A siker ára: adaptáció vagy asszimiláció? Máramarosi román tisztviselők magyar és román uralom alatt (1822–1945)
The Price of Success: Adaptation or Assimilation? Romanian Civil Servants Under Hungarian and Romanian Rule (1822–1945)

Summary/Abstract: The study explores the history and national identity of the Romanian Jurka (Iurca), Mán (Man), Mihálka (Mihalca), and Mihályi (Mihalyi) families from Maramureș through a prosopographical lens. In the Reform Era these families formed a cohesive nexus and mobilized the Romanian petty nobility in support of their interests. Their Hungarus identity further strengthened their influence during the 1848-1849 revolution. Under the Dualist period mixed marriages facilitated their integration into Hungarian society, and they amassed estates larger than those of rival Hungarian families. By striking political deals with Hungarian and Romanian ruling parties, they consolidated and later preserved their power across regime changes – from the Compromise through the fall of the Monarchy to the Second Vienna Award. The paper argues that assimilation was not essential for career success in 19th-century Maramureș. While present, it stemmed mainly from strategies of marriage, education, and local political conditions. Depending on the broader political context, both Hungarian and Romanian nationalisms, along with the private interests of individual families, could either accelerate or reverse such processes.

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