szemethy_tamas_gyulai

Out of the ninety-one gentry who was granted nobility between 1711 and 1799,Ferenc Gyulay was the only one who became a count, and thus, a member of amore exclusive echelon of Hungarian aristocracy. It took two rounds of promo-tion, both taking place during the reign of Charles III. Gyulay’s rise is an inter-esting subject for various reasons. On the one hand, although the family wasnot one of the better known noble kindreds, it brought up one of the most suc-cessful accumulators of wealth in the era. On the other hand, in addition to thetraditional genealogical works, the level of detail in the available sources allowmicrohistorical methods to draw a precise picture about Ferenc’s extraordinarycareer from unknown Komárom gentry to lord lieutenant of Ung County, andbecoming the tenant of the Ung chamber estate after acquiring a number ofother estates. Exploiting an exceptionally detailed source base, this study aimsto present a case which probably models many other similar career trajectoriesin the period. As such, it helps understand how ambitious lower-ranking countynobility could propel into the elite circles of the estate system in eighteenth-century Hungary.