nobility

In the Middle Ages a good relationship between the ruler and his people was built on loyalty (fidelitas). Loyalty to the king was also very important for the political order and preservation of the power of the ruler as well as his people (magnates, mounted warriors, bishops, abbots and provosts). The oath of personal fidelity, devotion and loyalty was a part of the ritual in strengthening the relationship between the lord and his man. In Medieval Latin the words fides and fidelitas had originally a religious meaning – believer, a Christian, and Faith.

The author of the study analyses the conflicts between the nobility that resided in Trenčín (Trencsén, Trentschin) castle and the burghers living in the town of Trenčín. The conflicts were mainly based on economic issues such as the census, town tolls and fishing fees. Those had to be discussed and approved by the highest authorities – the royal council – or by the royal court. Despite all the problems, the conflicts were not insurmountable and thus the nobility cooperated with the town over certain issues.

In the paper, the author considers the nobility of Levoča (Lőcse, Leutschau, Leutsovia); nobility settled down in the town in the 16th century partially under pressure from the Ottoman invasion. In particular, it describes how Serédi Gáspár, a captain of Upper Hungary and a senior military officer of Ferdinand I. Hapsburg, obtained a house in Levoča. His name is mentioned in a town tax book from 1551; however, he was the owner of the house as early as 1550. After his death, this house was obtained by Peter Fügedi, a royal servant of Serédi Gáspár.

The article provides a list of members and a developmental description of the Máriássy nobility family in Spiš (Szepes, Zips), especially two of its branches that resided in Batizovce (Batiszfalva, Botsdorf) and Markušovce (Markusfalva, Marksdorf). The oldest family member Batyz, who founded Batizovce on territory given to him by royal donation, is mentioned in 1264. Other family members also acquired royal benefits for their military service. The majority of the family belonged to the Lutheran Church; Batizovce became the centre of Lutheran life in Spiš thanks to Máriássy patronage.

The text deals with the coexistence of two social classes with different social and legal status – the nobility and burghers within the context of the early medieval towns in the Kingdom of Hungary. The author analyses both members of nobility that settled in towns and burghers who became members of the nobility. At the same time, the author highlights the more complex and structured social and legal differentiation of noble representatives who lived in towns.

Property disputes have always been one of the main reasons of misunderstandings and conflicts among family members. Big conflicts among the family of Pálffy members were caused by the testament of Palatine János Palffy and the consequent property division. The author analyzes the correspondence between Károly Pál Pálffy and Rudolf (I.) Pálffy, and offers a portrait of the complicated family relationships during the long-lasting conflict.

In Slovak and Hungarian historiography and in the public opinions of the both nations as well, there is an extended image that in the Kingdom of Hungary before 1918 having Slovak identity and being a member of the nobility represented two opposing concepts about two irreconcilable social groups. Another widespread concept is that Slovaks were not a complete society within the Kingdom of Hungary as they lacked the nobility of Slovak origin. The aristocracy of Slovak origin (with Slovak as their mother language), had a distinguished position in the Kingdom of Hungary until the end of 1870s.

The phenomenon of nepotism belongs to the almost unknown aspect of the Hungarian county administration, although familial and personal ties represented crucial elements of political culture in the early modern period. State and local offices became ideal places for applying such personal ties and relations into practice. The state maintained a neutral attitude towards nepotism until the first half of the 18th century and no intervention was made against it in the county administration.