A Békés vármegyébe betelepülő nemesség a 18–19. században
The Immigrant Nobility in Békés County in the 18–19th Centuries

Summary/Abstract: The study examines the settlement of nobility in Békés county in the period of re-population in the eighteenth and nineteenth century that followed the end of the Ottoman rule. The main focus is placed on the reconstruction of the original domicile of the migrating nobles, as well as their motivation and the time of their settlement. As far as the number of nobles and noble families are concerned, the rejuvenation of the county is indisputable. However, the segmentation of nobility was far less successful since only a thin layer of middle nobility was established. Analysing the marriage strategies and kinship of the county’s original high nobility, the study points out that the migrating nobles, constituting the largest part of the county’s nobility, were of lower ranks in the hierarchy. Most of the registered nobles settling in the county arrived from Upper Hungary and neighbouring counties. They predominantly served in administration and the manor, or worked as teachers, craftsmen, or pastors. While their geographical and social mobility were both evidenced by the process of migration, the rise of the migrating nobles’ social and financial standing was far from being the norm. While there are examples both for noble families rising in the hierarchy of administration and acquiring lands, many other families chose to remain craftsmen or tradesmen for generations. By the beginning of the Age of Reforms in Hungary, the nobility migrating from all over the country became a solid community that constituted the basis for reform opposition.

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