„Az váradiak […] Sebesvár ellen csikorgatják fogokat”
“The Soldiers of […] Várad Gnash Their Teeth against Sebesvár”

The Fortress of Sebesvár/Bologa in the First Decade of the Apafi Era

Summary/Abstract: The events of “the crisis of power” posed serious challenges to Prince Mihály I Apafi and his government: the functioning of the Transylvanian state became practically disorganized. The biggest problem was the increasing Ottoman pressure on the Principality. After the conquest of Várad/Oradea (1660) and with it, most of Partium, Ottomans created a new vilayet with the centre at Oradea. The exact boundaries between the Principality of Transylvania and the vilayet of Oradea were not clearly defined, so this area was also characterised by the so-called joint sovereignty (condominium). Therefore, in order to protect the Transylvanian state and its (tax-paying) inhabitants, it became essential to organize a new system of fortresses as soon as possible, and the government chose the fortress of Bologa as one of the links in the system. The aim of this study is to show how Bologa became a substitute for Oradea and how it was able to organize defence against the Ottomans and maintain the continuity of Transylvanian authority in the condominium territory in the first decade of the Apafi era. My further objective is to describe how during the ongoing conflicts between the soldiers of Bologa and the Ottomans of Oradea, the Transylvanian government tried and succeeded in representing its own interests against the leaders of the neighbouring Ottoman vilayets on the one hand, and the Sublime Porte on the other.

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