Family Archives in the 16th Century. The Mikola Family Archive

Abstract

"In April 1573, after the death of the head of the family, Ferenc Mikola, the elders of the Mikolas gathered in Someşeni to take over the family archive from his widow. The action carried out according to the custom, but also to the legislation of the country took place in the presence of witnesses, later a proving act being issued. The present study aims to investigate the process of handing over the noble family archives in Transylvania from the end of the Middle Ages and during the sixteenth century. In this context, the ways of keeping and ordering the charters during the researched period, as well as the circumstances of the formation of the noble family archives will be examined. The focus will be on the presentation of a case study, that of the Mikola family archive. Starting from the charter issued in April 1573, we shall briefly present the Mikola family, their family archive, but also the witnesses of the archive’s transmission. Among the latter, we shall pay a special attention to Ferenc Dávid, the parish priest of Cluj and superintendent. The second title carried by the religious reformer shall provide the opportunity to reflect on the formation of the Reformed and Unitarian Churches in Transylvania. Keywords: Mikola family, family archives, Mikola archive, preservation of the charters, Transylvania, 16th century, Unitarian Church. "