Published 24-07-2024
Keywords
- ius regium,
- early modern estates,
- social stratification,
- social mobility,
- legal history
- Székely nation,
- Principality of Transylvania ...More
How to Cite
Copyright (c) 2024 Balázs Viktor Rácz
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Abstract
The paper discusses the changes in Székely society during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The topic is presented from a legal historical perspective because the scholarly literature has either paid no substantial attention to the legal framework of the early modern era or failed to utilize the sources relevant for Székely society. By re-examining already known sources and analyzing new ones, i.e., judicial proceedings, testimonies, contract and personal letters, it appears that the main turning points of the history of Székely society have been misinterpreted in some aspects, and a series of new questions have emerged that are yet to be answered.