Bihar County

Coordinates: 47°3′N 21°56′E / 47.050°N 21.933°E / 47.050; 21.933
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For the Indian State, see
Hajdú-Bihar County
.

Bihar County
Comitatus Bihariensis (
County of the Kingdom of Hungary
(1692-1850, 1860-1946)
County of the Second Hungarian Republic
(1946-1949)
County of the Hungarian People's Republic

(1949-1950)
Coat of arms of Bihar
Coat of arms

Bihar county between 1876 and 1920
CapitalBihar;
Nagyvárad (1083-1920, 1940-1945);
Berettyóújfalu (1920-1940; 1945-1950)
Area
 • Coordinates47°3′N 21°56′E / 47.050°N 21.933°E / 47.050; 21.933
 
• 1910
10,657 km2 (4,115 sq mi)
• 1930
2,783 km2 (1,075 sq mi)
Population 
• 1910
646,301
• 1930
176,002
History 
• Established
11th century
• Disestablished
1850
• County recreated
20 October 1860
• Treaty of Trianon
4 June 1920
• Second Vienna Award
30 August 1940
• Merged into Hajdú-Bihar County
16 March 1950
Today part ofRomania
(7,874 km2)
Hungary
(2,783 km2)
Biharia; Oradea is the current name of the capital.

Bihar was an administrative county (

comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary and a county of the Eastern Hungarian Kingdom and Principality of Transylvania (since the 16th century, when it was under the rule of the Princes of Transylvania). Most of its territory is now part of Romania, while a smaller western part belongs to Hungary. The capital of the county was Nagyvárad (now Oradea in Romania). Albrecht Dürer
's father was from this county.

Geography

Bihar County was situated along the upper courses of the rivers

Berettyó.[1] The medieval county also included Kalotaszeg region (now Țara Călatei in Romania).[2] The total territory of the medieval county was around 10,000 km2 (3,900 sq mi).[3]

After 1876, Bihar county shared borders with the Hungarian counties

Apuseni
mountains (Erdélyi-középhegység). Its area was 10,657 km2 (4,115 sq mi) around 1910, making it the third largest county of Hungary.

History

Origins

The origin of the name of Bihar is uncertain, however more theories exist. It could take its name from an ancient fortress in the current commune of Biharia. Or, the Hungarian Bihar derived from the word vihar (tempest, storm), that is of Slavic origin; vihor (whirlwind). A less probable theory is that Biharea is of Daco-Thracian etymology (bimeaning "two" and harati "take" or "lead"), possibly meaning two possessions of land in the Duchy of Menumorut.

In the 730s the Khazar Khaganate was ruled by Bihar Khagan, called Viharos in Armenian sources. “Viharos” is a currently used Hungarian word meaning stormy.

The castle of Byhor, or Bihar (now

Kabars in the region could have given rise to Anonymous' reference to Menumorut's "Khazars".[11][12]

Place names of

Hungarian tribe, suggesting that Hungarian groups settled in the region in the late 10th and early 11th centuries, according to György Györffy.[18]

Written sources and toponyms implies the presence of

Seat of Telegd was most probably named after the village Telegd (now Tileagd in Romania). If this scholarly theory is valid, the ancestors of the Székelys of Telegd had lived in Bihar County before they moved to eastern Transylvania.[21][22] Historian Florin Curta writes that the Székelys settled in the county only in the early 13th century.[23]

Modern historians agree that the county was established between 1020 and 1050, most probably by

Fehér-Körös.[25][26] Another version of the same charter also mentioned Békés besides Bihar and Zaránd, implying that Bihar County had also included the lands which developed into the separate Békés County.[26][27]

Middle Ages

A coffin surrounded by bishops and other people
Anjou Legendarium: 1. The burial of King St Ladislaus in Várad Cathedral 2. People pray at his tomb 3. A rich man cannot lift a silver tray from his tomb 4. A poor man lifts the silver tray

The 11th-century

Solomon of Hungary, joined their forces and chased the marauders as far as Doboka (now Dăbâca in Romania).[32][33] Six years later, "the troops from Byhor" were under the command of Duke Ladislaus in the Battle of Mogyoród which ended with the decisive victory of Géza and Ladislaus over King Solomon.[24][34] The first document that mentioned the county was issued in 1075.[24][35]

