Beloved children : history of aristocratic childhood in Hungary in the early modern age

First published in Hungarian in 1996, this study of childhood during the 16th and 17th centuries draws on family papers and other sources to illustrate family life among Hungary's aristocracy. It covers topics including birth, care, family intimacy, maternal and paternal attitudes, orphanhood, and death; two case studies focus on arranged marriage and education. Includes genealogical tables for the families under discussion. Distributed by Books International. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) Frontmatter LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS (page viii) ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS (page ix) SOME PRELIMINARIES BY WAY OF INTRODUCTION (page 1) HISTORICAL BACKGROUND (Katalin Péter, page 19) 1 THE FIRST TEN YEARS OF LIFE (Katalin Péter, page 39) 2 ORPHANS OF NOBLE BIRTH (Ildikó Horn, page 99) 3 COUNT ÁDÁM BATTHYÁNY I AND HIS CHILDREN (István Fazekas, page 163) 4 THE MARRIAGE POLICY OF THE ESTERHÁZY FAMILY AFTER THE DEATH OF PALATINE MIKLÓS (Judit Fejes, page 199) GENEALOGICAL TABLES (page 251) Tables I/1-I/2. The Batthany Family (page 253) Tables II/1-II/3. The Csáky Family (page 255) Tables III/1-III/4. The Esterházy Family (Ferenc, Dániel, Miklós and Pál Esterházy's Branches) (page 258) Table IV. The Forgách Family (page 262) Table V. The Rákóczi Family (page 263) Table VI. The Zrínyi Family (page 264) INDEX (page 265) Drawing on evidence from a wide collection of surviving family papers, Beloved Children is a valuable contribution to literature available concerning childhood history in pre-industrial Central Europe.

With the aid of detailed case studies, the volume illustrates every aspect of Hungarian childhood in the early modern age from a variety of contrasting perspectives—birth, care, education, marriage, orphanhood and death. The book also includes a unique portrayal of family life in the Hungarian aristocracy.

Beloved Children is a comprehensive study examining topics such as family intimacy, paternal and maternal attitudes, providing the reader with a valuable insight into a child’s life in Hungary during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.