A Few Comments on the Historical Borders in Poland

Author(s): Henryk Rutkowski / Language(s): English / Issue: 6/2018

The main topic of this paper are the borders of Poland in the 16th century. The country’s state and province borders were first delineated by Bernard Wapowski on his 1526 map from (scale 1:1,000,000). While the map is known only from fragments, Gerardus Mercator used Wapowski’s borders in his map of Europe published in 1554. In 1880, Stanisław Smolka proposed elaborating maps of territorial divisions of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the 16th century. The first implementation of this program was the Atlas of the Ruthenian Lands of the Crown, elaborated by Aleksander Jabłonowski (to the scale of 1:300,000) and published in 1904. In 1964, a plan to publish a series of maps under the title of ‘Historical atlas of Poland: detailed maps of the 16th century’ was announced by the Institute of History at the Polish Academy of Sciences. The series aims at to cover ethnically Polish lands within the Crown. Out of the planned eight volumes, five were published in the years 1966–2008, and then their content was combined and published in English in 2014. The newest volume to date, published in 2017, concerns Greater Poland. Central large-scale maps (to the scale of 1:250,000) depict all towns and villages that existed in the second half of the 16th century. The maps indicate state borders, borders of voivodeships, lands, districts, and, in relation to lands owned by the Roman Catholic Church, the borders of dioceses, archdeacons and parishes. Settlements and borders of state administration were recreated with the use of extraordinary tax registers called pobor, and the basis for marking church boundaries was the documentation of canonical visitations. Additional maps to the scale 1:500,000 concern the distribution of landed property, with borders marked between various categories of land ownership. Interpolation of settlements belonging to different administrative units and having a different ownership status was used as a method in the reconstruction of borders of territorial units. This is the most detailed study on the shape of borders on historical Poland lands, not only presenting this element of geographical space in the 16th century, but also serving to further our understanding of border shapes in the earlier and later centuries. 

A few remarks on the history of the Zborowski family in the 16th century with reference to the book by Ewa Dubas-Urwanowicz

Author(s): Zbigniew Anusik / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2018

A gyulafehérvári hiteleshely levélkeresői (1556-1690)