According to György Györffy, the county seems to have originally been included in the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Eger, because the Deanery of Zsomboly, located to the south of Bihar County, formed an exclave of the Eger bishopric during the Middle Ages.[36] The separate Roman Catholic Diocese of Bihar was set up between 1020 and 1061.[24][37][34] Its see was transferred to Várad (now Oradea in Romania) before 1095.[34] There were four deaneries in the county; the Deanery of Bihar was the first to have been documented (in 1213).[38] Pilgrims frequented the shrine of King St Ladislaus in the Várad Cathedral after his canonization in 1192 and trials by ordeal were also held there.[39]

Archbishop of Kalocsa in 1205, was located north of Oradea.[42]

At least 19 villages—including Köröskisjenő,

honour of Bihar Castle in the early 13th century.[43] The Várad Register—a codex which preserved the minutes of hundreds of ordeals held at the Várad Chapter between 1208 and 1235[44]—provides information of the life of the commoners in the honour.[45] The castle folk who were divided in "hundreds" provided well-specified services to the ispán.[45] The Register mentioned the gatekeepers and the hunters of Bihar Castle.[45] The Register also referred to "guest settlers" of foreign—Rus', German or "Latin"—origin.[46][47] For instance, Walloon "guests" established Olaszi near Várad (now Olasig neighborhood in Oradea) before 1215.[48]

The kings started to give away parcels of the royal domain already in the 11th century.

Gutkeled and Hont-Pázmány clans received their first estates in the county in the 11th century; the Geregyes, the Telegdis and most other lords only in the late 13th century.[49] The western and southwestern lowlands were distributed among dozens of noble families, each holding only one village.[50]

The Mongols captured and destroyed Várad during

Belényes (now Beiuș in Romania).[55]

New fortresses were built during the decades following the withdrawal of the Mongols.

Ladislaus the Cuman's reign; he granted their fortresses and domains to the Borsas.[55] James Borsa, one of the semi-independent "oligarchs", was the actual ruler of Bihar, Kraszna, Szabolcs, Szatmár and Szolnok counties in the early 14th century.[55] After James Borsa's fall in the late 1310s, the noble Czibak, Debreceni and Telegdi families became the wealthiest lay landowners in the county.[55] The center of the Debrecenis' ancestral estates, Debrecen, developed into a market town.[57]

One of the earliest references to the presence of Romanians in the county—the place name Olahteluk ("Vlachs' Plot")—was recorded in a non-authentic charter, dated to 1283.

Káptalanhodos (now Hodiş in Romania).[60] Historian Ioan Aurel Pop writes that the latter charter proves that Nicholas Telegdi's estate had originally owned by Voivode Neagul.[61]

Modern Times

Multicolored map, depicting rivers
Bihar County as a part Principality of Transylvania, 1606–1660
Bihar County (in the western part of the territory) as a part of the Principality of Transylvania during Gabriel Bethlen's rule
Contemporary map of Bihar county

After the Battle of Mohács, soon the Kingdom of Hungary was partitioned, the county's territory became part of the Eastern Hungarian Kingdom, then the Principality of Transylvania. A large part of it was ruled by Ottoman Empire as Varat Eyalet between 1660–1692, before it became part of the Kingdom of Hungary again.

Following the

Debreczin and also included the Stuhlbezirke of Dorogh, Diószegh, Derecske and Püspök-Ladány.[63]: V§44  Part of Nord-Bihar's territory had previously belonged to the Hajdúság (see Hajdú County) and Szabolcs County
. The pre-1848 counties of Hungary, including Bihar, were restored in October 1860.

In 1876 the Kingdom of Hungary was divided into seven Circles, with a total of 64 counties.

Nagyvárad
.

In 1920, by the Treaty of Trianon about 75% of the county became part of Romania. The west of the county remained in Hungary. The capital of this smaller county Bihar was Berettyóújfalu. In 1940, by the Second Vienna Award, the county's territory have been extended by its former parts gained from Romania.

