Suchergebnisse

This study does not intend to change the perspective on the publication it refers to, namely Marx's Notes about Romanians, published by the Romanian Academy Publishing-House, in which the famous author – quoting a 19th century French source – records the abuses suffered by the Romanian located within the extra-Carpathian principalities (due to the Tsarist interventionism), as well as in Transylvania (under the pressure of the Hungarian nobility). The publishing of these notes during strained times between the Romanian Labor Party and the other parties in the communist block- generated by the more and more apparent orientation of Romanian leaders towards a national politics – was seen, especially by the Soviet and Hungarian communists, as a gesture of defiance of the "friendly countries" and even of revisionism. Consequently, the diplomatic resonances became apparent. The Soviet and the Hungarian responses are the most renown, and both are worthy of the consideration that this study will give it.

The last will and testament, situated on the border between oficial and private, becomes a privileged source for the reconstruction of what is generically called "microhistory". Less studied Transylvanian urban testaments from the medieval and pre-modern periods provide ample support for the identification of the testator's family cosmos, his community of residence, the ties he formed therein, etc. The testament of Mrs. Agnes (1531), the widow of Petrus Moldner, a merchant whose ascension ensured his access to the city council of Bistrița, becomes an important source for the restitution of some aspects of material civilization characteristic of the urban elite, of the interpersonal relationships that family members had established, and not ultimately for outlining the piety that was characteristic of the testator. Heiress to a sizable fortune, Mrs. Agnes donated it primarily to save her own soul at a time when the religious Reformation is also felt in Bistrița. This fact caused the "reaction" of 19th century historians, who were astounded by this woman's adherence to the values of the Catholic Church. Beyond the already existing rivalries, the magistrate's objection reflectes the lay authority's attempt to halt these donations pro salute anime, in accordance with the Saxon University's ruling in 1525 and the new reforming atmosphere.

In this article I have presented as synthetically as possible the "story" of Princess Maria Christierna von Habsburg (1574-1621) – the wife of Sigismund (Zsigmond) Báthory (1572-1613), Prince of Transylvania – at the same time trying to capture the most important aspects of the period she spent in the Principality (1595-1598). Some contemporary authors and later some historians saw in her the "fatal" woman for Transylvania, because Sigismund – who shortly before the wedding discovered a manly dysfunction – would have lost his peace and his ability to make the best decisions both for his country and for himself. Therefore a question arises: was Maria Christierna "fatal" for Transylvania?

The documents relating to medieval and pre-modern Transylvania indicate the existence and perpetuation from antiquity of a judicial practice of representation at trials by means of "proxies" (procuratores) designated by the authorization letter (litterae procuratorie). The term procurator was used in parallel with its synonym meaning lawyer (advocatus), being preferred and used with a much higher frequency. The nomination of someone as proxy/assignee was initially witnessed by the places of authentication, later secular institutions get priority. Noblemen frequently appointed educated, specialized, professional people in this position. Initially in small numbers, they come to constitute a social category during the time of the Principality, in numerical and material ascension both at the level of counties and seats and at the urban level. The other large category of legal proxies was occasionally constituted, depending on the circumstances, from family members and their relatives, supplemented by servants, familiars, local rulers, bailiffs, or village judges, sometimes even by serfs living on the estates, by exception.

This paper analyses the right of inheritance on the feminine line in medieval Transylvania, through the history of a noble family residing in Sântioana, in the Târnava county. The aim of this study is to highlight the practice of inheritance by girls from this noble family with increased attention on the category of goods they acquired, the right to own them, the importance of feminine inheritance for the girls and their descendants and the courts before which the inheritance disputes have been tried.