Author(s): Emőke Gálfi / Language(s): Hungarian / Publication Year: 2015

After the secularization of the Catholic ecclesiastical institutions in 1556, a new era had begun in the history of the place of authentication of the Chapter of Transylvania, which resided in Alba Iulia. This period has been characterized by a specific and totally different evolution of this institution, which was no more under the control of the Church. For the purposes of conducting its charter issuing activity, lay letter searchers (requisitors) were appointed by the princes, who were also paying these office holders. The majority of the members of the Chapter have left the country together with the bishop Paul Bornemissza (who’s chair remained vacant for a long time), and those who remained in Alba Iulia were converted to Protestantism. They became the office holders of Queen Isabela and, after a while, of his son, prince Ioan Sigismund of Zápolya. The fact that some earlier members of the Chapter continued their work at the place of authentication proves that the state apparatus of the newly born Principality needed these intellectuals who had been previously educated by the Catholic Church. For almost 20 years, the place of authentication and its archives had been given very limited tasks. The institution didn’t dispose of a very important object used in the authentication process of the documents, namely the seal of the Chapter. This object has been probably taken by one of the canons, who left together with bishop Bornemissza. For this reason, the appointed office holders could only transcribe the documents kept in the archives of the Chapter. That’s why they were called requisitores, which means “letter searcher”. The reorganization of this institution took place in 1575, when the requisitors were granted all the previous tasks: a new seal was given to the place of authentication, which was similar to the earlier; the requisitors among transcribing the documents started to issue different charters and to fulfill external activities on the demand of the princes (entering into possessions, boundary inspections, etc.). Starting with 1556, the requisitors were appointed and paid by the princes and the character of the Chapter’s archive has changed as the time passed: not only the documents created by the place of authentication have been kept here, but also the Libri Regii, tax registers and legislative documents. As a result of these changes, the archive became the institution that preserved the most important documents of the Principality and at the same time the reputation of the office holders grew. So, it was natural that during the period of the Principality, the office holders of the place of authentication were chosen very carefully by the princes from the members of the Transylvanian intelligentsia, which had close ties both with the Unitarian Church and the Reformed Church. The first chapter describes the birth of the requisitorial office and the secularization of the Catholic ecclesiastical institutions. This chapter, based on the consulted documents, proves that the ecclesiastical estates (including the lands owned by the Chapter) were already given to Queen Isabela and his son in 1556, and they haven’t been returned to the Catholic Church, as one could suppose from the contradictory laws issued at the end of that year. The volume continues with the description of the period until 1575, when the appointed requisitors’ single task was to search and transcribe documents. The reorganization that took place in 1575, based on a detailed written instruction dated at the end of that year, made the charter issuing activity of the requisitors of this institution comparable with the activity of the Chapter before the secularization. These characteristics remained unchanged until the end of the period of Principality.The second chapter presents a detailed analysis of a group of intellectuals represented by the requisitors of the Chapter of Alba Iulia. The chapter starts with the presentation of this institution’s structure and also discusses both the way the requisitors were appointed by the princes, and their duties and privileges. This chapter emphasizes the fact that the institution needed well-qualified personnel, and the requisitors needed to be well-trained in matters of paleography, Latin and legal issues. Romanian or German language proficiency often constituted an important advantage. It seems to be proven that the majority of the office holders spoke one of these languages.Due to the fact that the prestige of the Chapters archive constantly grew, the requisitors have been entrusted with multiple new duties and responsibilities. In addition to these responsibilities, they were also granted some privileges.As regards the estates and other properties possessed by the requisitors, it became obvious that many of the office holders were given goods and possessions by the clients of the place of authentication, in return for their services. The charters granted property rights of movable assets and real estates, and these rights represented the evidence of ownership in trials. For the clients who were taking part in actions for the ownership of properties it was of great importance to find these documents in the Chapters archive and to obtain their transcripts. The services of the office holders were rewarded with different donations.It’s well-known that during the Middle Ages, the personnel of the places of authentication consisted of clergy members who studied at Western universities or at the chapter or monastic schools attached to the chapters or convents. After 1556, the place of authentication from Alba Iulia was no longer under the jurisdiction of the church, but the society, in which this institution functioned, still remained religious. During the first period after the secularization, the earlier members of the clergy were appointed as requisitors and they have worked there until the reorganization that took place in 1575. After that, the personnel consisted of lay intellectuals, many of them with theological training. We may say that the majority of them have received higher education and have studied at Western European universi ties. A good example is the carrier of the chronicler of the court Gáspár Bojti and the personal librarian of Gabriel Bethlen, Mihály Barsi.In addition to the above mentioned objectives, our purpose was to characterize the social class from which the requisitors originated, to describe their previous career and the time they served as a clerk at the archives. We concluded that before being appointed to this office, the clerks were often notaries of the princely chancellery and sometimes this office constituted a gift for different services rendered on behalf of the princes. It was also proven that every clerk became a noble at the end of his career as a result of his services rendered at the place of authentication on the request of the princes and other clients.The third, longest chapter presents the biographies of 37 requisitors. Among them there were important figures of the Transylvanian cultural history, such as the chronicler István Szamosközy and Gáspár Bojti.The volume presents the members of a group of intellectuals who worked in the probably most important charter-issuer institution during the period of Principality.To reveal the role and importance of these office holders, it is enough to have in mind the character of the Transylvanian society, based on the possession of estates. Nevertheless, the requisitors were members of an intellectual class that continued the heritage of the Medieval Era, they’ve had close ties with the Church, which supported their activity.

