„… Felette sok megbántódott emberek vadnak …” I. Rákóczi György és kolozsvári kereskedői
’… There Are too Many Upset People … ’ Prince György Rákóczi I and his Merchants from Cluj

Summary/Abstract: The present paper is based on a series of examinations of witnesses conducted between December 1636 and May/June 1637 in Transylvania and in the Kingdom of Hungary. The questions asked from four merchants from Kolozsvár/Klausenburg/Cluj ( János Boytos, Antal Kapusi, Jónás Debreceni/Jónás deák, and Miklós Váradi) concerned their support of István Bethlen and their anti-Rákóczi feelings. The merchants went to Vienna through Lower Hungary (for supplies and to sell the prince’s cattle), and discussed the fate of the country on the way, as their examinations show. They were anxious about their homeland, and, as it turned out, possessed a substantial amount of information. Their connections both with Gábor Bethlen and György Rákóczi exceeds the frames of a simple, civil citizens life. They served as merchants for the prince, and they preferred working for the Bethlens. They also carried out diplomatic missions, in this case, for Rákóczi. This paper gives a detailed presentation of their position among the merchants of Kolozsvár/Klausenburg/Cluj; of the role they played in municipal society; of their life; of their family background and social status; as well as of their career.

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