Matyas_Rausch_Petra_Vamjovedelmek

The study examines how prominent rulers of the golden age of Transylvania, Gábor Bethlen and György I Rákóczi, asserted their political and economic interests against Sibiu and Brașov, the two most significant cities of the Transylvanian Saxon community. The sources and relevant literature bear out that reliquishing their predecessors’ practice in favour of a stricter and more decisive financial policy alone would not have been sufficient for them to achieve their goals. They also benefited from the weakened resistance of the contemporary Saxon centers, especially Sibiu. Their loss of strength was largely due to the internal social and economic tensions within the Saxon society, which, according to Gustav Gündisch, a renowned Saxon historian, led to the erosion of their autonomy. Another important finding emerging from the analysis is the significance that the two rulers attributed to long-distance trade foreign trade customs. This is particularly true for György I Rákóczi, whose economic policy has not received significant scholarly attention to date. In the absence of primary research, present understanding of this subject relies on the literature from the past century, which mainly discussed his achievements through the lens of Bethlen’s legacy, often portraying Rákóczi in a negative light. Therefore, it is essential to emphasize that, similar to Bethlen, Rákóczi probably attached great importance to trade, which was particularly prosperous during peacetime. He is likely to have made efforts to reform it and ensure that the customs revenues resulting from increased trade would enrich his treasury rather than the local municipal economy.