Chapter One: Introduction -- Chapter Two: Urban Development in the Hungarian Kingdom Between the Thirteenth and Sixteenth Centuries -- Chapter Three: The New Burghers -- Chapter Four: The Difficult Victory of Habsburg Absolutism -- Chapter Five: Enlightenment from the Towns -- Chapter Six: The Challenges of Ethnic Nationalism -- Chapter Seven: Conclusion: The Failed Bourgeoisie? -- Appendix I: Index of Royal Free Towns -- Appendix II: Demography of 44 Royal Free Towns 1715/1720 and 1910
Summary
This comprehensive study traces the history of over forty royal free towns from the sixteenth century to 1848 in the territories of what today are Hungary, Slovakia, and Romania. Szeľnyi argues that these towns have been a neglected feature of national meta-narratives in Eastern Europe because their dwellers were often German speakers. He calls for a serious reevaluation of urban development in Eastern Europe and for a new meta-narrative that focuses on the region through the lenses of the numerous ethnic diasporas
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 225-236) and index