Szepes ( sk, Spiš; la, Scepusium, pl, Spisz, german: link=no, Zips) was an administrative county of the
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...
, called Scepusium before the late 19th century. Its territory today lies in northeastern
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
, with a very small area in southeastern Poland. For the current region, see
Spiš
Spiš (Latin: ''Cips/Zepus/Scepus/Scepusia'', german: Zips, hu, Szepesség/Szepes, pl, Spisz) is a region in north-eastern Slovakia, with a very small area in south-eastern Poland (14 villages). Spiš is an informal designation of the territory ...
.
Geography
![Szepes county map](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/Szepes_county_map.jpg)
Szepes county shared borders with Poland and with the counties as follows:
Liptó,
Gömör-Kishont,
Abaúj-Torna and
Sáros. After the late 18th century dismemberment of Poland, the border was with the Austrian province of
Galicia. Its area was 3,668 km
2 in 1910. The county became part of
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
, apart from a
very small area now in Poland, after
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, and is now part of Slovakia (and Poland).
Capitals
The original seat of government of Szepes county was
Spiš Castle
The ruins of Spiš Castle ( sk, Spišský hrad, ; hu, Szepesi vár; pl, Zamek Spiski; german: Zipser Burg) in eastern Slovakia form one of the largest castle sites in Central Europe. The castle is situated above the town of Spišské Podhra ...
( hu, Szepesi vár), which was constructed in the 12th century. Unofficially from the 14th century, and officially from the 16th century, until 1920 the capital of the county was Lőcse (present-day
Levoča
Levoča (; hu, Lőcse; rue, Левоча)
is a town in the Prešov Region of eastern Slovakia with a population of 14,700. The town has a historic center with a well preserved town wall, a Gothic church with the highest wooden altar in the wo ...
).
History
This article only covers the history of Szepes when it was part of the Kingdom of Hungary (approx. 11th century – 1920). For a complete history of the region see
Spiš
Spiš (Latin: ''Cips/Zepus/Scepus/Scepusia'', german: Zips, hu, Szepesség/Szepes, pl, Spisz) is a region in north-eastern Slovakia, with a very small area in south-eastern Poland (14 villages). Spiš is an informal designation of the territory ...
.
Early history
The southern part of Szepes was conquered by the Kingdom of Hungary at the end of the 11th century, when the border of the Kingdom ended near Késmárk (present-day
Kežmarok
Kežmarok (german: Kesmark or ; hu, Késmárk, yi, קעזמאַרק, Kezmark, pl, Kieżmark) is a town in the Spiš region of eastern Slovakia (population 16,000), on the Poprad River. Prior to World War I, it was in Szepes county in the ...
). The royal county of Szepes (''comitatus Scepusiensis'') was created in the second half of the 12th century. In the 1250s, the border of the Kingdom of Hungary shifted to the north to Podolin (present-day
Podolínec
Podolínec ( pl, Podoliniec, german: Pudlein, hu, Podolin) is a town in the Stará Ľubovňa District of the Prešov Region in northern Slovakia.
Etymology
The etymology is straightforward, the name means in Slovak "place between the hills".
...
) and in 1260 – in the northwest – to the
Dunajec river. The northeastern region around Gnézda (present-day
Hniezdne
Hniezdne (german: Kniesen, hu, Gnézda) is a village and municipality in Stará Ľubovňa District in the Prešov Region of northern Slovakia.
Etymology
The name is derived from Slavic ''gnězdo'' - a nest (modern pl, gniazdo, modern sk, hn ...
) and Ólubló (present-day
Stará Ľubovňa
Stará Ľubovňa (german: Altlublau; hu, Ólubló; la, Lublovia; pl, Lubowla) is a town with approximately 16,000 inhabitants in northeastern Slovakia. The town consists of the districts Podsadek and Stará Ľubovňa.
Names
The name is of Slo ...
) (the so-called "districtus Podoliensis") were incorporated only in the 1290s. The northern border of the county stabilized in the early 14th century. Around 1300, the royal county became a noble county.
