Reference Type: Book Section
Author: Újváry, Zsuzsanna
Year: 2007
Title: Örmények és más etnikumok Goedri János brassói magyar evangélikus lelkész szemével
Translated Title: [Interregional cultural relations of the transylvanian armenians in the 17th-18th century]
Editor: Őze, Sándor - Kovács, Bálint
Book Title: Örmény diaszpora a Kárpát-medencében II. kötet
City: Piliscsaba
Publisher: Pázmány Péter Katolikus Egyetem Bölcsészettudományi Kar
Volume: II
Number of Volumes: 2
Language: Hungarian
Keywords: Armenian minority,history, ethnic identity, interethnic relationships, biographies, elites, economy, employment, politics, religion, migration, Catholic Church
Abstract: (En) According to a governmental calculation from around 1712-13 the Hungarians' (47%), the Romanians' (34%) and the Saxons' (19%) propotion in Transylvania has chaged by the second half of the century. This rcsult is partly bascd on the migration of the Hungarians, but mostly on the immigration of the Romanians and other ethnic groups. Apait from the acceleraled changing of the ethnic aspect in the 18th century the political character of the Principality has altered, as well; Armenian families that earlier had settled in Krím then in Poland and in Moldva have immigrated into this region. The first settlers arrived already in the beginning of the 17n century but most of them came over here from Moldva in the course of 1668-1672.
János Goedri was born into this mixed ethnical situation in 1738, in the South-East arca of Barcaság, in Bácsfalu. Not only did he wrote about his own life with various situations, feelings and emotions in his work called Memoir but he also wrote about the political and social happenings of his time with the mention of his own opinion.
János Goedri, by "special providence of God", set off to Hungary for studying with one of his fellows in 1753, and at that time he had not been aware of the fact that it would mean ten years of wandering. They departed on horseback in the middle of July, and then they travelled up to Ebesfalva (Dumbravcni) with Romanians from Zernycs. From there they were travelling to Pest in company with Armanians. Usually the Armanian merchants bought up the cows in Transylvania and mostly in Moldva and Havasalföld then after feeding them up they sold them on the markcts of Pest and Vienna. Apart from the cows the horse and sheep, moreover the leather were much in demand. In an addition to these, other goods were also well-saleable, such as ironware, wax, honey and fish.
We are not sure whether what sort of goods Goedri's companions carried but presumably it was leather, since one of them who became a friend of his was called once - as 1 could identified in the list of charity from 1758 - "Miklós Násztur boot-maker". Obviously Násztor practised as a boot-maker, meanwhile he was a merchant of leather, as well.
Although Goedri's advantures of youth were written down in his adult years, the events learnt with the Armenians were well detailed; the perilous moment when he was helped by one of the Armenians, or the missionary work of a Papist that he could resist as a faithful Lutheran, or the visit of a spa in Buda. Apparently Pest was the final aim of the Armenians, because Goedri and his friend were travelling along to West-Hungary without the company of the honest and kind Armenians.
János Goedri spent approximately ten years in Hungary. Arriving back at Brasov he became a professor, then the rector of the Hungarian school. Finally, in 1771 as being the clergyman of the ecclesia where he had a church of stone built.
Our writer extremely denounced the Saxons' eliminative behavior against the Hungarians and other ethnic groups. Thus Goedri, who shared the views of the Josephinists ans Pietist. accepted the decree of Josepf II. (1780-1790) in 1782 with pleasure; which was initiated in the Hungarians', Saxons', Romanians' and Armenians' interests of their civil rights and equality. Moreover, the edict of tolerance was much to the delight of him, perhaps the friendly feelings towards the Armenians were included in it.
By the death of the majestry the old system was brought back. Althought the Armenians did not got the rigths that of the inhabitants of other Translvanian independent-royal-towns' had, in the legislative assembly of 1790-91 two of their settlements were given the status of the independent-royal-town, in other words, they were let into the feudality.
URL: http://www.sulinet.hu/oroksegtar/data/magyarorszagi_nemzetisegek/ormenyek/ormeny_diaszpora_a_karpat_medenceben_II/pages/magyar/006_ujvary_zsuzsanna.htm