Horváth M. Ferenc (szerk.): Vác The heart of the Danube Bend. A historical guide for residents and globetrotters (Vác, 2009)
Tartalom
58 VÁC IN THE ÁRPÁD ERA (895-1 301) Square. Besides the tiny pithouses and the wooden houses built on ground level, there were some stone buildings as well, owned by the most prosperous merchant families and prelates. The former might have been regular participants of the weekly markets and the country fairs held a few times a year. Most of the population lived on agriculture, their everyday routine was ploughing, sowing, hoeing, reaping and animal husbandry. Some of them, who were skilful enough and could afford the time, also did some handicraft like forging or dressing skins. The descendants of the goldsmiths mentioned in 1075 in the Abbey of Garamszentbenedek were listed in 1209 as well. According to the charter it seems to be certain that at this time their domicile was Vác, but their lord was the faraway abbot. It is possible that besides the Bishopric of Veszprém and the Abbey of Garamszentbenedek there were some more institutions owning servants and people from Vác, but their number could not be high, most of the local population must have belonged under the authority of the bishop of Vác. At this time there were already quite a few towns (probably including Vác) with newcomers, guests, in Latin hospes among their inhabitants. They enjoyed some privileges and more freedom compared to other local people. Their mother tongue was generally German, Italian or French; some of them were merchants, others made a living by agriculture or wine production. As to the locals, they also had only one thing in common: they were all the subjects of the bishop, just like the hospes. However, there were families who, due to their landlord's grace, gained some privileges, i.e. freedoms. They are called libertinus by the charters (Latin "libertas" means freedom, privilege). The dwellers of the poorer houses of Vác were obliged to pay taxes in crops or money and to do socage as well. Apart from them the settlement of the 12th century also had servants with shaven head, i.e. slaves owned by the wealthier people or the bishop and the church respectively. Some of them had inherited this pitiful fate as the children of servants, others had been captured during the frequent campaigns abroad. The inhabitants of this settlement worshipped at the church dedicated to St Margaret of Antioch, and were buried in the surrounding graveyard. This church stood on the eastern part of the settlement, somewhere around the present Attila Street, but no traces of it has been found or excavated. When the traveller heading north towards Nógrád, or west towards Vienna reached the area of today's Konstantin Square, he passed a marshy terrain, which was unsuitable for inhabitation. However, the present Március 15 Square and its neighbourhood was situated a bit higher up. It is sure that at the beginning of the 13th century there was a church here with a graveyard around it, but it might as well have been built generations before. The surrounding houses with their dwellers were under the authority of the bishop and looked the same as the ones mentioned above. This church could have been dedicated to St Michael as well, which might have been the reason for the Germans moving here after the Mongol Invasion to choose this saint to be the patron of their new church. Just a few steps away the traveller reached the ferry, the crossing on the river, which must have been very busy most of the year. The ferrymen carried passengers and
