Preliminary Programme

Wed 12 April
    08.30 - 10.30
    11.00 - 13.00
    14.00 - 16.00
    16.30 - 18.30

Thu 13 April
    08.30 - 10.30
    11.00 - 13.00
    14.00 - 16.00
    16.30 - 18.30

Fri 14 April
    08.30 - 10.30
    11.00 - 13.00
    14.00 - 16.00
    16.30 - 18.30

Sat 15 April
    08.30 - 10.30
    11.00 - 13.00
    14.00 - 16.00

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Thursday 13 April 2023 16.30 - 18.30
G-8 ELI08 Demographics, Child Care and Social Planning
B32
Network: Elites and Forerunners Chair: Radu Nedici
Organizers: - Discussants: -
Ovidiu Iudean, Nicoleta Maria Heged?s : The Presidents of the Orphan Courts in Eastern Hungary and Transylvania, 1876-1914. A Comparative Prosopographic Approach
The present paper deals with a well-defined elite segment, part of the administrative and political elite of Dualist Hungary, namely the presidents of the county-level orphan courts who were active between 1876 and 1914 in the counties of Eastern Hungary and Transylvania, respectively. The president of the county orphan court, ... (Show more)
The present paper deals with a well-defined elite segment, part of the administrative and political elite of Dualist Hungary, namely the presidents of the county-level orphan courts who were active between 1876 and 1914 in the counties of Eastern Hungary and Transylvania, respectively. The president of the county orphan court, a position that was dependent on both the central government and the local-level municipal authorities, constituted an essential cogwheel in the functioning of the civil service. Especially given the rise in population numbers, the numerous waves of epidemics which swept the two abovementioned areas, and the increased population mobility, the role of authorities seeking to safeguard the fate of orphans’ estates was of paramount importance. The numerous attributions characterizing this elective office stood as a further testament in this sense. It is therefore worthwhile to more closely examine this elite segment, as one that unites several tendencies in elite formation and perpetuation in Dualist Hungary: due to its elective nature, it presupposed a strong connection between the would-be candidate and influential individuals at local level; for most of the period under question, it entailed a background in law studies, its representatives constituting part of the “overabundance” of legally educated elites in the area, according to V. Karady; finally, the official occupying this position held in their grasp considerable financial resources, which were not always used to their originally intended purposes. Thus, by adopting a comparative prosopographic approach which aims to contrast the target group of orphan court presidents in Easter Hungary with its counterpart in Transylvania, the paper seeks to shed light on the specificities of each elite segment, by taking into account its education, professional pathway, and political involvement. It also adopts a generational perspective, looking towards the defining contextual moments of each official’s formative period and career, as well as at the age at which this position was attained, in order to flesh out the dynamics of this segment of the administrative elite. Finally, it delves into the intertwining between the political and the administrative by examining the role played by presidents of orphan courts in the electoral process during Dualism. (Show less)

Laurentiu Radvan : Professionals Settled in Moldavia: Agents of Change and Representatives of the New Urban Elite (Second Part of the 18th Century - First Part of the 19th Century)
Moldavia and Wallachia had reached in the 18th century the lowest point in the history of their existence. The two small countries in south-eastern Europe populated mostly by Romanians depended on the Ottoman Empire, being ruled after 1711 by Greek princes appointed by the sultan. The system of government had ... (Show more)
Moldavia and Wallachia had reached in the 18th century the lowest point in the history of their existence. The two small countries in south-eastern Europe populated mostly by Romanians depended on the Ottoman Empire, being ruled after 1711 by Greek princes appointed by the sultan. The system of government had retained many elements of medieval origin, there was no army, there were no education system outside a few Church schools, and the administration was in the hands of an elite group of untrained boyars who encouraged endemic corruption. And yet, among the princes were some who were open to the ideas of modernization that were taking place in Europe. Remarkable is the case of Constantin Mavrocordat who published in 1742 in "Mercure de France" a project of reform inspired by the Enlightenment ideas that were beginning to make their place in society, supporting, among other things, the elimination of serfdom and the remuneration of appointed officials. We owe the first measures of social assistance to other princes, including the opening of the first modern hospitals in the Romanian principalities. As we approach the 1800s, the attention of the princes turns to the towns, which had fallen far short in the previous period, being affected by the many wars between the Russian, Austrians and the Ottomans, which had taken place partially on the territory of the Romanian principalities. In the meantime, the towns had lost their little autonomy, were run by officials appointed by princes, were burdened with taxes, and looked like the Ottoman centers south of the Danube. The Kuciuk-Kainardji peace of 1774 between the Russians and the Turks allowed trade to intensify in this corner of the continent, giving local towns a new chance. The modernization effort has been answered by many professionals from Central and Western Europe, who have played an important role in the process of change, both mentally and economically or politically. A first category is represented by doctors and pharmacists, employed in hospitals opened by princes or working as private individuals, having as clients the rich families of boyars and townspeople. A second is that of architects who responded to orders from the same families, but also from the Church, as evidenced by the wave of secular or ecclesiastical neoclassical buildings that will dominate the local architecture at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. The third category is given by engineers, involved in surveying activities or water supply arrangements. French, Austrians, Germans, Czechs, a significant number of professionals will be employed in the principalities, becoming true agents of change. At the same time, it is interesting to follow the process of their integration among the local elite, especially the urban elite. Most of these professionals will remain here, marrying women from both countries, establishing ties with important families, entering politics, and their role being very visible after 1821, when the Ottoman Empire decides to give up the appointment of Greek princes and return to appointments from local aristocratic families. In addition to analysing the main directions of action of these professionals, our paper aims to present some relevant case studies.
My interest in the elite is older and I participated with a paper at the ESSHC conference in Valencia 2016. (Show less)



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