The subsidiary of the Hungarian Chamber (the supreme
Habsburg financial and economy institution in
the Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...
) responsible for eastern territories (i.e. not only for Szepes) was called the ''Szepes Chamber'' (''Zipser Kammer'' in German), and it existed from 1563 to 1848. Its seat was the town of Kassa (present-day
Košice), sometimes Eperjes, (present-day
Prešov).
Counts of Szepes
The rulers of the county were from the following Hungarian noble families:
*
Zápolya (1464–1527)
*
Thurzó (1531–1636)
*
Csáky (1638–1848)
Seat of the 10 Lance-bearers
Until 1802, there was a
Seat of the 10 Lance-bearers
The Seat of the 10 Lance-bearers, also known as the Upper Seat of the 10 Lance-bearers, the Szepes District of the Lance-bearers, the Upper Seat, and the Minor County, was a seat, an autonomous administrative division, within the Szepes County, Kin ...
, an
autonomous administrative division
An autonomous administrative division (also referred to as an autonomous area, entity, unit, region, subdivision, or territory) is a subnational administrative division or internal territory of a sovereign state that has a degree of autonomy ...
, which was situated to the east of
Poprad
Poprad (; hu, Poprád; german: Deutschendorf) is a city in northern Slovakia at the foot of the High Tatra Mountains, famous for its picturesque historic centre and as a holiday resort. It is the biggest town of the Spiš region and the t ...
in present-day southern Spiš, and whose origin is unknown. From the 12th century onwards, its inhabitants were known as the "guardians of the northern border." The territory of the county was populated by
Germans
, native_name_lang = de
, region1 =
, pop1 = 72,650,269
, region2 =
, pop2 = 534,000
, region3 =
, pop3 = 157,000
3,322,405
, region4 =
, pop4 = ...
,
Hungarians
Hungarians, also known as Magyars ( ; hu, magyarok ), are a nation and ethnic group native to Hungary () and historical Hungarian lands who share a common culture, history, ancestry, and language. The Hungarian language belongs to the Urali ...
and
Slavs ''(Theotonicis, Hungaris et Sclavis)''. In 1802, when its inhabitants decided to merge the sedes with Szepes county, it included the following settlements: Ábrahámfalva/
Abrahámovce, Betlenfalva/
Betlanovce, Filefalva/Filice (today part of
Gánovce), Hadusfalu/Hadušovce (today part of
Spišské Tomášovce), Primfalu/
Hôrka (including Kišovce, Svätý Ondrej, Primovce), Hozelecz/
Hozelec, Jánócz/
Jánovce (including Čenčice), Komarócz/Komárov, Lefkóc/Levkovce (today part of
Vlková), and Mahálfalva/Machalovce (today part of Jánovce). Originally more villages were included.
The 'lance-bearers' were
squire
In the Middle Ages, a squire was the shield- or armour-bearer of a knight.
Use of the term evolved over time. Initially, a squire served as a knight's apprentice. Later, a village leader or a lord of the manor might come to be known as a ...
s. The "sedes" was a collection of non-contiguous areas, which did not constitute a continuous territory. It had an autonomous government, similar to that of normal Hungarian counties, but was partly subordinated to the head of Szepes county. Until the 15th century, its capital was Csütörtökhely/Štvrtok/Donnersmark (present-day
Spišský Štvrtok – which was not part of the sedes territories); following this there were various capitals, and after 1726 the capital was Betlenfalva/Betlensdorf (present-day
Betlanovce).
