(The Church Tithes Between Abbots and Bishops. On the 13th-Century Disputes Over Somogy Tithes)

Abstract: The study deals with the circumstances and broader context of the comita tus Somogiensis tithe disputes between the Pannonhalma abbots and the Veszprem (to a lesser extent Zagreb) bishops in the 13th century. It introduces the circumstances of the Somogy tithe donation, which was granted to the Pannohalma Abbey by King Stephen, and the gradual legal anchoring of religious tithes in Hungarian legislation. Following the introduction of the broader context, which had helped to form the bishops’ claim for the tithes, the study proceeds to focus on the circumstances of specific court trials, then on the mechanisms of asserting and securing the bishops’ and abbots’ claims for the tithes and, finally, on the methods of solving particular disputes. The study demonstrates the wide range of ways, in which bishops and abbots prevailed in disputes. Bishop from Veszprém based his claims on the right of bishops to tithes. This right was already secured by canonic law and by the Hungarian royal laws of the kings of St. Stephen, St. Ladislav and Coloman. On the other hand, abbot from Pannonhalma monastery Urias tried to enforce his claims with the false charter of Pannonhalma abbacy and with the authority of the king St. Stephen. The study thus emphasizes the unique confrontation between bishops and abbots in the disputes over the whole comitatus tithes.

Authors: Druga, Marek

DOI: 10.17846/CL.2020.13.2.65-75

Publication order reference: Mgr. Marek Druga, PhD.; Slovak Academy of Sciences, Institute of History, P. O. Box 198, Klemensova 19, 814 99 Bratislava, Slovakia; email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Source: Konštatínove listy, 2020, vol.: 13, issue: 2, pages: 65-75 (PDF file)

Keywords: PANNONHALMA, TITHES, ABBAS, BISHOP, LAW-SUIT

Language: SLOVAK