A gyulafehérvári udvarbírák és az általuk igazgatott uradalom a 16. század közepén

Author(s): Emőke Gálfi / Language(s): Hungarian / Issue: III/2016

The princely estate of Alba Iulia (Gyulafehérvár) has been established at the middle of the sixteenth century. The landlords of the estate were partly the Bishops of Transylvania before 1542, and the Chapter of Transylvania before 1556. The Episcopal estate have been managed by administrators (provisores) with exact duties and competences, and they were usually the bishop’s men of confidence. In 1542, after the death of bishop János Statileo, the Episcopal estate was offered to queen Isabella to supply the court of Alba Iulia. The study aims to discuss the system of administration, the territorial extension of the Episcopal estate, the aspects of the social development and the income of the estate between 1542 and 1556.

A harmadik limai zsinat és az egységes evangelizációs rendszabályok a perui egyháztartományban

Author(s): Constanza López Lamerain / Language(s): Hungarian / Issue: 2/2016

The Third Council of Lima (1582–1583) was a significant provincial assembly for South America, especially because it drew up an important policy statement for indigenous Christianisation in the ecclesiastical province of Peru. The provisions made by the council corresponded to the policy of the Spanish monarch in the late 16th century, aiming at the regulation of the administration of the colonies in the New World. Also, the celebration of the Council of Trent, which had closed its sessions in 1563, induced a revision of the Church’s guidelines in Hispanic America. These circumstances encouraged a rigorous Christianization policy for South America, which was the most important outcome of the Third Council of Lima.

A hódoltságkori puszta kialakulása és a pusztásodás jelentősége Dél-Magyarországon

Author(s): Gábor Máté / Language(s): Hungarian / Issue: 1/2019

The study presents the historical process of rural depopulation with particular regard to the stretch of land in Southern Hungary (Dél-Dunántúl, Szerémség, Bácska, Temesköz), where the depopulation and desolation at the time of Ottoman occupation was the greatest. First it clarifies what the word puszta denotes, and presents its various meanings. He then presents the historical periods of depopulation. The article argues that the puszta was not simply a depopulated area, but a region where the changed political conditions and socioeconomic structures have resulted in a substantially different landscape. The puszta did not lack the presence of men. Hungarian, Serb, Bunyevac peasants, and Serb and Vlach peasant soldiers lived (in ever-decreasing numbers) in the area, who had an impact on the landscape with their farming. In the Turkish towns there was a Muslim population, and outside the city wall there were communities of various Christian denominations and occupations. The Hungarian population in the towns of the Great Hungarian Plain enjoyed a degree of economic autonomy, and controlled the livestock farming in the puszta of the devastated regions of central and south Hungary. The study places special emphasis on the presentation of the „close-ups” and traumatic sides of the desolation in addition to the characteristics of the frontier existence. It also outlines the process of the post-liberation landscape changes, as well as touches on the surviving phenomena that persisted in the following centuries, and even today bring to the mind the devastation and depopulation brought about the Turkish occupation of Hungary.

A humanizmus az igei tudomány szolgálatában (I.)

Author(s): Dezső Buzogány / Language(s): Hungarian / Issue: 1/2020

When speaking of Reformation and Humanism, we tend to connect them to each other. But as we come closer to the essence of each, we discover their substantially different nature. The gist of Humanism is the human nature. On statues and paintings of the Renaissance the man is portrayed as a great, powerful, almost almighty person. On the other hand, Reformation places God, Christ, salvation, reconciliation etc. at the centre of its teaching. Humans are included too, but only as sideliners, as weak, infirm, needy, helpless figures. Nevertheless, Reformation has benefited to a significant extent from Humanism via its emphasis on the grammar for mastering the languages of the Scripture (Hebrew and Greek), dialectics striving to a better understanding of the scriptural message, and rhetorics as a substantial technical help spreading the Gospel. Therefore, teaching these disciplines at the universities of the Reformation has become of major importance during the 16th century.

