Metadata: General documents 1786-1790
Collection
- Country:
- Hungary
- Holding institution:
- National Archives of Hungary, Békés County Archives, Gyula
- Holding institution (official language):
- Magyar Nemzeti Levéltár Békés Megyei Levéltára, Gyula
- Postal address:
- 5700 Gyula, Petőfi tér 2
- Phone number:
- +36 66 362 173
- Web address:
- https://mnl.gov.hu/beml
- Email:
- beml@mnl.gov.hu
- Reference number:
- IV.A.3.b
- Title:
- General documents 1786-1790
- Title (official language):
- Általános iratok 1786-1790
- Creator/accumulator:
- Békés-Csanád-Csongrád Counties
- Date(s):
- 1786/1790
- Language:
- Latin
- Hungarian
- German
- Extent:
- 8.4 linear metres (60 boxes)
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Physical condition:
- good
- Scope and content:
-
The collection ‘General documents 1786-1790’ contains the archives of the integrated counties of Békés, Csanád and Csongrád. This collection forms part of the extensive collection 'Public administration documents under the rule of Joseph II. of the integrated counties of Békés-Csanád-Csongrád related to Békés county 1786-1790’.
Originally, Joseph II. abolished the independence of the above counties and integrated the counties in 1786. The decree separated jurisdiction from public administration. Public administration activities mainly translated into enforcement of orders from the ruler and central government bodies (although the documents go beyond this).
The amount of records is very extensive from the era. The file of the cases referred to in the records survived almost entirely, perhaps because Szegvár became the centre of the integrated counties. Csongrád county did not request the return of its documents, so no dispute over territorial jurisdiction could arise. The collection covers a wide range of topics: it contains transcriptions by government bodies, decrees, regulations, county documents, statutes, warrants and applications from individuals. Although the county congregation was responsible for administrative matters, the material diversity of the file goes beyond these: it includes debt matters, arrears, taxation, settlement, warrants and recruitment issues.
The collection does not exclusively comprise Jewish-related documents. Entries in the registries and index books from the given era reveal 71 Jewish-related headings. Out of them, documents are available under the heading 32 in the collection. (The headings sometimes comprise separate, and sometimes extensive files.) Types of documents related to Jewish matters are the following: transcriptions by government bodies, orders, warrants and descriptions of individuals. In terms of their subject matter, the vast majority of documents focus on the issue of tolerance tax (IV.A.3.b 1786. No 87., 162, 224., 294., 323., 411.). In addition, economic affairs, trade, debt, transportation and recruitment issues are included in the material. Tolerance taxation records generally relate to Jewish communities in the county (and/or Csongrád county).
- Archival history:
-
Békés county was re-organised at the beginning of the 18th century, according to Act 92 of 1715. Several settlements served as the location of the congregations of nobilities: Békés, Szeghalom, Füzesgyarmat, Gyula. As a result of reforms under the rule of Joseph II., Békés-Csanád-Csongrád county documents were maintained in Szegvár, the centre of the integrated counties. From here, documents related to Békés county had to be transferred back to the country after 1790. The documents were transferred to Gyula irregularly, where the materials of the three counties were separated by 1799. Csanád county files were taken away, but Csongrád county did not apply for its materials, therefore these documents were transferred back to the Békés county archives in the 20th century. However, a part of the court files was placed in Makó, from where they were transferred to Szeged (where they are available now). Consequently, archival fonds in the Békés county archives comprise mostly criminal cases.
The composition of the archival collection underwent successive changes. After World War I, territorial responsibility developed according to territorial boundaries. In 1945, the village of Elek, and Battonya, Mezőkovácsháza from the Csanád county district were added to the county. The material of the Sarkad district of Bihar county was also included here, as was the material of the truncated Arad county.
The Archives came under state rule in 1950 and then county rule in 1968. Its name today is the Hungarian National Archives, Békés County Archives, Gyula.
- Administrative/biographical history:
- In Békés county, congregations of nobilities performed both administrative and judicial tasks after their reorganisation in the 18th century. They convened 3-4 times per year. Szeghalom, Békés, Füzesgyarmat hosted their activities until 1724, and later Gyula from 1732. In addition to promulgating national laws and regulations, they also enacted legislation in accordance with specific regional characteristics. In 1786, as a result of reforms by Joseph II., Békés-Csanád-Csongrád counties were integrated, and Szegvár became the seat of the new, unified county. The documents were placed here. After the autonomy of Békés county was restored, the documents were transferred to Gyula. The separation of documents was finished by 1799. Csanád county documents were removed, but nobody applied for the Csongrád county ones; therefore they were transferred back to the Békés County Archives.
- Access points: locations:
- Békés County
- Csongrád County
- System of arrangement:
- The collection contains almost the complete file (it can be based on the record entries). Csongrád county documents are also included in the collection, as they were transferred back.
- Finding aids:
- For the years 1788-1789 the records of collection IV.A.3.a, which are also registers, offer guidance to the archives. The indexes of handbooks in collection IV.A.1.a, i.e. the relevant entries in the directories for 1715-1786 and 1790-1801, provide guidance for the years 1786-1787 and 1790. As the county held its last feudal congregation on 27 May 1786, documents from the following year and also from before 26 April 1790 supplement the entries related to documents available in the records.
- Yerusha Network member:
- University of Szeged
- Author of the description:
- Dr. Tibor Almási and Dr. Erzsébet Mislovics, University of Szeged, 2020