The Development of the Urban Communities in Transylvania Under the Reign of Maria Theresa

Abstract

The paper deals with the topic of one of the main statistical sources in modern Transylvania, the fiscal conscription from 1750. Recently edited in an exhaustive form by a group of historians working in Cluj-Napoca, this conscription could be valued in many historical ways, offering a large data base regarding Transylvanian society at the middle of the 18th century. The paper underlines the historical and historiographical importance of the conscription as a main sensor of the urban development in 18th century Transylvania, also pointing its capacity to be exploited by updated research methods.