One can safely state that the «Andreas Schmidt era» (1940-1944) could be considered one of the most difficult periods of the history of the German minority in Romania. From the very beginning, the activity of Nazi controlled organization entitled the German Ethnic Group in Romania and its leader (Andreas Schmidt) was perceived by the Romanian authorities with suspicion and concern. This concern was legitimate since the aggressive policies of the leadership of the German Ethnic Group in Romania let to increasing tensions between the latter, on one side, and the Romanian authorities and the Romanian local population in mixed Romanian-German communities, on the other side. Consequently, the Special Intelligence Service (Serviciul Special de Informaţii, one of the Romanian secret services in the interwar period), the intelligence service of the Romanian army (entitled in Romanian: Secţia a II-a Informaţii a Marelui Stat Major), the General Inspectorate of the Gendarmerie, and the General Directorate of the Police kept under close surveillance the hostile activities of the German Ethnic Group towards the Romanian state. The reports of these aforementioned intelligence institutions emphasized the totalitarian character of the German Ethnic Group in Romania and illustrates how this Nazi controlled organization turned under the leadership of Andreas Schmidt into an effective tool of the Third Reich in South Eastern Europe.

An outcome of the interplay between methodical ideological indoctrination and applied war-craft schooling, the final product of the GEG training system consisted of the Waffen-SS soldier. Fully motivated, dogmatically and assiduously qualified in war-techniques, the young Volksdeutsche recruit from Romania acted as an exuberant and impetuous fighter, ready to fulfil Hitler's orders and his Weltanschauung ideals. Considering the numbers hereafter provided by several well-known historians, the GEG in Romania was able to assemble a considerable army of recruits thoroughly prepared to perform as a politized fighting force in consonance with the Waffen-SS ethos, as it had been promoted by its ideologists and military professionals.

The study aims to present the activity of ARLUS in the first year of operation based on some original documents kept in the Italian archives and which bring less known details on the crystallization of the association in the distinct climate of 1944-45, from its formation in the whole of Romanian-allies friendship societies until the acquisition of preeminence in the cultural-educational field, against the background of the sovietization policy started since the end of the Second World War under the permanent supervision of the occupation troops. Issues related to the internal organization of one of the most important pillars of Soviet propaganda in Romania are highlighted. The association's role in appointing the first ambassador to Moscow after the resumption of bilateral relations on August 6, 1945, and the profiles of some of the personalities who illustrated the society's evolution at the beginning of its operation are outlined. It is also highlighted the involvement of ARLUS and the House of Romanian-Soviet Friendship under its patronage in sending the most substantial contingents of Romanian scholarship holders to universities in the USSR in the late 1940s and early 1950s and the mechanisms for selecting young scholars as such so that they correspond to the precepts imposed by Moscow.

"Johannes de Thurocz was the author of the only chronicle that did not circulate in manuscript form. The first edition appeared in the printing house of Konrad Stahel and Matthias Preinlein in Brno on 20 March 1488, and shortly afterwards, on 3 June 1488, another edition was printed in Augsburg in the printing house of Erhard Ratdolt. Both editions end with the mournful song of magister Rogerius lamenting the destruction caused by the Tartars during the invasion of 1241. The printing of the second edition of the Chronica Hungarorum may be the result of the lack of a history of the kingdom of Hungary on the market that also captures the history of Transylvania as part of the kingdom. There are differences between the two editions: in content (towards the end), in the composition of woodcuts, number of woodcuts, decorative elements or discomposing of letters. For the present research, we have turned to the editions found in the libraries in Cluj-Napoca and Alba Iulia, being particularly concerned with the way of penetration into book holdings and the ownership marks proving the European route of the copies in question."

Much more than a mere book review, the following article critically presents Oliver Jens Schmitt's recently published monograph and, starting from it, a heated polemic concerning the history and historiography of the Romanian Orthodox Church during the last century. Generous references to primary and secondary sources of the topic are suggested to the author of the reviewed book. Moreover, the reviewer also makes valuable considerations regarding the ethics and deontology of research in social sciences and humanities, the methods used by historians in general, and by church historians in particular. This elegantly written and scientifically based book review turns into a worthy model to follow in further cases of coping with ideologically marked pseudo-scientific approaches.