Chief Judges and Urban Elite of Miskolc in the Turkish Era (1550 – 1700)
Chief Judges and Urban Elite of Miskolc in the Turkish Era (1550 – 1700)

Summary/Abstract: Market town Miskolc has gone into the possession of pledge holders in the Turkish Era who preserved its medieval character and were elected by the serf-burgers. The serf-burgers continued to elect the town’s self-administration i. e. the council and the chief judge, which started to keep permanent protocols (Towns’ Book) from 1565. Chief judges emerged from among the serf citizens of the town, no nobleman could hold this position, but from mid 17th century, only noblemen, what is more, landowners filled this function. In the 16th century, the urban elite consisted of rich serf-burgers, craftsmen and a small number of merchants, but there was also a small ’outsider’ noble elite attached to the castle and dominium of Diósgyőr. In the 17th century, there were significant changes in the town’s society and elite. An increasingly larger numbers of the citizens applied for nobility, and due to the Turkish wars, a lot of noble families also moved into the town from the countryside starting to form a new noble strong group in Miskolc.

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