A humanizmus az igei tudomány szolgálatában (III)

Author(s): Dezső Buzogány / Language(s): Hungarian / Issue: 3/2020

First and foremost, the Protestantism sought to incorporate the first three disciplines of the seven liberal arts into the methodologies of scholarly theology and the curricula of school education. It also served the purpose of preparing seminary students for preaching the Word in their mother-tongue. Once they mastered the languages of the Two Testaments, dialectics (or logic) aided them in decoding the meaning (or the message) of the passage, while rhetorics guided them in composing a structurally sound sermon. (This threefold unity is still applied today in Hungarian theological education, albeit under a different name.) Dialectics is the foundation for the study of all sciences. Indeed, the potential benefits of certain scientific disciplines cannot be fully achieved without a thorough understanding of its principles. Therefore, as religious sermons are modelled after secular rhetoric, their structural features cannot be correctly assembled without resorting to the laws of philosophical dialectics.

A humanizmus az igei tudomány szolgálatában (IV)

Author(s): Dezső Buzogány / Language(s): Hungarian / Issue: 4/2020

A syllogism (Greek: συλλογισμός – “conclusion, inference”) is a kind of logical argument that applies deductive reasoning to arrive at a conclusion based on two or more propositions that are asserted or assumed to be true. Aristotle defines the syllogism as “a discourse in which certain (specific) things having been supposed, something different from the things supposed results of necessity because these things are so”. The Aristotelian syllogism dominated Western philosophical thought for many centuries in the Middle Ages. But the history of syllogistic thinking does not end with the Middle Ages. It continued to be used even by the church reformers of the 16th century. Thus, alongside a dialectic way of thinking, it contributed to the development of the new dogmatics coined by the church reformers in the 16th century.

A kancellár másik élete

Kovacsóczy István pályájának első szakasza

Author(s): Veronka Dáné / Language(s): Hungarian / Issue: V/2018

The present study sets out to correct previous historiographic mistakes concerning the early career of István Kovacsóczy, who served as the Chancellor of Transylvania from 1622 until his death in 1634. The author’s goal is to outline the history and relations of the family, ranging from 1594 – the execution of Farkas Kovacsóczy (father of István, also Chancellor of Transylvania) –, giving an account of the benefactors of the four orphans: three sons (Kristóf, Zsigmond and István, all converted to Catholicism) and one daughter (Zsuzsanna). The most prominent of these benefactors was Pongrác Sennyey, a politician loyal to the Habsburgs, who, by the end of the Long Turkish War, became one of the most significant figures of Transylvania. In 1608, after the jus ligatum afflicting the descendants of those executed in 1594 had been lifted, István (who, by 1603, was the only living son of Farkas) appeared in the political sphere as a member of a Habsburg-oriented group, thus adopting a political stance in stark contrast with his father’s. The leadership of the group included the aforementioned Sennyey, as well as István Kendy, catholicised son of Counsellor Sándor Kendy, also executed in 1594. Thanks to this circle – but also to political games that surrounded the succession of Gábor Báthory as the Prince of Transylvania –, István was appointed as supremus comes (főispán) of Fehér County, the most prestigious administrative region of Transylvania. Miklós Lázár, a 19th-century historian, has already referred to this fact (although with no sources cited), but Zsolt Trócsányi – an expert of the history of the Principality – deemed it improbable, based on István Kovacsóczy’s earliest known title (secretarius of the Chancellery), only mentioning it in the notes of his fundamental work. Kovacsóczy’s lowly outset as secretary, however, is perfectly explained by one of Lázár’s facts: István Kovacsóczy became involved in a plot organised by his “party” – known as the conspiracy of Szék –, a fact doubtlessly proven by his recently found pardon letter. Thus, in 1610, Kovacsóczy’s promising career was broken, resulting in the loss of all but one of his estates. He was forced to start anew after the election of Prince Gábor Bethlen, to build a life and career (whose post-1614 stages are largely known today) culminating in winning the title his late father had possessed before him.

