Roşiori/en

History

Dorf Roşiori

On the 14th of March 1702, the Royal Chamber sold Rosiori in return for 100 000 forints to Prince Pál Esterházy, as a pledge-property. The free inhabitants of Bagos, Bajom, Berettyóújfalu, Derecske, Feketebátor, Félegyháza, Gáborján, Kaba, Komádi, Konyár, Sáránd, Sas, Szentmiklós, Szalonta, Tóti and Zsadány became serfs overnight. Thus we can understand that the „hajdú”-s became the most loyal soldiers of Rákóczi Ferenc II. In the battle of freedom in 1703. Rákóczi succeeded to give them back their freedom – for a short period. But from 1712 the wealthy Esterházy family could validate its right of pledge-property and they organized the manor of Derecske. 13 of the 16 villages became settlements of the „hajdú”-s ! The legal and economic situation of these towns was much better later on than the situation of the serfs in the country. They have never paid any kind of taxes! They professed for generations that they liked poetry and music. The palatine, Esterházy addressed them as „honourable men”. They were taugh, obstinate men who could never accept the loss of their freedom and had fought with the Esterházy family till the liberation of the serfs.

The case of Félegyháza was very interesting in this period! It had maintained its privileges until 1720. According to the census of 1715 there lived legally free, tax-payer people in the 41 households who paid their taxes by right of a written contract. In the census of 1720 they registered 7 persons as noblemen and 41 persons as serfs. This situation of the long lasting privileges was due to the fact that the hajdú-s from Félegyháza – beside their freedom gained from the transylvanian prince – could redeem their lands with money from countess Báthori.

The struggle of the young hajdú-s became stronger in 1745, when the Esterházys got from Mária Terézia the townships and communities of the manor of Derecske as properties of inheritance. From then they also had to pax taxes and in 1762 were deprived from their statuses as free „hajdú-s”. This was the main reason why they handed in a petition to the Transylvanian and the Hungarian Parliament. The Parliament of Transylvania stated in 1791: „the hajdú-s from Bihar got their privileges from the transylvanian princes so they are entitled to it”. The Parliament of Hungary entrusted this problem to the law court. And as they wanted a litigation, they got it! They took on a lawyer and made other petitions. The meeting of the so called „16 persons” was lead by the judge of Derecske where they talked over every single issue of the litigation, they wrote letters to the palatine and even to the king! Their pride was intensified by the fact that their case was discussed in such high-standing places; we wonder if it was really necessary to litigate. Gerő János wrote: „If they would have suspended the resistence they had been in the situation of the serfs”. And, according to Fényes Elek, „their lands had been registered through a buy-and-sell agreement and the landlords had to pay taxes to prince Esterházy only in certain periods”. The litigation ended in 1848 when those who had parcels, got back their properties for good.

After the liberation of the serfs the Esterházy family remained with a territory of 20 000 ha on the lands that belonged to the manor of Derecske. It was sold in 1868.

Weblinks

• Official homepage: http://www.biharfelegyhaza.ro/