Arrival of the Germans
Many of the towns of Szepes developed from German colonization of existing Slavic settlements. The German settlers had been invited to the territory from the mid-12th century onwards. The major immigration came following the devastating
Mongol
The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal member ...
invasion of 1242, which turned Szepes, like other parts of the Kingdom of Hungary, into a largely depopulated area (some 50% of the population was lost). There was no significant Slavic population remaining and as it was a part of Hungary, King
Béla IV of Hungary
Béla IV (1206 – 3 May 1270) was King of Hungary and Croatia between 1235 and 1270, and Duke of Styria from 1254 to 1258. As the oldest son of King Andrew II, he was crowned upon the initiative of a group of influential noblemen in his fath ...
invited Germans to colonize the Szepes and other regions (covering parts of present-day Slovakia, present-day Hungary and
Transylvania
Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...
). The settlers were mostly traders and miners. The settlements founded by them in the southern parts (Szepesség) were mainly mining settlements (later towns). Consequently, until World War II, Spiš had a large
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
population (see
Carpathian Germans
Carpathian Germans (german: Karpatendeutsche, Mantaken, hu, kárpátnémetek or ''felvidéki németek'', sk, karpatskí Nemci) are a group of ethnic Germans. The term was coined by the historian Raimund Friedrich Kaindl (1866–1930), originall ...
). The last wave of Germans arrived in the 15th century.
In the early 13th century, the people of Szepes created their own religious organization called the "Brotherhood of the 24 royal parish priests", which received many privileges from the local
provost. It was re-established after the Tatar invasion in 1248.
At the same time, the German settlements of the Hernád (present-day Hornád) and Poprád (present-day Poprad) basins created a special political territory with its own administration. They received collective privileges from King
Stephen V Stephen V may refer to:
* Pope Stephen IV, aka Stephen V, Pope from 816 to 817
*Pope Stephen V (885–891)
*Stephen V of Hungary (born before 1239 – 1272), King of Hungary and Croatia, Duke of Styria
*Stephen V Báthory
Stephen Báthory of Ec ...
in 1271, which were confirmed and extended by King
Charles I Charles I may refer to:
Kings and emperors
* Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings
* Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily
* Charles I of ...
in 1317, because the Szepesian Germans had helped him to defeat the
oligarchs of the Kingdom of Hungary in the battle at
Rozgony (present-day Rozhanovce) in 1312. The territory was granted self-government privileges similar to those of the
royal free towns. In 1317, the special territory included 43 settlements, including
Lőcse (present-day Levoča) and
Késmárk (present-day Kežmarok), which however withdrew before 1344. From 1370 the 41 settlements of the territory subscribed to a uniform special Szepes law system (called ''Zipser Willkür'' in German). Initially, the special territory was called "Communitas (or Provincia) Saxonum de Scepus". By the mid-14th century, the territory was reduced to 24 settlements and later the name was changed to
Province of 24 Szepes Towns. The province was led by the
Count
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
(''
Graf
(feminine: ) is a historical title of the German nobility, usually translated as "count". Considered to be intermediate among noble ranks, the title is often treated as equivalent to the British title of "earl" (whose female version is "coun ...
'') of Szepes elected by the town judges of the 24 towns.
There was yet another privileged territory in Szepes. Until 1465, the privileged German mining towns in southern Szepes (e.g. Göllnitz/Gölnicbánya/Gelnica, Schwedler/Svedlér/Švedlár, Einseidel/Szepesremete/Mníšek nad Hnilcom, Helzmanowitz/Helcmanóc/Helcmanovce, Prakendorf/Prakfalva/Prakovce, Vagendrussel/Merény/Vondrišel (today called Nálepkovo), Jeckelsdorf/Jekelfalva/Jaklovce, Margetzan/Margitfalu/Margecany, Schmölnitz/Szomolnok/Smolník, Höfen/Szalánk/Slovinky, and Krompach/Korompa/Krompachy) were also exempt from the power of the Count of Szepes.
The pawning of Szepes towns and the Province of 13 Szepes Towns
![Square of Spisska Sobota 6](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/Square_of_Spisska_Sobota_6.jpg)
The Province of 24 Szepes towns was dissolved in 1412, when, by the
Treaty of Lubowla
Treaty of Lubowla of 1412 was a treaty between Władysław II, King of Poland, and Sigismund of Luxemburg, King of Hungary. They Negotiated in the town of Lublo (today Stará Ľubovňa, Slovakia), it was confirmed later that year in Buda.