A katolikus egyház helyzete és intézményrendszere a kora újkori Pozsonyban

Author(s): István Fazekas / Language(s): Hungarian / Issue: 02/2018

The study aims to explore the network of ecclesiatical institutions in the city of Pressburg, the new capital of the Hungarian Kingdom, in the middle third of the seventeenth century. Although the majority of the city’s population had adopted the Protestant faith, the medieval ecclesiastical infrastructure survived the changes basically unharmed. There continued to function the collegiate chapter with its provost and fourteen canons, as well as the cloisters of the Marian Franciscan friars and Poor Clares. The main reason for that was the emergence of Pressburg as the capital of the Hungarian Kingdom, the life of which was consequently influenced not only by the local community and its elite, but also by the government institutions settled there, and the members of the national political elite who acquired lands in its neighbourhood. The network of Catholic institutions in the city provided a strong support for the early activities of the Society of Jesus.

A király diplomatái. Követek és követségek a Jagelló-korban (1490–1526)

I. rész. Kutatási vázlat

Author(s): Bálint Lakatos / Language(s): Hungarian / Issue: 04/2019

Who represented the kings abroad, which were the features of this activity? I have compiled a database of embassies between 1490–1526. (This will be published in the next issue.) A total of 189 missions are detected with 113 identified people. These were mainly led to the neighboring countries. The ruler employed confidental courtiers. “General diplomats” could be deployed everywhere, “specialists” were sent many times to the same destination. There was no tendency to establish permanent embassies.

A király diplomatái. Követek és követségek a Jagelló-korban (1490–1526). II. rész. Adattár

Author(s): Bálint Lakatos / Language(s): Hungarian / Issue: 02/2020

This database enumerates the royal embassies of Kings Wladislas II and Louis II. The inventory consists of three parts: part A is a chronological list of the missions in detail, part B is a register of the identified envoys and part C is an index of destination countries. I have detected 12 more missions after the publication of the first part, the preliminary research report in the 4th issue of 2019. With these new entries a total of 201 missions are known with 120 identified people.

A kolozsvári és a gyulafehérvári ötvösök viszálya a 16. század végén

Author(s): Emőke Gálfi / Language(s): Hungarian / Issue: 1/2017

At the end of the Middle Ages (the late 15th, beginning of 16th century) the community of artisans remained an important part of the market-town population of Alba Iulia. The first data about the guilds in Alba Iulia is from the second half of the 16th century, that means that there was an important connection between the establishment of the of the princely court in Alba Iulia and the development and diversification of the guilds. Goldsmith masters had an important role in the community and the leadership of Alba Iulia. At the beginning of 16th century the Episcopal court hired goldsmith masters, but the role of these artisans has grown in importance at the same time with the establishment of princely court in the market-town. The individual goldsmith masters – members of the goldsmith guild of Cluj – were working for a long time in the princely court, but the growing needs of the court demanded the creation of a new guild. The establishment of this new goldsmith guild led to the conflict between the masters from Cluj and those from Alba Iulia.

A kora újkori Erdély bíráskodása „alulnézetből”

Pistaki Lukács prókátor levelezéséről (1567–1595)

Author(s): László Pakó / Language(s): Hungarian / Issue: 1/2019

By analyzing the correspondence of Lucas Pistaki, an early modern Transylvanian procurator with the town magistrate of Bistrița (Beszterce, Bistritz/Nösen) between 1567 and 1595 the study brings new data on the judicial activity of Transylvania and on the professional and private life of an early modern procurator. Our archival sources are unique since they do not discuss the mentioned topics from the point of view of the authorities who operated the system, but rather from “below”, from the point of view of those who participated as litigants or as their representatives in the judicial process. More than half of the letters concern the lawsuits of Bistrița represented by Pistaki at the court sessions of the Princely Table against the nobility of the surrounding counties. The same letters contain details about the activity of the Table, the daily tasks of Pistaki at these court sessions and the charter-issuing activity of the Princely Chancellery too. Other letters discuss the activity of the judicial institutions of the counties and the trials he represented for the town at these sessions. Some missives also show that, if asked, Pistaki advised the magistrates of the town in issues regarding their judicial actions even in cases when he did not represent the town. Sporadically there are fragments regarding Pistaki’s private life and family members, or details about more general news and events from around the country that could have influenced the town’s and district’s inner life and political connections. The data of the correspondence shows that, based on his experiences gained as notary of the Princely Chancellery and as procurator, Lucas Pistaki had a deep knowledge of the whole judicial system of the country and of the characters who operated it. He had a better knowledge of the customs and laws of the country, the decisions of the Diet, or even of the privileges of the Transylvanian Saxons in general, and of the town or the District of Bistrița in particular than the members of the town-magistrate themselves.

