Decree of Turda
Encyclopedia
The Decree of Turda was a decree by Louis I Anjou of Hungary. It had longstanding consequences for the constitutional order and social structure of Transylvania
.
On 28 June 1366, while residing in the Transylvania
n town of Turda/Torda
, Louis enacted a decree to reinforce law and order, regulating some areas of social and public life, administration, criminal law and judicial practice.
The conditions imposed by the decree for maintaining or acceding nobility (in particular, affiliation to the Roman Catholic Church
and possession of a royal certificate of donation for the owned land) were to select and limit the noble class over a period of centuries, which in turn accelerated the decline of the Estate
of Romanians
(Universitas Valachorum
).
The decree takes an explicitly negative view of Romanians
: propter presumptuosam astuciam diversorum malefactorum, specialiter Olachorum in ipsa terra nostra existencium (…) ad exterminandum seu delendum in ipsa terra malefactores quarumlibet nacionum, signanter Olachorum - because of the evil arts of many malefactors, especially Romanians
, who live in that our country (…) to expel or to exterminate in this country malefactors belonging to any nation, especially Romanians
.
This was the first time in Transylvania
that discriminatory law enforcement along ethnic lines was legally codified.
There were both political and religious reasons for this. Being a native of the Italian
branch of the illustrious French
family of Anjou
, Louis, who reigned between 1342 and 1382, personified the magnificent medieval monarch, eminent son of and fighter for the Roman Catholic Church
, protector of the Arts and knight of long-ranged imperial ideals. Under his reign, Hungary
became a great European power, connected to the ideals and work of the Catholic Church and the Imperial mission.
Louis I's systematic Catholic proselytising campaigns encountered a determined resistance among Romanians, who were Eastern Orthodox
.
In addition to this religious defiance, the emerging Romanian feudal states southward and eastward of Transylvania, which continued to be considered by the Hungarian Crown as its own borderlands, became independent (1330 - Walachia/Ţara Româneasca, "Romanian Land"; 1359 – Moldova
), in spite of military campaigns (1330 and 1358–1365) to restore Hungarian sovereignty.
Confronted with a demographically very significant Eastern Orthodox Romanian population in Transylvania which was reluctant to convert to Roman Catholicism, the Hungarian Crown was inevitably worried by the recent rise of two consolidated Orthodox states on Transylvania's southern and eastern borders.
After the proclamation of the first Orthodox Romanian Metropolitan Church (1359) and an unsuccessful campaign against Walachia in the same year, and after military expeditions into Moldova had been abandoned (1365), the decree of Turda took legal measures in order to contain a perceived danger of growing influence of Eastern Orthodoxy in the Catholic and apostolic Kingdom of Hungary.
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
.
On 28 June 1366, while residing in the Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
n town of Turda/Torda
Turda
Turda is a city and Municipality in Cluj County, Romania, situated on the Arieş River.- Ancient times :The city was founded by Dacians under the name Patavissa or Potaissa...
, Louis enacted a decree to reinforce law and order, regulating some areas of social and public life, administration, criminal law and judicial practice.
The conditions imposed by the decree for maintaining or acceding nobility (in particular, affiliation to the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
and possession of a royal certificate of donation for the owned land) were to select and limit the noble class over a period of centuries, which in turn accelerated the decline of the Estate
Estates of the realm
The Estates of the realm were the broad social orders of the hierarchically conceived society, recognized in the Middle Ages and Early Modern period in Christian Europe; they are sometimes distinguished as the three estates: the clergy, the nobility, and commoners, and are often referred to by...
of Romanians
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
(Universitas Valachorum
Universitas Valachorum
Universitas Valachorum is the Latin denomination for an Estate, an institution of self-government of the Romanians in medieval Transylvania....
).
The decree takes an explicitly negative view of Romanians
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
: propter presumptuosam astuciam diversorum malefactorum, specialiter Olachorum in ipsa terra nostra existencium (…) ad exterminandum seu delendum in ipsa terra malefactores quarumlibet nacionum, signanter Olachorum - because of the evil arts of many malefactors, especially Romanians
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
, who live in that our country (…) to expel or to exterminate in this country malefactors belonging to any nation, especially Romanians
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
.
This was the first time in Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
that discriminatory law enforcement along ethnic lines was legally codified.
There were both political and religious reasons for this. Being a native of the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
branch of the illustrious French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
family of Anjou
Capetian House of Anjou
The Capetian House of Anjou, also known as the House of Anjou-Sicily and House of Anjou-Naples, was a royal house and cadet branch of the direct House of Capet. Founded by Charles I of Sicily, a son of Louis VIII of France, the Capetian king first ruled the Kingdom of Sicily during the 13th century...
, Louis, who reigned between 1342 and 1382, personified the magnificent medieval monarch, eminent son of and fighter for the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
, protector of the Arts and knight of long-ranged imperial ideals. Under his reign, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
became a great European power, connected to the ideals and work of the Catholic Church and the Imperial mission.
Louis I's systematic Catholic proselytising campaigns encountered a determined resistance among Romanians, who were Eastern Orthodox
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
.
In addition to this religious defiance, the emerging Romanian feudal states southward and eastward of Transylvania, which continued to be considered by the Hungarian Crown as its own borderlands, became independent (1330 - Walachia/Ţara Româneasca, "Romanian Land"; 1359 – Moldova
Moldova
Moldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
), in spite of military campaigns (1330 and 1358–1365) to restore Hungarian sovereignty.
Confronted with a demographically very significant Eastern Orthodox Romanian population in Transylvania which was reluctant to convert to Roman Catholicism, the Hungarian Crown was inevitably worried by the recent rise of two consolidated Orthodox states on Transylvania's southern and eastern borders.
After the proclamation of the first Orthodox Romanian Metropolitan Church (1359) and an unsuccessful campaign against Walachia in the same year, and after military expeditions into Moldova had been abandoned (1365), the decree of Turda took legal measures in order to contain a perceived danger of growing influence of Eastern Orthodoxy in the Catholic and apostolic Kingdom of Hungary.