". However, with the assistance of the higher level authorities he always managed to keep the situation in hand. Was Zanathy really a mediator? The answer is probable: no. In his case we cannot really talk about mediation, because according to the social anthropologists in order to be a mediator he should have been the member of at least two societal networks, and he should have facilitated the communication between the two networks. He, however, it seems did not really want to be included in the town elite, for this reason he rather only forwarded the external expectations, and he did not strengthen the connections between the different groups. Zanathy was foreign in the Szatmár county, he depended too much from the goodwill of the Károlyi family. The local elite - and not only the town elite, but what is much more important probably the county elite as well - did not really accept him. In spite of this he himself and especially one of his sons succeeded in becoming a part of the Szatmár county elite.