A nagymihályi Sztáray grófi család és a Sztáray-uradalom felemelkedése a 18. században
The Family of the Sztáray Counts of Nagymihály (Michalovce) and the Rise of the Sztáray Demesne in the 18th century

Summary/Abstract: The Family of the Sztáray Counts of Nagymihály (Michalovce) and the Rise of the Sztáray Demesne in the 18th centuryaristocracy; 18th century; Sztáray family; the demesne of Nagymihály; demesne organizationThe study discusses the formation and evolution of the Sztáray family from Upper Hungary and its branches from the 14th to the end of the 17th centuries. The Pongrácz, Eödönffy and Sztáray families were all branches of the same Nagymihályi family. Initially, the members of the Pongrácz family owned the most important lands, that is Nagymihály and dozens of settlements in Ung and Zemplén counties. The most significant changes on the territory of the domain of Nagymihály occurred after 1711. During Rákóczi’s war of independence both the citizens of Nagymihály market town and the nobility stood alongside the prince, supporting him in his battles. Following the war, however, certain members of the nobility – like László Pongrácz, or the members of the Szirmay family – didn’t manage to reinforce their former social positions. As a consequence, during the 1720s and 1730s Imre Sztáray not only managed to take most of the lands of the domain out of the hands of the former owners, the Pongrácz family, but slowly and steadily superseded even the Szirmays from their pledged lands. Imre Sztáray, who in 1743 became a baron, then in 1749 a count, took the pledged lands in his possession, thus, by the 1750s the Sztáray family became the sole proprietor of the domain of Nagymihály. The son of Imre Sztáray, Mihály jr. continued the expansion of the domain during the second half of the 18th century. The count developed and modernized the estate, its agricultural equipment, and rebuilt, expanded, and embellished the mansion of Nagymihály, which became a representative baroque noble residence with spacious gardens, parks and summer suites.

• Details
• Contents