A Life on the Marches: The Career of Derviş Bey

Author(s): Géza Dávid / Language(s): English / Issue: 4/2001

The life-story of Derviş bey can by reconstructed with unusal accuracy. He come from an influential family, the Yahyapaşazade clan of Albanian origin. His father Küçük Bali had a house in Jagodina. Derviş must have born around 1500 since he is mentioned as a timar-holder in the sancak of Zvornik as early as 1519. When his father became the beylerbeyi of Buda in 1542, Derviş was appointed commander of the Danube flotilla, a nem post created specifically for him. When Szeged was taken early in 1543, he was elected to be the first district governor there. On 28 najuary 1545. he was nominated sancakbeyi of Székesfehérvár (Istolni Belgrad). In late 1547 he was sent to administer the liva of Mohács. He held this office for almost 10 years, an exceptionally long period. His many duties can be illustrated by several hitherto unknown orders which were sent to him. At the same time, he did not forget Jagodina where he had a cami built and where – as Hans Dernschwam reported – he also settled some Hungarians. This is shown by a defter od Szendrő (Smederovo), in which several individuals with Hungarian names were registered. On February 1557, he was appointed to Avlonya, partly as a punishment for the unsuccesful siege of Szigetvár in 1556. Four days later, however, he was allowed to return to Szeged. As in Pécs, he was again charged whit the preparation of the new cadastral surveys of some of the Hungarian sancaks. Derviş bey vanishes from sight around 1560/1561. in all likelihood he died either in Hungary or on his way to Jagodina.

A Magyar Királyság és a Bajor Hercegség diplomáciai-politikai kapcsolatai a 15–16. században

Author(s): Bence Péterfi / Language(s): Hungarian / Issue: 1/2015

In this article I present the results of a research which was done in Munich libraries and archives (Bayerisches Hauptstaatsarchiv, Bayerische Staatsbiblitohek) in June and July 2014. Not considering the exploratory work undertaken by Karl Nehring in the 1970s, both collections have so far remained outside the scope of Hungarian medieval studies. In the course of the work, I relied on the manuscript notes of Nehring and Bela Ivanyi, on the information found in the secondary literature, and also on manuscript archival guides. Alongside a general collection of information, my aim was to gather material with regard to three major topics: the 1515 royal summit and Bavaria, Habsburg-Hunyadi relations (the Austrian wars of Matthias) and the landholding of the Kanizsai family at Neuburg am Inn. In all three fi elds the research has proved fruitful: what, however, turned out to be especially well enlightened with new information is the relationship of the Wittelsbach with the Hunyadis and the Jagiellonians respectively. To illustrate this, the newly discovered charters of Matthias as well as hitherto unknown sources on the battle of Mohacs are published in the appendix of the paper.

A Magyar Nemzeti Levéltár Országos Levéltára 1526–1570 közötti iratainak adatbázisa és felhasználásának lehetőségei

