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            After the expulsion of the Teutonic Order from Burzenland the province was set under direct royal rule. But Bela, the eldest son of Andrew II, who was also Dux Transilvanus (15) and had the main responsability in the expedition against the Teutons, was the person who encouraged the Dominican friars' Order to continue the work of christianization performed by the Teutons among the Cumans. Burzenland was until 1241, when the Mongol invasion occured, the main basis of their activity in the Trans-C carpathian territories. Still they didn't found any monastery in Kronstadt until 1323. Kronstadt and Burzenland belonged to the so called "Cuman" dioecesis, which ceased to exist after the Mongol invasion. The monastic order which had profited the most after the elimination of the Teutons were the Cistercians, who belonged to the Latin party. They had founded a monastery at the beginning of the 13-th century in Fogarascher Land (the county of Fogaras) called Kerz (Cîrta) (16). It seems that the Cistercians had also aimed at obtaining special rights in Burzenland, but had failed in favour of the Teutons. It was only in 1240 that king Bela IV confered them the patronage and all rights and revenues of the churches in Marienburg (Feldioara, Földvár), Petersberg (Sînpetru), Honigberg (Harman) and Tartlau (Prejmer, Prázsmár) (17). They also had a convent of nuns in Kronstadt, which existed until the Reformation (1542).

            The invasion of the Mongols (Tartars) in 1241 saw one of the defeats of the Hungarian army in Burzenland. Hermannstadt was also a victim of the invaders, who reached Pannonia (18), but retreated unexpectedly in 1242, after their supreme leader, Batu-khan, had died. The reign of Bela IV was dominated by military conflicts with his son Stephan, who also wished to reign and achieved his coronation in 1262 as junior rex with absolute authority in Transilvania. Because of his valiant nature Transilvania was free of invasions. The sympathy of Bela IV for the Latins (French and Walloon) determined Stephan to orient himself towards the Germans, especially after the province of Styria (19) had fallen to the Hungarians in accordance with the peace- treaty between Bela IV and the Bohemian king Ottokar Primislaus, signed on the 3rd of April 1254 (20) and the denomination of Stefan as dux of Stiriae ducatum (dukedom of Styria). He is attested for the first time in this position in 1259 (21).

15) This title existed until Stefan, the son of Bela, became king in 1270.
16) About this monastery see Michael Thalgott, Die Zisterzienser von Kerz (The Cistercians of Kerz) (Veroeffentlichungen des Suedostdeutschen Kulturwerks, Reihe B: Wissenschaftliche Arbeiten, vol.50), Muenchen 1990.
17) Ub I, no.76, p.68sq. The donation of the church of Marienburg, where the deanery of Burzenland was seated, practically meant its subordination under the Cistercians of Kerz.
18) The Hungarian plains.
19) Today an Austrian province.
20) Georgius Fejer, Codex diplomaticus Hungariae religiosus ac civilis, Tomus VII, vol.1, no. CCLX, p.300sq. 21) Gusztáv Wenzel, Codex Diplomaticus Arpadianus Continuatus, Vol. VII, no.359, p.508.

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            In this context Stefan met Benedictus, the prevost of Friesach in Styria. The latter is attested as prepositi Zebeniensis (prevost of Hermannstadt) in 1261 (22). He held this function until 1262. From 1263 until 1273 Benedictus was prevost of Orod (23). He was at the same time Stephan's vice-chancellor and mediated the peace of 5th December 1262 between father and son (24). But he couldn't keep this position, because Lodomerius and Petrus, his opponents, overtook this influential duty. When Stephan became king as Stephan V in 1270 he immediately reinvested Benedictus with the provostry of Hermannstadt (25). After the premature death of Stephan V in 1272 Benedictus obtained the duty of vice-chancellor under Stephan's sun Ladislaus IV (26). He strengthened his position by obtaining the prevostry of Ofen (Buda) (27) with the aim of becoming primate of Gran (Esztergom). But he was never confirmed as such, he functioned only as electus Strigoniensis (elected) (28). The renewed forcing out of Benedictus as vice-chancellor of Ladislaus IV in 1276, but his return in 1277 reflects the conflicting positions of the faithful followers of Stephan V and Ladislaus IV on one side and of the influencial upper clergy. Benedictus died at the end of February or at the beginning of March 1278, thus giving way to Lodomerius, the main representative of the upper clergy, to occupy the primacy of Gran. Petrus, who functioned as vice-chancellor of Stephan between 1265 and 1270 (29), would play a crucial role in Transilvania between 1270 and 1308, when he was bishop of Transilvania. His brutal and unscrupulous way of levy generated the revolt of the Transilvanian Saxons in 1277. Because Ladislaus IV was only a child in 1272 bishop Petrus and other dignitaries, especially clergymen, governed arbitrary and like local war-lords.

