Brashov-art

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Brasov-art - 3/23/01

Selected translations from "Citizens of Brasov” for the 14th and 15th century.

Brashov is a town along the Wallachian-transylvanian bordering what is now Romania.

NOTE: See also the files: East-Eur-msg, Hungary-msg, Jews-msg, Germany-msg,

fd-Germany-msg, fd-Hungary-msg, fd-Jewish-msg, fd-Poland-msg.

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NOTICE -

This article was submitted to me by the author for inclusion in this set

of files, called Stefan’s Florilegium.

These files are available on the Internet at:

http://www.florilegium.org

While the author will likely give permission for this work to be

reprinted in SCA type publications, please check with the author first

or check for any permissions granted at the end of this file.

Thank you,

Mark S. Harris

AKA: Stefan li Rous

stefan at florilegium.org

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[This is a partial translation of a book on the Citizens of Brasov in the 14th

and 15th century. It is a town along the Wallachian-transylvanian border

in what is now Romania.]

Subject: An updated installment (fwd)

Date: Tue, 17 Mar 98 14:12:11 MST

From: jeffrey stewart heilveil <heilveil at students.uiuc.edu>

To: "Mark.S Harris" <rsve60 at msgphx1>

Stefan,

Here is the first few pages of the book, if you want more, please let me

know. AS soon as I find where I saved my bibliography, I will send it to

you. You might also want to check out the Slavic Interest Group

webpage... I don't remember the URL offhand though.

Your servant,

Bogdan

Here is the latest and CORRECT translation for the "Citizens of Brasov in

the 14th and 15th century. I will send more as I get it done and

corrected (It's so nice to do this for a class, and have a professor check

your translation).

Enjoy,

Bogdan

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Historical Overview

13th - 15th century

2.1 The beginnings of the city to the middle of the 14th century

Today, if you look upon the city from Zinne, a 300 meter high

mountain that towers over Brasov, you are presented with a unique view of

the ground-plans of medieval Brasov. One clearly recognizes that the city

developed out of 5 "settlement centers" that lay near each other. The

open spaces, which still lies between them today, separated the centers

from one another. The oldest part of the city is the Upper Suburb, which

originated from an early feudal Romanian settlement. The Upper Suburb

lies in the narrow valleys to the south west of the later city center and

is called Scheii Brasovului by the Romanians who left a large number of

recognizable topographical names in this area which also assimilated

strong Slavic population elements. From the beginning of the 13th century

came the three settlements of Corona Transylvanian-Saxon Krunen lying

directly in the Zinne valley, which later constituted the fortified city

center, and both of the suburban settlements in the North adjacent to each

other and the Burzenlaender Planes, the so-called Old City (Martinsberg)

and Bartholoma, which later grew together. In all probability, these

three settlements were built at the time of the German knighthood, and

were settled with German colonists. More recently, but in existence at

the latest in the 14th century, is the suburb of Blumenau, which lays in

the north-east. In contrast to the four other settlement centers,

Blumenau never developed its own way of life, rather it developed, from

its beginning on, as a suburb of Corona. It drew mainly from population

elements, among them the numerous Hungarian and Seklern settlements.

Since the 14th century, at the latest, these five settlement

centers were united in both administration and in the courts under the

leadership of Corona as an urban center. Our examination covers

therefore, mainly, the history of Corona, which since the 14th century has

also appeared as Brassovia. Since the specifics in the history of the

city, where various nationalities of people have been living together

since the oldest times, let us take into consideration, in our

examination, as far as the documents allow, the suburbs of Brasov and its

population.

The oldest written references to the formation of the later city

of Brasov, is in connection with the presentation of the Burzen lands to

the German knighthood by the Hungarian king, Andreas II. In 1211, the

knights were called on for the purpose of defending the south-eastern

borders of Transylvania from the invasion of the Kumanen (Turks??). In

the short time of their stay (1211-1225) the knights had, from the

beginning, pursued an economic objective in addition to their military

function.

Already near their installation as feudal landholders, the knights

had been promised the right to establish farming communities, and duty

free markets, and to construct wooden cities. In the grant (lit.: gift

deed), repeated in 1222, there is already mention of cities built in

stone. In the same document, the order is granted certain business

privileges - exportation of salt, and importation of other goods to Alt

and Meiesch, as well as duty-free access on certain roads in the land of

the Seklers and the land of the Wallachians. It is to be assumed that the

knights had made use of these rights prior to the issuance of the document

in 1222, which was only performed as a belated confirmation of the facts.

At that time, they had arbitrarily extended their land on to the Danube,

and they clearly intended the considerable extension of commercial

relations. The establishment of Corona must be viewed in the context of a

trading base, from where the trade route across the Romanian region to the

Danube could be governed. In fact, the political and administrative

midpoint of the Orders rule was in the Burzenland, Marionburg, on Alt. It

was also here where the most important travel route of the Burzenland, as

proved by Geza Bako, met with the passes out of the Carpathians. However,

Corona had the advantage over Marionburg, which was lying open on all

sides, in that Corona was in a protected site at the foot of the bend of

the Carpathians. So, the trade route diverted from the passes of the

eastern and southern Carpathians through Corona, which we recognize as the

only stone city designed by the knights.

The founding date of Corona is not certifiably covered. The year

1203, which is handed down in later Brasovian chronicles, must be founded

on a mistake, since the knightly order first came to the land in 1211.

Gernut Nuessbaecher has set the founding year with great probability in

1213. In 1225, the German knights were again displaced out of the lands

by the Hungarian king. However, the business establishment, which they

founded in the Zinne Valley, the seat of their order, survived. There is

a list of the monasteries in Hungary and Transylvania which the

Praemonstratenser abbot, Federicus of Hamborn, visited in 1235. Therein,

is mention of a convent in Corona, in the Kumanic Diocese. Since the

Burzenland (following the expulsion of the German Knights) was

ecclesiastically subject to the bishopric of Milcov, which was founded in

1227 for the purpose of christianizing the Kumans, only the later Brasov

can be meant by the name Corona. Corona was mentioned in documentation for

the first time in 1235.

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SCA-related publications, provided the author is credited and receives a copy.

If this article is reprinted in a publication, I would appreciate a notice in

the publication that you found this article in the Florilegium. I would also

appreciate an email to myself, so that I can track which articles are being

reprinted. Thanks. -Stefan.

Stefan's Florilegium

Brasov-art