Author(s): György Laczlavik / Language(s): Hungarian / Issue: VII/2020

On the 29th of August 2026 there will be 500 years since the forces of the Ottoman Empire had inflicted a devastating defeat upon the army of King Louis II of Hungary on the plains of Mohács. The tragic event was determinant in several ways. Among others, it is considered to mark the end of the Middle Ages in Hungary. Although the amount of the surviving archival sources for the decades after the battle does not differ from those predating it, their use required a lot more effort from the researchers. All this because – in contrast to the concise database of the pre-1526 documents – the archival records had been dispersed in hundreds of different locations. In the spring of 2016 the National Archives of Hungary started to gather, to digitize and to process its documents dated between the 29th of August 1526 and 1570. Nearly 90,000 digitized documents are being processed in an online database, and the results were first published in the autumn of 2018 (nearly 20,000 records), followed by a second publication in the spring of 2020, but the work is going on. The namespace of the NAH is being developed in parallel with the processing of the documents, too. With the help of these two databases many archival sources may be found on the history of central jurisdiction of the Kingdom of Hungary (and Transylvania) and of the jurisdiction and administration of the counties, as well. Thus, we have the opportunity to establish hitherto unknown genealogical relationships and to promote family, estate, social and local historical research concerning the whole territory of the Carpathian Basin.

A magyarországi obszerváns ferencesek 1499. és 1518. évi konstitúcióinak prológusa

Author(s): Balázs Kertész / Language(s): Hungarian / Issue: 04/2016

The Hungarian Observant Franciscan vicary, established in 1448, underwent a thoroughgoing reorganization at the end of the 15th century. The chapter (capitulum vicariale) held in 1499 at the monastery of Atya (today Šarengrad, Croatia), accepted constitutions which determined in detail the organisational structure and functioning of the vicary. These, in fact, are the earliest known decisions of the vicary. The author of the regulation was Osvát Laskai, much better known as a writer of sermons, who was three times elected for the two year vicarial office (1497–1499, 1499–1501, 1507–1509). The long work consists of two parts: while the first defines the offices of the superiors, that is, of the vicar, the custodes, the guardians and the visitors (visitatores), the second regulates the everyday life of the friars through an explanation of the Franciscan rule. The constitutions of Atya are not available in a modern critical edition, its only edition of 1827 being based on one single manuscript. That important milestone in the history of the Franciscan Order, the Roman capitulum generalissimum of 1517, and Pope Leo X’s Bull of Ite vos in vineam meam, naturally effected considerable changes in the life of the Hungarian vicary as well. For instance, the Hungarian vicar also became a minister, and the area under his supervision was consequently called a province. In reaction to the changes, the friars of the new province gathered in 1518 for an extraordinary chapter, under the leadership of provincial minister Albert Dereszlényi, at the tomb of Giovanni da Capestrano at Újlak (Ilok, Croatia). The importance of the constitutions of Atya is reflected by the fact that in 1518 the regulation of 1499 was merely updated in accordance with the new conditions. Among others, the necessary terminological modifications were carried out: vicary was changed to province, vicar to minister, and capitulum vicariale to capitulum provinciale. The text of the constitutions of Újlak has never appeared in print. The two sets of constitutions are thus closely connected to each other. The present study offers the description and edition of their respective prologues, a preliminary to the forthcoming critical edition of the two regulations.

A manuscript fragment of Vincent de Beauvais’ Speculum historiale in Romania (Sibiu, National Archives, U. V. 1926)

Author(s): Adinel-Ciprian Dinca / Language(s): English / Issue: 17/2019

Die Identifizierung eines fragmentarisch erhaltenen Textes aus dem Speculum Historiale, das von Vincent de Beauvais um die Mitte des 13. Jahrhunderts zusammengestellt wurde – eine im Mittelalter überall sehr geschätzte historiographische Arbeit – könnte eine Diskussion über den Wert der Geschichtsschreibung innerhalb der Lesepraxis im vormodernen Siebenbürgen anregen. In vorliegendem Aufsatz wird versucht, auf verschiedene Aspekte einzugehen, in erster Linie auf Fragen der Datierung und der Lokalisierung dieses Fragments. Es wird dann weiter argumentiert, dass die beiden noch vorhandenen Blätter ursprünglich Teil einer Handschrift waren, bislang die östlichste Rezeption des Textes in dieser Form darstellt; die Handschrift war bereits um 1500 im Besitz eines Siebenbürgers.