In 1950, the Hungarian county Bihar was merged with

Hajdú-Bihar county. The southernmost part of Hungarian Bihar (the area around Sarkad and Okány) went to Békés County.[65]

The Romanian part of former Bihar County now forms the Romanian

Arad County
.

Demographics

Ethnic map of the county with data of the 1910 census (see the key in the description).
Population by mother tongue[a]
Census Total Hungarian Romanian Slovak German Other or unknown
1880[66] 446,777 233,135 (54.02%) 186,264 (43.16%) 4,554 (1.06%) 4,305 (1.00%) 3,277 (0.76%)
1890[67] 516,704 283,806 (54.93%) 219,940 (42.57%) 5,957 (1.15%) 3,374 (0.65%) 3,627 (0.70%)
1900[68] 577,312 324,970 (56.29%) 239,449 (41.48%) 7,152 (1.24%) 3,620 (0.63%) 2,121 (0.37%)
1910[69] 646,301 365,642 (56.57%) 265,098 (41.02%) 8,457 (1.31%) 3,599 (0.56%) 3,505 (0.54%)
Population by religion[b]
Census Total
Calvinist
 Eastern Orthodox Roman Catholic Greek Catholic Jewish Other or unknown
1880 446,777 184,890 (41.38%) 163,531 (36.60%) 37,198 (8.33%) 38,158 (8.54%) 21,187 (4.74%) 1,813 (0.41%)
1890 516,704 209,075 (40.46%) 187,444 (36.28%) 45,864 (8.88%) 45,975 (8.90%) 25,968 (5.03%) 2,378 (0.46%)
1900 577,312 230,102 (39.86%) 205,474 (35.59%) 56,585 (9.80%) 52,222 (9.05%) 29,170 (5.05%) 3,759 (0.65%)
1910 646,301 249,613 (38.62%) 233,159 (36.08%) 68,019 (10.52%) 57,488 (8.89%) 32,462 (5.02%) 5,560 (0.86%)

List of ispáns

See also: Ispán

Eleventh and twelfth centuries

Term Incumbent Monarch Notes Source
c. 1067 Stephen
Solomon
 the county was part of the duchy of King Solomon's cousin, Géza [70][31]
c. 1111 – c. 1113 Saul
Coloman
 [70]
c. 1135 Bucan Béla II also judge royal; he is only mentioned in a non-authentic diploma [70]
c. 1138 Ákos Béla II [70]
c. 1166 John Stephen III [70]
c. 1181 – c. 1183 Esau Béla he was almost surely identical either with Palatine Esau or with Judge royal Esau both who held their offices between 1197 and 1198 [71]
c. 1192 – c. 1193 Both Béla [72]
c. 1197 Peter
Emeric
 he may have been identical with Peter, son of Töre, who killed Queen Gertrude in 1213, according to historian Attila Zsoldos [73]
c. 1198 – c. 1199 Mika Ják
Emeric
 also Master of the treasury (1198) and judge royal (1199) [72]
c. 1199 Nicholas
Emeric
 [73]

Thirteenth century

Term Incumbent Monarch Notes Source
c. 1200 – c. 1201 Mika Ják
Emeric
 second rule; also palatine (1199) [72]
c. 1202 – c. 1203 Benedict
Emeric
 also palatine (1202-1204) [72]
c. 1205 – c. 1206 Gyrco Andrew II [72]
c. 1206 – c. 1207 Mog Andrew II also palatine (1206) [72]
c. 1207 Nicholas Andrew II [74]
c. 1208 Marcellus Tétény Andrew II [74]
c. 1208 Smaragd Andrew II [75]
c. 1209 Michael Kacsics Andrew II [76]
c. 1209 Nicholas Andrew II second rule [74]
1209 – 1212 Bánk Bár-Kalán Andrew II also count of the Queen's court [77]
1212 – 1216 Mika Andrew II [77]
1216 – 1217 Neuka Andrew II [77]
1219 – 1221 Mika Andrew II second rule [77]
1222 Buzád Hahót Andrew II [77]
1222 Elias Andrew II [77]
1222 Julius Rátót Andrew II [77]
1223 – 1224 Pós Andrew II Mór Wertner identified him with Pousa Bár-Kalán[78] [77]
1224 Theodore Csanád Andrew II [77]
1226 Mika Andrew II [77]
1228 Nicholas Csák Andrew II [77]
1229 – 1230 Mojs Andrew II also palatine (1228-1231) [77]
1233 – 1235 Stephen Andrew II also master of the cupbearers (1235) [79]
1236 Denis Tomaj Béla IV [79]
1236 – 1238 Lawrence Béla IV [79]
1240 Dominic Rátót Béla IV master of the treasury [79]
1264 Mojs, son of Mojs Béla IV also ispán of Somogy County [79]
1272 Lawrence, son of Lawrence Stephen V [79]
1291 Benedict Andrew III also
bishop of Várad
(1287-1296) 		[79]
c. 1299 Paul Balogsemjén Andrew III also ispán of Kraszna and Szatmár Counties [79]

