Growing Shepherds, Building Elites: Supporting the Education of the Middle Clergy in Northern Transylvania in the Late Nineteenth Century
Growing Shepherds, Building Elites: Supporting the Education of the Middle Clergy in Northern Transylvania in the Late Nineteenth Century

Summary/Abstract: The national educational project assumed by the former border guards of the 2nd Romanian border guard regiment from Năsăud played an integral part in the formation of a consistent elite stratum among the Romanians in Transylvania during the dualist period. The Năsăud Border Guard Funds were instrumental in ensuring the education of hundreds of young individuals hailing from the formerly militarized area of Năsăud at various universities throughout the Dual Monarchy. Although the field of theology was only prioritized for two decades, the 69 scholarships and financial aids awarded to 29 students between 1869 and 1887 were of prime importance in building a local clerical elite, which was direly necessary to overcome the absence of educated and well-trained Romanian clergymen, who could guide their communities in the spirit of the nation.

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