Trea ...
King
Sigismund of Luxembourg, ruler of Hungary,
pawned 13 of the towns of the former Province, as well as the territory around the Ólubló (present-day
Stará Ľubovňa
Stará Ľubovňa (german: Altlublau; hu, Ólubló; la, Lublovia; pl, Lubowla) is a town with approximately 16,000 inhabitants in northeastern Slovakia. The town consists of the districts Podsadek and Stará Ľubovňa.
Names
The name is of Slo ...
) (i.e. the royal domain Lubló, plus
Gnézda and
Podolin, and several villages) to Poland, in exchange for the amount of 37,000 Czech sixty-
groschen
Groschen (; from la, grossus "thick", via Old Czech ') a (sometimes colloquial) name for various coins, especially a silver coin used in various states of the Holy Roman Empire and other parts of Europe. The word is borrowed from the late L ...
coins, that is, approximately 7 tonnes of pure silver. This was to finance his war against the
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...
. The pledged towns were to be returned to the Kingdom of Hungary as soon as the loan was repaid; nobody expected the pledge would take 360 years to redeem (from 1412 to 1772).
From 1412 the pawned towns were officially known as the "Province of 13 Szepes Towns" (although it included also the three towns in the territory of Ólubló, making a total of 16 towns). It was led by a count elected each year by a council including representatives of the towns, past mayors, and the previous count. The 13 main pawned settlements did not form a continuous territory. They included: Leibic (present-day
Ľubica), Poprád (present-day
Poprad
Poprad (; hu, Poprád; german: Deutschendorf) is a city in northern Slovakia at the foot of the High Tatra Mountains, famous for its picturesque historic centre and as a holiday resort. It is the biggest town of the Spiš region and the t ...
), Mateóc (Matejovce, today in Poprad), Szepesszombat (
Spišská Sobota
Spišská Sobota (German ''Georgenberg'', Hungarian ''Szepesszombat'') is a historic Slovak town that was absorbed in 1946 as a borough of the city of Poprad. It is located in the northeastern part of the city above the Poprad river. The pop ...
, today in Poprad), Strázsa (Stráže pod Tatrami, today in Poprad), Felka (Veľká, today in Poprad), Ruszkin (Ruskinovce, no longer in existence, located in the military training area Javorina near Kežmarok), Szepesbéla (present-day Spišská Belá), Igló (present-day
Spišská Nová Ves
Spišská Nová Ves (; hu, Igló; german: (Zipser) Neu(en)dorf) is a town in the Košice Region of Slovakia. The town is located southeast of the High Tatras in the Spiš region, and lies on both banks of the Hornád River. It is the biggest tow ...
), Szepesváralja (present-day
Spišské Podhradie
Spišské Podhradie (german: Kirchdrauf, hu, Szepesváralja) is a town in Spiš in the Prešov Region of Slovakia. Its population is around 4,000.
Spišské Podhradie is situated at the foot of the hill of Spiš Castle. It had a Zipser German ...
), Szepesolaszi (present-day
Spišské Vlachy), Duránd (present-day
Tvarožná), and Ménhárd (present-day
Vrbov).
The towns kept their privileged status (now in
fealty to the
Polish kings
Poland was ruled at various times either by dukes and princes (10th to 14th centuries) or by kings (11th to 18th centuries). During the latter period, a tradition of free election of monarchs made it a uniquely electable position in Europe (16th ...
who did not alter their privileges). The Polish king ceded his interest in the towns to Count
Sebastian Lubomirski
Count Sebastian Lubomirski (c. 1546–1613) was a Polish–Lithuanian nobleman ( szlachcic).
He was owner of Wiśnicz and Siercza. He was Żupnik of Kraków in 1581–1592, burgrave of Kraków since 1584, castellan of Małogoszcz since 1591, ...
in 1593, whose family then became effectively the proprietors of the province.
