Gyulai Éva: Szőlőbirtoklás Miskolcon a 16. században (Officina Musei 3. Miskolc, 1995)

Vineyard possession in Miskolc in the 16th century

Vineyard possession in Miskolc in the 16th century The fundamental change in the economy of early modern times in Europe is quite known during which more and more people produced cheaper and cheaper manufactured goods and less and less people came to deal with agricultural production to say nothing of the great amount of precious metals entering the continent as a consequence of great discoveries resulting in a real „revolution of prices" and a higher and higher rise of agricultural products. The ever increasing demand of the western world for foodstuffs in the 15th and 16th centuries stimulated the eastern part of Europe to export as much foodstuffs as possible to the West. From this worldwide trading Hungary took its share primarily with exporting beef catties and wine. The revolution of prices encouraged also the domestic demand in Hungary. In spite of the appearance of the Turkish rule, more and more regions in Hungary - mainly market towns - joined the long-distance and domestic trading and business. Miskolc and the wine district of the Bükk mountains similarly to the neighbouring Tokaj-Hegyalja region and the Eger-Mátra area - became areas of intensive wine growing and selling, taking their share of the boom of agricultural production of early modern times. From the authority of landlords Miskolc - together with the neighbouring Diósgyőr castle Miskolc came into the royal property of king Louis Nagy I from the Anjou dynasty in 1364. A huge domain was formed on the area around the castle covering four market towns (including Miskolc) and several villages with the king and queen as owners, up to the late Middle Ages (till around the 1530-ies). The first mention of viniculture in diploma was made at the time when the king took this area into his possession. The first mention of vineyard possession in Miskolc was made in a diploma issued by the town in 1376. This was the year when a citizen of Miskolc (a certain Johannes filius Kiliani conciuis noster de platea Fabiani) donated a vineyard to the Paulite monastery Corpus Christi of Diósgyőr. In the 15th and early 16th centuries several of the diplomas issued by the Miskolc Town Council contain sales and donation of vineyards. Most of the vineyards at that time were held in villeinage for which the holder had to pay an ecclesiastical tithe to the bishop of the diocese and a ninth part (a ninth tithe) to the landlord, the ruler but the vineyard was not part of the unit of land held in villeinage so it could freely be sold and purchased on the market. The ruler of the area granted more privilage to his market town, thus the villeins of Miskolc, for example, paid the ninth part to the landlord together as a community by putting down the ninth part of their vintage voluntarily, under no pressure, when coming home from their hillside vineyards and, as a privilage of the town, the king constrained the local wine trading of the people living outside Miskolc and the villeins of Miskolc could freely dispose of their properties by will. The tithes for the landlord were collected by the stewards of the Diósgyőr castle against whom the citizens of Miskolc often laied a complain with the king or queen. The Catholic Church possessed vineyards in several ways in Miskolc and the neighbouring monasteries, the Church of Miskolc dedicated to king Saint Stephen and the Ecclesia Hospitalis Omnium Sanctorum established on the skirts of the town also had vineyards. And, in addition, the chapels and altars of the Saint Stephen church had also vineyards