Fourteenth century

Term Incumbent Monarch Notes Source
1302 – 1316 Beke Borsa also ispán of Szabolcs and Békés Counties [80]
1317 – 1318 Dózsa Debreceni Charles I also ispán of Szabolcs County [80]

Districts

In the early 20th century, the districts (járás) and their capitals were:

Bihar County
Bihar County
Districts (járás)
District Capital
Bél Bél, RO Beliu
Belényes Belényes, RO
Beiuş
Berettyóújfalu Berettyóújfalu
Biharkeresztes Biharkeresztes
Cséffa Cséffa, RO Cefa
Derecske Derecske
Élesd Élesd, RO
Aleşd
Érmihályfalva Érmihályfalva, RO Valea lui Mihai
Központ Nagyvárad, RO Oradea
Magyarcséke Magyarcséke, RO Ceica
Margitta Margitta, RO Marghita
Nagyszalonta Nagyszalonta, RO Salonta
Sárrét Biharnagybajom
Szalárd Szalárd, RO Sălard
Székelyhid Székelyhid, RO Săcueni
Tenke Tenke, RO Tinca
Vaskoh Vaskoh, RO
Vaşcău
Urban counties (törvényhatósági jogú város)
Nagyvárad, RO Oradea

The towns of Derecske, Berettyóújfalu, Biharnagybajom and Biharkeresztes are now in Hungary, while the other towns mentioned are in Romania.

Notes

  1. ^ Only linguistic communities > 1% are displayed.
  2. ^ Only religious communities > 1% are displayed.

