A Pest Megyei Levéltár. Levéltárismertető (Budapest, 2004)

From the history of Pest County

It was only the Pest side of the county that participated in the "kuruc" War of Independence. Troops of János Bottyán could not overtake Pest and Buda. The authority of the "kuruc" county had constantly changed its location depending on the results of the battles. The representatives of the pro-Habsburg county were staying at Buda. During the War of Independence the county became depopulated again, and its repopulation had lasted till the middle of the 18

th century. There were many people arriving from abroad into the almost dead villages. As a consequence of the natural reproduction and the immigration the population of the county doubled between 1718 and 1744, and then till 1760 it still increased by fifty percent. The ideas oi the Enlightenment were spreading last among the nobles and the intellectuals. By the end of the 18

th century Pest County became the leading county fighting for civilian transformation and the national language. The leaders of these fights were the wealthy protestant nobility that became unified during the decades of Counter- Refonnation, and they gained a leading role via the Ráday, the Prónay and the Podmaniczky families nationwide. Their rural castles were the centres of cultural and scientific life of the time. Their roles were only taken over by Pest that had developed to be the capital, after several decades. At the beginning this nobility was Josephinist, but later on, due to the imperial merging efforts and the Hungarian language, they came into conilict with the sovereign. During the years of economic prosperity, which occurred during Napoleonic wars the political fights lost intensity, but from the 1820s they revived with renewed strength. It was again Pest County became the leader of the Reform campaign urging changes. This was caused by its central location, the vivacity and modern approach of the leading noble class, and also the fact that Pest was both the capital and the Chief Town of the county. The middleclasses of Pest were not strong enough yet, but they knew the public law authorities of the county were willing to support them. These authorities achieved a leading role in the town, which became the centre of the country's economic and cultural lives by that lime. As a consequence of all the above-mentioned facts, the institutes that were created due to the initiatives of the county, gained national importance after their establishment (the Institute of the Blind, the First National Savings Bank, the National Theatre, the Technical University). Railroad traffic started in 1846 between Pest and Vác, and in 1847 between Pest and Szolnok. István Széchenyi had himself elected the territory judge of Pest County in 1831 to be able to personally participate in the work of the county's general assembly. Beside him András Fáy, Gedeon Ráday, Pál Nyáry, later Lajos Kossuth and their companions were the leading characters. In 1836 when the Municipal Reports were intended to be terminated, it was the county that took protectorate over it. Legates of the county had determined and initiative programs to attend the Refonn Age Diet (bearing the burdens of taxation, permanent freedom, popular representation, introducing and demanding a responsible national government). Pest County appointed Lajos Kossuth as its Parliamentary Legate on October 18, 1847. 148