The monograph on István Széchenyi presents the Slovenian territory with a story about an extremely important Hungarian politician, economist, and national awakener. As in other nations, it was also ...in Hungary that the long nineteenth century brought to the fore prominent individuals who contributed towards the development of modern national consciousness. Although the Slovenes are probably more familiar with the name of the Hungarian politician Lajos Kossuth, István Széchenyi figured as an equally prominent driver of Hungarian national development. Just how significant his influence was on Hungarian history was demonstrated by none other than Kossuth, his political opponent, who described him as the “Greatest Hungarian”. The volume at hand was compiled by four historians, three Slovenian and one Hungarian. Its central part comprises chapters on Széchenyi’s life, political career, and economic activities, whereas the introductory chapter on the Széchenyi noble family and its estates in the Slovenian territory and the last chapter on relations between the Hungarians and Emperor Franz Joseph embed the monograph within a broader time-span, thus enabling a better understanding of István Széchenyi’s endeavours and his lasting impact on Hungarian history.
The first Habsburg estates in Carniola were part of territorial acquisitions in eastern Alpine lands that the ascending dynasty obtained in the war with King Ottokar II of Bohemia towards the end of ...the thirteenth century and then gradually expanded. Even though the Habsburg dynastic territory had by the 1380s covered almost the entire Carniola, the economic base (landed property, which provided the provincial prince with regular income) was considerably limited. A sizeable portion of the territory was burdened by fiefs and pledges. The redemption of one of the vastest sets of pledged estates in the mid-1430s led to the emergence of account books for the following Carniolan fiscal properties: Kamnik, Gamberk, Goričane, Ig, Višnja Gora, Štatenberk, Novo mesto, Kostanjevica with offices Raka and Vivodina, Pazin, Završje, and Vranja. The account books serve as an extraordinary source for the economic history of the late Middle Ages, by also reflecting the turbulent period of the Habsburg European-wide ascendancy and Frederick’s war with the Counts of Celje. The volume constitutes a critical edition of the account books, with the accompanying discussion in the field of property, administrative and political history.
