Între comunitate și oficialități. Scrisorile de chezășie ale iobagilor și preoțimea română (secolele XVI-XVIII)
Between Community and the Officials. The serfs’Letters of Surety and the Romanian Priesthood (16th-18th Centuries)

Summary/Abstract: The letters of surety of the serfs, frequently found in all the 17th-18th century family archives, allow us to observe some aspects related to the role of priests in the community. The involvement of the Romanian priesthood in the life of the communities was diverse. Leaving aside the aspects pertaining to religious life, the documents point out various features of their status as well as the role they played due to their knowledge of writing and reading. The percentage of such documents preserved to date represents, unfortunately, a tiny part of the existing total. The Romanian priest with the ranking of nobleman often appears in the position of arbitrator judge, as a witness at the closing of a letter of surety, and often he is himself a bailsman, guarantor for another serf. The vast majority of documents mentioning the involvement of the priest in warranty situations bear his seal and signature.

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