Reference Type: Book Section
Author: Garda, Dezső
Year: 2007
Title: A gyergyószentmiklósi örmény céhek és társulatok a 18. században és a 19. század első felében
Translated Title: [Armenian gilds an corporations during the 18th anthe 19th in Gheorgheni]
Editor: Őze, Sándor - Kovács, Bálint
Book Title: Örmény diaszpora a Kárpát-medencében II. kötet
City: Piliscsaba
Publisher: Pázmány Péter Katolikus Egyetem Bölcsészettudományi Kar
Language: Hungarian
Keywords: Armenian minority, history, settlement, economy, traditions, migration, employment, modernization, social groups
Abstract: (En) The Armcnians have created a special civil value in the military world of the Gyergyó-basin in Gheorgheni. The typical Armenian craftman-merchant way of lifr was in close relation to the Professional associations/enterprises of the Armenians. The guild of the tanner and the butchers were the determining economical and administrative institution of the Armenian craftnien. The merchants' most important self-organized/established institution was symbolized by the Mercantile Forum. The author tries to reveal the history of the Armenian economical and administrative bodies via using unknown or scarcely known historical sources.
The guild of the tanner was one of the wealthiest organization in Transylvania in the 18th century. By using archive sources the essay writer attempts to show the strict rules of the tanner guild, and the way they collected raw-material, moreover the discussions about (the) markets with other guilds producing kordovan-boots. In the course of the early 19n century the tanner guild produced 50 000 pairs of cordovan boot per a year which fact shows the organisation, the productivity and the economical strength of this enterprise. From the sources it occures that the guilds in Gheorgheni were able to sell more boots in thc markets than those from Gherla. Not only is the strictness towards the craftnien within the guild very striking, but also the effort to strenghten the local council is noticeable. Try as they might, they did not allow the authorities of theprovince, neither the leaders of the Transylvanian Governing Board, to intervene in the business of the guild.
The other wealthy enterprise of the Armenian Compagnia in Gheorgheni was composed by the community of thc butchers. Although we can come across their establishing in the documents from the 18th century, their impotancc was highlighted only in thc first half of the 19th century. The essay writer endeavours to show those orders which have controlled the work of the butchers not only on Sundays but also on weekdays.
In the history of Transylvanian economics, the Armcnians in Gheorgheni mostly excelled in their merchantship during the examined period. The Mercantile Forum, as thc merchants' most important organization, spanned the community of the merchants and it acted on behalf of them against the military association as well as against the provinciai authorities. It had the role of passing sentence in the debates of the Armenian merchants. If an enterprise went bankerupt the Forum organised thebankeruptcy proceedings; it undertook to collect the taxes. In conclusion it took the Armenian merchants' representation of interests upon itself in every level of the society. Its authority is proved by the fact that its leaders were invited to the assemblics of Csík-, Gyergyó- and Kászon province, where the most important decisions - considering the Székely communities -were made. They had close relationships with the most prestigious leaders of the Gubernium, the members of the Main Governing Board. The Forum was held in high respect, it was appreciated thanks to the economical power of the Armenian merchants.

(Hu) Miként leltek hazára a Gyergyói-medence katonavilágában a moldvai örmények? Mi késztette őket arra, hogy Gyergyó kies, terméketlen térségében otthont keressenek? A sajátos katonai életmóddal összefonódott állattartó-földmüves-tutajozó élettér sajátos mentalitást alakított ki a gyergyói székely közösségben és ez látszólag nehezen volt összeegyeztethető az örmények kézműves-kereskedő életmódjával. Ez utóbbi esetben a pénz, az áru szerepe meghatározó volt az emberek közötti kapcsolatokban.
URL: http://www.sulinet.hu/oroksegtar/data/magyarorszagi_nemzetisegek/ormenyek/ormeny_diaszpora_a_karpat_medenceben_II/pages/magyar/016_b_garda_dezso.htm