Absztrakt

In 1826, fires raged across Transdanubia, including Zala County. Both the population and the authorities believed that some of these cases involved arson. In August, after a fire had broken out in Füred, the enraged mob beat and murdered a Jewish arrendator from Nagyvázsony, who was passing through there. The rioting crowd also beat up a vice judlium (deputy county magistrate), a Reformed pastor from Somogy, and a soldier. A popular writer of his time and judge at the Zala County court of appeals, Sándor Kisfaludy, wrote a long letter describing the “vandal murder” of Füred to the count palatine, relayed through his brother, who served as Archduke Joseph’s aide-de-camp. In this document – essentially a memorandum – Kisfaludy lays out a diagnosis of the broader crisis of the late estates system, and identifies the political, social, and economic problems involved. He also proposes a detailed plan of action, which relied on the palatine’s authority. Analysing Kisfaludy’s letter, the study explores the county-level securitization process of fires and arson, a discourse whereby political actors identify a threat, seeking the consent of a given target audience to legitimize extraordinary measures.