Népességi viszonyok a Székelyföldön a 18. század elején
Early 18th Century Demographic Conditions in Szeklerland

Summary/Abstract: Based on contemporary resources – conscriptions and different kinds of notes –, the writer gives a thorough analysis of the early 18th century demographic situation. He stresses the fact that the population of the region suffered serious losses. Between 1703-1722, the number of tax-paying families diminished from 23,285 to 21,993, the underlying reason being the 1717-1719 plague and the unfavourable weather. The series of natural disasters reduced the number of families and, moreover, the number of surviving family members. Based on the late 1719 and 1720 reports, the loss in Transylvanian population was of 170-180,000, 51-53,000 of which was lost by Szeklerland. That’s why, at the 1721-1722 conscription, the population of Szeklerland was of 90,000 instead of 145,000; by 1767, however, it rose to as much as 185,350. During the 1717-1719 plague, tormented by illness and draught, a considerable part of the population left to find a living in the western part of Transylvania, in Hungary or in the east, in the Romanian Principalities. The plague ended and part of the emigrants returned to their homes; most of the serfs, however, failed to give up their newly earned living. Also, new workforce arrived in Szeklerland and occupied the vacant serf lots, which had serious ethnical implications as the number of Romanians increased in this Hungarian region.

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