            The revolt of 1277 seems to have been caused by the attempts of bishop Petrus to occupy the salt-mines at Salzburg (Ocna Sibiului, Vizakna) which belonged to the Saxon nobleman Alard. The latter was killed and his son Gaan (Johann) organized an armed revolt. Its purpose was to punish bishop Petrus and his corrupt clergy. The Saxons attacked and put on fire the cathedral in Weissenburg and killed several leading Transilvanian clergymen without catching bishop Petrus. The Parliament voted on 19th June 1278 the banishment of Gaan and his allies (30). Later documents related to the revolt of the Saxons accuse them in a rather clear tone of having set on fire numerous churches, to have stolen valuable church objects and to have massacred many civilians. It is evident that the clergy of the Transilvanian diocese had started a slanderous campaign against the Saxons, attributing

22) Wenzel, vol. XIII, no.4,5,6,7, pp.7-12.
23) Today Oradea in Romania.
24) Ub.I, no.98, p.87.
25) Attested on 2nd May 1270: Ub.I, no.132, p.107.
26) Attested on 1st September 1273: Ub.I, no.168, p.122.
27) The capital of Hungary at that time.
28) Attested between April 1274 and February 1278 (Fejér, Codex Diplomaticus, Tomus V, vol.2, p.174, 427). 29) Ub.I, no.111, p.96; no.131, p.107. Petrus is mentioned for the first time as bishop of Transilvania on 13 June 1270 (Documente privind istoria Romaniei (Documents Concerning the History of Romania) (DIR), C. Transilvania, veacul XI, XII, XIII, p. 131, nr. 124.
30) Ub.I, no.184, p.131sq.

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them the depopulation of large areas of the diocese (31). In a document of 1282 meant to encourage the return of the hospites king Ladislaus IV guarantees those of Weissenburg (civitatis Albensis), where the episcopal seat was, and those of other deserted villages free jurisdiction (until then they had been subjected to the jurisdiction of the voivode (32) and of the county-officials). This movement of population was a result of reprisals, which bishop Petrus certainly organized against the hospites, either with the purpose of intimidation or in certain cases for punishing those hospites communities, who had joined Gaan's army. Some of the hospites-refugees came to Burzenland and seem to have helped the Burzenland-Saxons to withstand the Mongol invasion of 1278 (33).

            The Cumans, whom the Hungarian authorities had allowed to enter Hungary, created problems because of their nomadic life-style. Those Cumans living in the Tisza plain revolted in 1280 but were defeated and fled in great numbers on the territory of south-western Ukraine. King Ladislaus pursued them and reached the Mongol borders. This reckless action determined the Mongols to invade Hungary in 1285. They also hit the northern territory of Transilvania around Bistritz. King Ladislaus therefore dispensed the town of Bistritz in 1286 from two thirds of the annual tax (34). King Ladislaus IV was present in Burzenland in the autumn of 1288. He is attested in Kronstadt on 27th October 1288 (35). He conferred to Nikolaus of Rosenau (36) the possessions Bodola and Tohan in Burzenland (37), certainly for merits in the policy towards the Transcarpathian region still under Mongol rule. Nikolaus is the first attested member of the family of Sommer, who played an outstanding role in Kronstadt and Burzenland policy throughout the 14th century.

            The presence of king Ladislaus in Burzenland was intended for creating a Transilvanian front against the theocratical (38) opposition who had formed against him. He annuled existing taxation and jurisdiction rules in favour of peasantry, a revolutionary policy, one would say, but not realistic, because it shook the very basis of the feudal system. Thus the joint reaction of the clergy and the nobility was prompt. Ladislaus had stipulated for instance that clergymen should be subjected to the jurisdiction of the voivode and nobility shouldn't be exempted of taxes any more.

31) Ub.I, no.206, p.146; No.200, p.142sq. (1282). In the latter document the following localities are mentioned as devoid of their original hospites-population: villa sancti Regis in the county of Torda; villa Kuluswar (Klausenburg, Cluj-Napoca, Kolozsvár), villa Gylo (Gilau, Gyalu), villa Kopus (Capus, Kapus), villa Keresfeo (Izvoru Crisului, Körösfö) in the county of Kolosch (Klausenburg); villa Herena (Moenchsdorf, Harina, Herina) and Bylokul (Billak, Domnesti, Bilak) in the county of Doboka; villa Zylah (Zalau) and villa Tusnad (Tasnad, Tasnád) in the county Zonuk (Zolnok); villa Ebes of the county Sathmar; villa Baratpispuk in the county of Bihor.
32) The voivode was the military head of Transilvania and its supreme judge. About the Saxons' revolt of 1277 see: Oliver Velescu, Der Aufstand der Sachsen aus dem Jahr 1277 (The Revolt of the Saxons in 1277), in: FVLk 17, No.1, 1974, p.41-52. 33) About the earls of Sommer see below part IV.
34) Ub.I, no.211, p.149sq.
35) Ub.I, no.225, p.159.
36) A village to the south-west of Kronstadt.
37) The document is known from the confirmation letter of Andrew III given in 1294 (Documente privind istoria Romaniei (Documents Concerning the History of Romania)) (DIR), veacul XIII. C.Transilvania, vol.II, no. 451, p.403sq.
38) I.e. emanating from clerical power.