The remaining 11 of the former 24 Szepes towns, which created the "Province/Union of 11 Szepes towns" in 1412, were not able to maintain their privileges. As early as 1465 they were fully incorporated into the Szepes county, i.e. they became subjects of the lords of the
Spiš Castle
The ruins of Spiš Castle ( sk, Spišský hrad, ; hu, Szepesi vár; pl, Zamek Spiski; german: Zipser Burg) in eastern Slovakia form one of the largest castle sites in Central Europe. The castle is situated above the town of Spišské Podhra ...
. Some of them gradually turned into simple villages and lost their German privileges. Having privileges from both the Polish and the Hungarian crowns gave the "Province of 13" to significant commercial advantages over Lőcse (present-day
Levoča
Levoča (; hu, Lőcse; rue, Левоча)
is a town in the Prešov Region of eastern Slovakia with a population of 14,700. The town has a historic center with a well preserved town wall, a Gothic church with the highest wooden altar in the wo ...
) and other towns in the "Province of 11".
The pawned territories remained politically a part of the Kingdom of Hungary (and of its
Esztergom
Esztergom ( ; german: Gran; la, Solva or ; sk, Ostrihom, known by alternative names) is a city with county rights in northern Hungary, northwest of the capital Budapest. It lies in Komárom-Esztergom County, on the right bank of the river Dan ...
diocese
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associa ...
), while the revenue from the territories went to Poland. Poland also held some administrative powers in the area and was entitled to appoint a governor/administrator (''
starosta'') for the territories, with his seat in Lubló, to manage them economically (especially to collect tax revenues) and to position guards at important road crossings even outside the pawned territories. One of the first Polish governors of Szepes was the famous knight
Zawisza Czarny. Due to their complex political and economic status (German towns with Slovak subjects), the towns prospered economically.
Attempts of the Kingdom of Hungary to repay the debt (most notably in 1419, 1426, and 1439) failed and later the will (or ability) to pay declined. After alleged mistreatment of the towns – especially by
Teodor Konstanty Lubomirski,
Maria Josepha of Austria
Maria Josepha of Austria (Maria Josepha Benedikta Antonia Theresia Xaveria Philippine, pl, Maria Józefa; 8 December 1699 – 17 November 1757) was the Queen of Poland and Electress of Saxony by marriage to Augustus III. From 1711 to 1717, sh ...
(queen consort of
August III of Poland), and Count
Heinrich Brühl –
Maria Theresa of Austria
Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina (german: Maria Theresia; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was ruler of the Habsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position '' suo jure'' (in her own right) ...
decided to recover them by force. She took advantage of the
Polish noble insurrections in the second half of the 18th century and occupied the towns in 1769 (with the apparent consent of the then Polish king
Stanislaus II of Poland) without debt repayment. This act was confirmed by the
First Partition of Poland in 1772. In 1773, the pawn was cancelled. In 1778, the 13 towns regained their privileges of 1271, the privileges were extended to the other three previously pawned towns, and this newly formed entity was named "Province of 16 Szepes towns". The capital of the province was Igló, also known as Neudorf and later as
Spišská Nová Ves
Spišská Nová Ves (; hu, Igló; german: (Zipser) Neu(en)dorf) is a town in the Košice Region of Slovakia. The town is located southeast of the High Tatras in the Spiš region, and lies on both banks of the Hornád River. It is the biggest tow ...
. However, the privileges were gradually reduced and some 100 years later only religious and cultural rights remained. Finally, the province was dissolved altogether and incorporated into Szepes county in 1876.
