Alba Regia. Annales Musei Stephani Regis. – Alba Regia. A Szent István Király Múzeum Évkönyve. 32. 2002 – Szent István Király Múzeum közleményei: C sorozat (2003)

Tanulmányok – Abhandlungen - Demeter Zsófia: The History and the Situation of Serb Minority in the East-Transdanubian Region. p. 51–60.

The number of Rács increased with the settlement led by Arzén Csernojevics: between 1690 and 1696, 222 Slav families settled down in 5 villages. The new settlers and the old inhabitants registered in 1696 could be traced easily: the latter had names according to the Hungarian custom. The settlement of the newcomers was conducted by Csernojevics in person. He tried to settle down his people in regions already populated by Rács. To the request of the Serbs of Rácalmás the patriarch agreed with the nobleman István Zichy to pay a farming lease of 80 tallérs (currency at the time). He pleaded for protection to the sub-prefect of Fejér County not to be disturbed by the settlers living in Tárnok. The patriarch also asked the county authorities to allow him to conduct services according to their religion in the villages of Sóskút, Tárnok, Százhalom and Berki. In spite of these requests the number of Rács decreased continuously. They were decimated and their belongings taken away during the Rákóczi Fight for Freedom. The Rács living in Adony spread to Buda, Székesfehérvár and Csesznek, while a large number of the Rács from Tárnok fell victims to the plague of 1739. The Zichys brought German settlers to Adony to the deserted plots of land, while the Szapárys and the Jesuits of Komárom brought Slovaks to Tárnok and Sóskút. The number of Serb settlements in 1715 was 8, in 1720 there were 10 Serb settlements registered, but by 1773 this number had shrunk to 5. The ethnic diversity of our region was shaped when Germans and Slovaks moved to the territories previously occupied by Slavs. The settlements of Adony, Rácalmás, Dunapentele and Batta lost a good part of their population when the Serbs moved to Banat. The orthodox denominations of Serb settlements were usually sparse and poor. They could not protect their interests any more. The biggest Serb community was in Batta but after World War I half of the population was repatriated to Serbia. The exodus was characterised by great promises and bitter disappointments. Their spirit of togetherness is showed by the fact that the repatriated and those remained in Batta still keep in touch. SERBS IN SZÉKESFEHÉRVÁR Székesfehérvár, one of the capitals of the medieval Hungarian Kingdom, attracted the Serb merchants even before the Turkish occupation. This town was the meeting point of the eastern trade route leading to the Holy Land, and the trade route leading to western Europe. These routes lost their importance because of the Turkish spread and became military roads. During the Turkish occupation Serb soldiers, their families and tradesmen in Turkish service settled down in the town. According to the data referring to the number of Serb soldiers, there were about 400 and 500 mercenaries who served the Turks. The married soldiers settled down in the town together with their families. Other Serb tradesmen came to town to supply the troops. The Serb mercenaries could not settle down within the castle, that being the place for Muslim Turks. They were allowed to settle in the scarcely populated western suburb of Székesfehérvár. In 1601 the Hungarian troops reconquered the town but could only keep it for one brief year. Lots of engravings were made about the town at that time. The engraving in the Ortelius chronicle presented Rácváros as a separate town. In the middle of the engraving stands a church surrounded by a number of buildings. Evlia Cselebi Turkish traveller wrote in 1664 that the western district of the town was a nice and populous place. After the withdrawal of the Turkish troops in 1688, visitors could only find a devastated, filthy, ruined and thinly populated town. Moreover, the situation was worsened by the fire 2 years before. Many Turks and Serbs fled because of the blockade that preceded the siege. After the liberation, the town - as a retaken, "new acquisition" - was placed under the competence, province of the Buda chamber administration depending on the Vienna Court Chamber. According to the plans, they wanted the town to become the centre of military supply in the war against the Turks. The town had to be rebuilt, repopulated by tradesmen and craftsmen, the agricultural cultivation had to be reorganized. In 1688 the town administration registered the Rács living in the western suburb of the town. They found 1 Turkish temple and 1 Rác church, as well as 77 houses out of which 17 without roofs. Among the settlers in 1688 two Serbs got a house. After the liberation an attempt was made to convert the Serbs into Catholicism, which was successful at the beginning. On 18 January 1690 the act of union was signed by the representatives of the Serb people, among them Vuk Prodanovity priest of Székesfehérvár and Rádevoje Biogradije. This proves that the Serbs in Székesfehérvár had an organized parish at the time. The patriarch Csernojevics came to Hungary together with his settlers after the signing of the union. The patriarch, as the head of the Serb Church immediately started to visit his parish and tried to reconvert them. With the establishment of Serb episcopies he successfully defended the Orthodox religion. Among the bishops appointed by Csernojevics one can find Jeftemie Popovity chosen from the monks in Grábóc, bishop of Székesfehérvár and Buda. The bishops received a letter of confirmation from Leopold I requested by Arzén Csernojevics. The catholization of Serbs was not very successful later on. In 1740 there were only 10, in 1754 the number of catholised Serbs was 13. This number is very small, 61