The Participation of the Clergy in the General Assemblies of Somogy County, 1790–1830

Abstract

One of the characteristic features of the estate-based world before 1848 was that public administration, private administration, and ecclesiastical administration existed in parallel and, to a large extent, intertwined in shaping power relations. In the present study, I examine the symbiosis of two of these spheres, public and ecclesiastical administration, approaching the issue at the intermediary, county level. The most important decision-making forum of county governance was the general assembly; consequently, through the collective biographical analysis of its participants, we may understand which groups shaped local public life. The restriction of the investigation exclusively to Somogy and to the period between 1790 and 1830 was primarily justified by practical considerations, as the narrower framework makes it possible to process the source material in its entirety. In developing the methodology, two questions arose that this research must necessarily address: on the one hand, which members of ecclesiastical society actually participated in local public life, and on the other hand, what functions they performed within this milieu. The minutes of the county general assemblies provide an opportunity to answer both questions.