War and Social Conflicts in Early Modern Border Areas: Colonel Ludovicus de La Borde and Satu Mare (Szatmár) Fortress (1673–77)

Abstract

Abstract The social and economic dynamics of early modern borders in central and southeast Europe were marked by endemic warfare. The border between Habsburg Hungary and the Principality of Transylvania in the second half of the seventeenth century was affected by an almost constant state of war. The presence of an Ottoman province in the vicinity (Oradea, conquered by the Turks in 1660) further complicated the political and military situation. Large-scale military campaigns were accompanied by various forms of frontier warfare and rebellions. The aim of this article is to analyze the social impact of war on the fortress of Satu Mare (Szatmár) and the two neighboring market towns, Satu Mare (Szatmár) and Mintiu (Némethi), as reflected by three documents issued by, or referring to, Colonel Ludovicus de La Borde. In the first part of the article, I have presented a short overview of the history of the early modern fortification of Satu Mare (Szatmár) during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, emphasizing the frequent border changes between Habsburg Hungary and the Principality of Transylvania.