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The Wine-Growing Holder
Rakoczis in lokaj-Hegyalja
Wine-Region in the 1th and 18th
Centuries
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Ö
KORNÉL NAGY
Senior Research Fellow
Eötvös Loránd Research Network, Research Centre for Humanities, Institute of
History, Budapest
In Hungarian history, the Rákóczis were regarded as the most powerful and in¬
fluential highborn family in Tokaj Wine-Region until the early 18" century. In
the past, their role in rising Tokaj and spreading the fame of aszt wine worldwide
has proved to be unquestionable. At the same time, still, little is known about the
scholarship on how to become this noble family the so-called ‘leader’ of the Tokaj
Wine-Region in early modern times. Therefore, my brief presentation primarily
deals with the rising and falling of the Rakéczi family based on archival sources,
concentrating on their vineyard possession in Tokaj Wine-Region.
‘The origin of this family has dated back to the mid-13" century. The Rakéc¬
zis originated from the German-Czech-Moravian Bogaét-Radvany noble clan
who settled down in the North-Eastern part of the Hungarian Kingdom, such
as Abaüj-Torna, Séros, and Zemplén counties. The Rakéczis initial surname was
Gyapol or Gyapoy. The first known person in this family recorded in the docu¬
ments from the year 1275, which mentioned a certain Stephen Gyapol served as a
Shire-Reeve of County Zemplén to the Hungarian Royal Court.
1 MNL-OL (= Magyar Nemzeti Leveltär Orszägos Leveltära/ National Archive of Hungary, Budapest,
Hungary) DL (= Diplomatikai Levéltar/ Archive of Diplomatics). No. 4478., No. 41782., No. 41823.;
KereszTeEs, Kalman, 4 Rakoczyak [The Rakoczis}, = Turul, 1928, 43-64.
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