16th–19th centuries
The Szepes county (today mostly
Spiš
Spiš (Latin: ''Cips/Zepus/Scepus/Scepusia'', german: Zips, hu, Szepesség/Szepes, pl, Spisz) is a region in north-eastern Slovakia, with a very small area in south-eastern Poland (14 villages). Spiš is an informal designation of the territory ...
region) prospered not only from being situated on trade routes, but also from its natural resources of wood, agriculture and, until relatively recent times, mining. In the 15th century and later, iron, copper and silver were all exploited in the south of the region. Its relative wealth during this period, and its mixture of nationalities and religions, resulted in it becoming a major cultural centre – many schools were founded, and the town of Lőcse (present-day Levoča) became a major centre for printing in the 17th century. The buildings and churches of the region's towns, and the skills of schools such as those of the carver
Master Paul of Levoča
Master Paul of Levoča (German: ''Paul von Leutschau'', hu, Lőcsei Pál mester; sk, Majster Pavol z Levoče) was a medieval carver and sculptor of the 15th and 16th century, active mostly in then Carpathian-German town of Levoča, Slovakia ( ...
testify to this affluence and culture. Until the end of the 17th century, the area was often disrupted by wars, uprisings against the
Habsburgs, and epidemics (a plague of 1710/1711 killed over 20,000). But from the 18th century onwards, relative stability enabled faster economic development. Many craft guilds were founded and by the end of the 18th century over 500 iron mines were operative in the south.
Such prosperity naturally meant that the churches paid great interest to the region. А
Lutheran
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...
synod, the so-called Synod of Szepesváralja, took place in Szepesváralja (present-day Spišské Podhradie) in 1614. It discussed the
Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...
organisation of the Szepes and
Sáros counties. In the Catholic sphere, a separate Szepes
Bishopric
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...
was created in 1776 with its seat at Szepeshely (present-day
Spišská Kapitula
Spišská Kapitula (german: Zipser Kapitel, hu, Szepeshely or Szepesi Káptalan) (both meaning the "Spiš Chapter house") is an exceptionally well-preserved ecclesiastical town on the outskirts of Spišské Podhradie, Slovakia, and overlooking ...
).
The spirit of nationalism, growing in the 19th century, moved also in Spiš. In 1868, 21 settlements of Szepes sent their demands, the 'Szepes Petition', to the Diet of the Kingdom of Hungary, requesting special status for
Slovaks within the Kingdom.
In 1871, the railway came to Szepes and this was to have profound consequences. On the one hand, it enabled economic and industrial expansion. On the other, it bypassed the old capital of the region, Lőcse (now Levoča), and favoured the growth of centres on its route, such as Poprád (now Poprad) and Igló (now
Spišská Nová Ves
Spišská Nová Ves (; hu, Igló; german: (Zipser) Neu(en)dorf) is a town in the Košice Region of Slovakia. The town is located southeast of the High Tatras in the Spiš region, and lies on both banks of the Hornád River. It is the biggest tow ...
).
In the aftermath of World War I, Szepes county became part of newly formed Czechoslovakia, as recognized by the concerned states in the 1920
Treaty of Trianon
The Treaty of Trianon (french: Traité de Trianon, hu, Trianoni békeszerződés, it, Trattato del Trianon) was prepared at the Paris Peace Conference and was signed in the Grand Trianon château in Versailles on 4 June 1920. It forma ...
.
Demographics
Nationalities
According to censuses carried out in the Kingdom of Hungary in 1869 (and later in 1900 and 1910) the population of Szepes county comprised the following nationalities: Slovaks 50.4%, (58.2%, 58%), Germans 35% (25%, 25%), Ruthenians (
Rusyns
Rusyns (), also known as Carpatho-Rusyns (), or Rusnaks (), are an East Slavic ethnic group from the Eastern Carpathians in Central Europe. They speak Rusyn, an East Slavic language variety, treated variously as either a distinct langu ...
) 13.8% (8.4%, 8%) and 0.7% (6%, 6%) Magyars (Hungarians). The sudden increase in listed Hungarians after 1869 may be due to statistical interpretation (use of "most frequently used language" as criterion); it may also be attributable to assimilation,
Magyarisation
Magyarization ( , also ''Hungarization'', ''Hungarianization''; hu, magyarosítás), after "Magyar"—the Hungarian autonym—was an assimilation or acculturation process by which non-Hungarian nationals living in Austro-Hungarian Transleithan ...
