Századok – 2012

KÖZLEMÉNYEK - Gángó Gábor: A báró Eötvös-család Borsod megyei csődpere (1841-1847) VI/1401

A BÁRÓ EÖTVÖS-CSALÁD BORSOD MEGYEI CSŐDPERE (1841-1847) 1419 THE BANKRUPTCY SUIT OF THE BARON EÖTVÖS FAMILY IN THE COUNTY OF BORSOD (1841-1847) by Gábor Gángó (Summary) The study unveils with the help of hitherto unresearched archival and manuscript sources the history of the bankruptcy suit which proved fateful for the family patrimony, and gave the decisive stimulus for Baron József Eötvös (1813-1871), writer, political thinker and minister, to become a professional intellectuel. It proves that, contrary to what was asserted in previous historiography, bankruptcy was not restricted to the Ercsi estates in 1841, but, spreading from 1841 to 1847, it comprised all the landed property of the Eötvös family. Moreover, it also demonstrates that bankruptcy was the consequence not of unfavourable circumstances or of unprofessional estate management, but of the loans, amounting to more than 700.000 florins, which several members in two generations of the family had taken and proven unable to repay. Refuting arguments which have been generally accepted for more than a century, the study reveals on the one hand that József Eötvös took part to some extent in the actions which were aimed at salvaging the family property, and, on the other hand, that the bankruptcy did not lead to a conflictive break with his father, a supposed fact upon which biographical literature has hitherto put great emphasis in accounting for the development of Eötvös's personality.