Aspects of the Hungarian Correspondence of Wallachian and Moldavian Voivodes in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century

This study focuses on the Hungarian-language correspondence of Romanian voievodes and high state officials during the early modern period (sixteenth and seventeenth centuries) written, not as a result of military occupation, but mostly as products of peaceful cohabitation. These letters, besides the historical information contained within, are special sources for the history of Hungarian literacy and Romanian culture alike. The study is concerned with the practice of Latin script in the two principalities beyond the Carpathians, formed and maintained as a prerequisite of their foreign affairs. However, the essay deals less with the social status, education and political role of the Hungarian secretaries of Romanian voievodes and focuses on the functioning of the Latin and Hungarian chanceries and the characteristics of the documents written there. Basing its conclusions on twelve hundred Hungarian letters from this period, the study deals with their external diplomatic characteristics and linguistic peculiarities.

Key Words: Hungarian chancery, literacy, correspondence, early modern Moldavia and Wallachia.