The Elefanthy
The Hungarian Nobleman and His Kindred
Erik Fügedi and edited by Damir Karbic
In an exploration of the life and customs of the Hungarian
nobility, this book compares historical reality and
legal literature on the example of one noble kindred
the Elefánthy kindred from northern Hungary (present-day
Slovakia). The author begins by outlining the customary
laws regarding noble status, inheritance and marriage,
as summarized in the famous code of Stephen Werböczy
(1514). He then compares these norms with the documentary
evidence and establishes the fact that the legal literature
differs in regard to social mobility and kindred solidarity.
With this frame of reference in mind, the fate of the
Elefánthy family is traced through several generations,
enabling the author to make some general statistical
statements on inheritance, the rise and fall of various
branches, marriage strategies, and the "survival skills"
of the kindred. In his summary, the author outlines
some of the major avenues for further research, including
the peculiar Hungarian form of retainership (familiaritas),
and the relationships between noble fam-ilies and between
the nobility and local communities.
"...offre une etude for complete sur l'organisation
de la noblesse en Hongrie au Moyen Age. Meme si elle
ne s'applique qu'a un cas unique, cette demarche est
interessante. Car elle nous eclaire sur une organisation
de la noblesse differente de celle que nous connaissons
dans les royaumes occidentaux, mais qui se retrouve
a la meme epoque dans d'autres pays d'Europe centrale.
Le livre d'E.F. se lit aisement, il n'est pas trop long
et est presente tres clairement. Nul doute qu'il vienne
completer la liste des etudes consacrees a la noblesse
europeenne au Moyen Age." - Le Moyen Age
"A unique contribution to medieval studies, highly
recommended."
- Julian Wasserman, Loyola University of New
Orleans
1998
174 pages
ISBN 978-963-9116-20-7 cloth $39.95 / €33.95 /£27.00
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