References

  1. ^ Györffy 1987, p. 569.
  2. ^ Györffy 1987, p. 570.
  3. ^ Györffy 1987, p. 589.
  4. ^ Györffy 1987, pp. 571, 601, 603.
  5. ^ a b c d Sălăgean 2005, p. 140.
  6. ^ Györffy 1987, p. 571.
  7. ^ a b Györffy 1987, p. 572.
  8. ^ a b Sălăgean 2005, p. 146.
  9. ^ a b Györffy 1987, p. 603.
  10. ^ Bóna 1994, p. 112.
  11. ^ a b Györffy 1987, p. 573.
  12. ^ Spinei 2003, p. 61.
  13. ^ Györffy 1987, pp. 603, 606–607, 663.
  14. ^ Gáll 2013, pp. 56–59, 372–374.
  15. ^ Spinei 2003, p. 58.
  16. ^ Nägler 2005, p. 210.
  17. ^ Gáll 2013, pp. 917–918.
  18. ^ Györffy 1987, pp. 573, 628, 631–632, 674.
  19. ^ Györffy 1987, p. 572, 614.
  20. ^ Curta 2006, p. 401 (note 69).
  21. ^ a b Kordé 1994, p. 103.
  22. ^ Györffy 1987, pp. 674–675.
  23. ^ Curta 2006, p. 403.
  24. ^ a b c d e Kristó 1988, p. 475.
  25. ^ Kristó 1988, p. 474.
  26. ^ a b Györffy 1987, p. 574.
  27. ^ Kristó 1988, p. 479.
  28. ^ Gáll 2013, p. 51.
  29. ^ Curta 2006, p. 351.
  30. ^ Bóna 1994, p. 141.
  31. ^ a b Bóna 1994, pp. 141–142.
  32. ^ a b Spinei 2003, p. 130.
  33. ^ a b Curta 2006, p. 251.
  34. ^ a b c Bóna 1994, p. 142.
  35. ^ Györffy 1987, p. 601.
  36. ^ a b c Györffy 1987, p. 576.
  37. ^ Györffy 1987, pp. 576, 603.
  38. ^ Kristó 1988, pp. 476–477.
  39. ^ Györffy 1987, p. 685.
  40. ^ Richard 1989, p. 61.
  41. ^ a b Pop 2013, p. 121.
  42. ^ Pop 2013, pp. 121–122.
  43. ^ Györffy 1987, pp. 574, 620–621, 628, 658.
  44. ^ Curta 2006, p. 401.
  45. ^ a b c Kristó 1988, p. 476.
  46. ^ Curta 2006, p. 402.
  47. ^ Györffy 1987, p. 578 (note 59).
  48. ^ Györffy 1987, p. 648.
  49. ^ Györffy 1987, pp. 576–577.
  50. ^ Györffy 1987, p. 577.
  51. ^ Curta 2006, p. 410.
  52. ^ Nägler 2005, p. 226.
  53. ^ a b c d Györffy 1987, p. 578.
  54. ^ Györffy 1987, p. 579, 685.
  55. ^ a b c d Györffy 1987, p. 579.
  56. ^ Györffy 1987, pp. 579, 592, 650.
  57. ^ Györffy 1987, p. 611.
  58. ^ Györffy 1987, pp. 647–648.
  59. ^ Györffy 1987, p. 616.
  60. ^ Györffy 1987, p. 625.
  61. ^ Pop 2013, pp. 271–272.
  62. ^ "Verordnung des Ministeriums des Inneren vom 13. September 1850 wodurch in Gemäßheit der Allerhöchsten Entschließung vom 8. September 1850 nachstehende Bestimmungen über die Einrichtung der politischen Verwaltungsbehörden im Königreiche Ungarn erlassen und zur allgemeinen Kenntniß gebracht werden". ÖNB-ALEX - Historische Rechts- und Gesetztexte Online (in German). 13 September 1850. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  63. ^ a b c "Verordnung der Ministerien des Inneren, der Justiz und der Finanzen vom 6. April 1854 betreffend die politische und gerichtliche Oraganisierung des Königreichs Ungarn". ÖNB-ALEX - Historische Rechts- und Gesetztexte Online (in German). 6 April 1854. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  64. ^ H. Wickham Steed, Walter Alison Phillips, and David Hannay , A Short History of Austria-Hungary and Poland, (London: Encyclopædia Britannica Company) 1914. On-line.
  65. ^ Party state and county system 1949-1950 Archived 5 August 2020 at the Wayback Machine, Zempléni Múzsa
  66. ^ "Az 1881. év elején végrehajtott népszámlálás főbb eredményei megyék és községek szerint rendezve, II. kötet (1882)". library.hungaricana.hu. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  67. ^ "A Magyar Korona országainak helységnévtára (1892)". library.hungaricana.hu. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  68. ^ "A MAGYAR KORONA ORSZÁGAINAK 1900". library.hungaricana.hu. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  69. ^ "KlimoTheca :: Könyvtár". Kt.lib.pte.hu. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  70. ^ a b c d e Zsoldos 2011, p. 137.
  71. ^ Zsoldos 2011, pp. 138, 300.
  72. ^ a b c d e f Zsoldos 2011, p. 138.
  73. ^ a b Zsoldos 2011, pp. 138, 343.
  74. ^ a b c Zsoldos 2011, pp. 138, 333.
  75. ^ Zsoldos 2011, pp. 138, 352.
  76. ^ Zsoldos 2011, pp. 138, 329.
  77. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Zsoldos 2011, p. 139.
  78. ^ Zsoldos 2011, p. 347.
  79. ^ a b c d e f g h Zsoldos 2011, p. 140.
  80. ^ a b Engel 1996, p. 112.

Sources

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