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            The chain of events was as follows: After the king had taken back his confirmation of the conferring of Klausenburg and Weissenburg to the chapter (44), bishop Petrus reacted by arresting the Cuman Arbuz, the king's brother in law, together with two nephews, and the Transilvanian voivode Moius. The king responded by revoking the possessionary title of the chapter (45). The document also reveals that bishop Petrus hadn't acted on his own, but had received instructions from Lodomerius, the primate of Esztergom, and from the primate of Kalocha sanctioned by the Pope. It seems that the instruction received by bishop Petrus was in its contents similar to the request of the primate of Esztergom sent to the counties of Hermannstadt and Burzenland (46). The position of the Saxons was important in the confrontation of king Ladislaus IV with his clerical opponents. Already the letter of primate Lodomerius proves the keyrole played by the Saxons of Hermannstadt and Burzenland and indicates the solidarity of these Saxons with the king. Solidarity with the king certainly exceeded the borders of Hermannstadt and Burzenland. For weakening the Saxon front the chapter of Weissenburg agreed for example in 1289 that the clergy of the territory of Mediasch (terra Medies) should annually pay 40 marks of silver instead of the third part of their tith (47). On his way out of Transilvania king Ladislaus IV, degradingly also called "the Cuman", was murdered on 10th July 1290 at the age of 28. The official version names Cumans and Romanians as the murderers. But the fact that Andrew III, the follower of Ladislaus IV, took over on the day of Ladislaus being murdered (48) points to a well prepared conspiracy by the clerical opposition.

39) Hungarians in the eastern region of Transilvania.
40) DIR, vol.II, nr.337, p.296-299.
41) Council of a bishop.
42) Ub.I, no.229, p.162sq. (1st September 1289).
43) Situated in the Western-Carpathians. The document: Ub.I, no.230, p.163.
44) The conferring had occured under Bela IV.
45) ... cum venerabilis pater Petrus Dei gratia episcopus Transilvanus ... Arbuz Cumanum cognatum nostrum,... captivasset et propter hoc solum possessiones donatitias ... villam Culuswar ... et villam Albensem ... alienassemus.
46) See above and footnote 40.
47) Germ. "Zehnt" (the tenth part = tith).
48) The date of Andrew III. accession Ub.I, p.169 (footnote to no.238).

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            Andrew III (1290-1301) devoted himself to Transilvanian problems in March 1291 when he attented the Transilvanian diet sitting in the vicinity of Weissenburg. The restitution of certain landed property in the territory of Fogarasch, probably expropriated by order of Ladislaus IV for creating a county of Fogarasch, meant the disbandment of this entity of military administration. The new constitution of 22nd February 1291 restored the jurisdictional and taxation order prior to Ladislaus IV and refused to acknowledge the donations which Ladislaus had made to his familiars and followers. The Transilvanian bishop Petrus increased his influence and power under the new administration. This is proved by the fact that Petrus is mentioned in the second position after the chancellor in documents issued by the Diet on 29 July 1292 and also in a royal document of 1293 (49). After the political situation had been settled according to the wishes of the clergy and of the nobility the Parliament (Clergy, nobility, Saxons and Cumans) voted on 4th August 1298 a new constitution, which was fully in accordance with the principle which Andrew III expressed in a document dated 7th November 1293: "the clergy's prayers are a better protection for our reign than human help" (50). There are reported no military campaigns under Andrew III. The country had regained stability, but it was of short duration, because the death of Andrew III in 1301 brought about the extinction of the dynasty of the Arpadians, founded by Stephen the Great (the Holy).

49) G.D. Teutsch, Friedrich Firnhaber, Urkundenbuch zur Geschichte Siebenbürgens (Documents illustrating the History of Transilvania) I, Wien 1857 (Reprint Graz 1971), p. 181 sq., nr. CLXXXVI; p. 186, nr, CXCI. Ub. I, p. 192, nr. 261. 50) DIR, no.446, p.400sq.

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