Abstract:
The study aims to discuss the social development of Gyulafehérvár (Alba Iulia) at the end of the Middle Ages. Before the secularization (1556) Gyulafehérvár was the episcopal residence of the Bishop of Transylvania, and the market-town’s landlords were the Bishops and the Chapter of Transylvania. Considering the typology of towns Gyulafehérvár was a castle with suburbs. In the fortifi ed castle were located the ecclesiastical institutions such as the cathedral, the Episcopal palace, the Dominican and the Augustinian monasteries, the hospital (xenodochium) and the houses of the canons. The citizens of this market-town resided in the suburbs. Our study offers a detailed description of the market-town’s social groups until the secularization on the basis of written sources.