, most notably of the German minority. The figures do not make clear how Jews were categorised, but their numbers must have been substantial as many of the towns had synagogues (one survives in
Spišské Podhradie
Spišské Podhradie (german: Kirchdrauf, hu, Szepesváralja) is a town in Spiš in the Prešov Region of Slovakia. Its population is around 4,000.
Spišské Podhradie is situated at the foot of the hill of Spiš Castle. It had a Zipser German ...
) and Jewish cemeteries still survive in Kežmarok, Levoča and elsewhere.
Up until now, there is a significant population (about 40,000 to 48,000 estimated) of ethnic
Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, who share a common history, culture, the Polish language and are identified with the country of Poland in C ...
(practically without any exception, the
Gorals
The Gorals ( pl, Górale; Goral dialect: ''Górole''; sk, Gorali; Cieszyn Silesia dialect, Cieszyn Silesian: ''Gorole''), also known as the Highlanders (in Poland as the Polish Highlanders) are an indigenous ethnographic or ethnic group primar ...
using Polish dialect of Szepes region). The Hungarian censuses ignored the Polish nationality, all ethnic Poles were registered as
Slovaks. There was also a very strong process of
Slovakization
Slovakization or Slovakisation is a form of either forced or voluntary cultural assimilation, during which non-Slovak nationals give up their culture and language in favor of the Slovak one. This process has relied most heavily on intimidation ...
of Polish people throughout 18th–20th centuries, mostly done by Roman Catholic Church, in which institution the local aboriginal Polish priests were replaced with Slovak ones. Also the institution of schooling was replacing the Polish language with Slovak language during classes.
Up until the 12th century, there were no Hungarians (except the area of The Spis Castle and the Church of Saint Martin) in the region. The Slovak and German inhabitants came to Szepes in following centuries in a process of colonization the Carpathian wilds by Hungarian Crown . All localities were inhabited by Poles, as a result of a natural process of colonizing the lands along the rivers, going up-stream. In this case, the river was Poprád river (
today Poprad) which flows into the
Vistula
The Vistula (; pl, Wisła, ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest river in Europe, at in length. The drainage basin, reaching into three other nations, covers , of which is in Poland.
The Vistula rises at Barania Góra in ...
and thus belongs to the drainage basin of the
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain.
The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and ...
(as opposed to nearby
Hornad and
Vah, and all other Slovak rivers; Poprad is the only river in contemporary Slovakia going north), and all colonists originated from
Sądecczyzna and
Podhale
Podhale (literally "below the mountain pastures") is Poland's southernmost region, sometimes referred to as the "Polish Highlands". The Podhale is located in the foothills of the Tatra range of the Carpathian mountains. It is the most famous ...
region of Southern
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
.
[Terra Scepusiensis. Stan badań nad dziejami Spiszu, red. R. Gładkiewicz, M. Homza, Levoča – Wrocław 2003, ,]
Economy
Economic activity in the region was principally based on agriculture (and, in the mediaeval period, mining).
Subdivisions
![Szepes county administrative map](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/Szepes_county_administrative_map.jpg)
From the beginning of the 15th century, the county was subdivided into three
processuses. The number was changed to four in 1798. In the second half of the 19th century, the number of processuses (districts) was increased.
In the early 20th century, the subdivisions of the county Szepes were (town names first in Hungarian, then in Slovak, then in German):
See also
*
List of administrative divisions of the Kingdom of Hungary
The following lists show the administrative divisions of the lands belonging to the Hungarian crown (1000–1920) at selected points of time. The names are given in the main official language used in the Kingdom at the times in question.
For de ...
Notes
Sources
*Krempaská, Zuzanna, ''Sixteen Scepus Towns from 1412 to 1876'', Spišska Nova Vés: Spiš Museum.
References
{{Authority control
Counties in the Kingdom of Hungary
Spiš
Hungarian German communities
Divided regions