Bel’s Notitia about the Trenčín County
Matthias Bel, born in Očová (1684 – 1749), an Evangelical priest, educator, philologist and historian, was considering writing about the great history of the Hungarian Kingdom already in the early 20’s of the 18th century. Several events preceded the publishing of his work Notitia Hungariae Novae historico-geographica (Historical and Geographical Knowledge about New Hungary). Unlike in the neighbouring Hungary, translations of all Slovak counties have not yet been published in Slovakia. The idea of publishing the translations of all Slovak counties is not new at all – it occurred as early as in the 1980’s. The main aim of my monograph is to make a part of Bel’s Notitia about the Trenčín County accessible to the professional community and I hope also to a wider public. Keywords: Matthias Bel, Historical and Geographical Knowledge about New Hungary, Notitia about the Trenčín
County, Translations of Matthias Bel’s Notitia, Comitatus Trentsiniensis
1. For the research project of national history and geography of Hungary itself, see J. Tibenský, Veľký vlastivedný projekt Mateja Bela a jeho snahy o organizovanie vedeckého života v Uhorsku, in Matthias Bel, Doba, život, dielo, ed. J. Tibenský, Bratislava, Veda, 1987, p. 159-170.
2. Tibenský, J. et alii, Bratislava Mateja Bela, translated by A. Lefíková, M. Novacká, J. M. Dubovský and J. Pavelek, prologue written by J. Tibenský, Bratislava, Obzor, 1984. p. 27.
3. Tibenský, J., Veľká ozdoba Uhorska, Bratislava, Tatran, 1984, p. 149.
4. Ibidem, p. 168-169.
5. For Bel’s historiographic activity see R. Marsina, Matej Bel ako historik a editor, (Matthias Bel as a historian and editor), in Matej Bel, Doba, život, ref. 1, p. 241.
6. J. Tibenský, Veľká ozdoba, ref. 3, p. 153.
7. The Komárom and Esztergom County was supposed to be included in the fifth volume, the Abov, Šariš, Zemplín, Gemer, Orava and Trenčín County in the sixth volume. For more see Juríková, E., Belove Vedomosti vo svetle súčasných poznatkov (Bel’s Learning in the Light of Contemporary Knowledge), Sondy do Belových Vedomostí o súvekom Uhorsku (Sambucus Supplementum II. Probes into Bel’s Learning of Contemporary Hungary), Trnava, Philosophical Faculty of Trnava University in Trnava, 2010, p. 15.
8. Ibidem, p. 17.
9. For the characteristics of the published translations, see E. Juríková, Slovenské preklady Notícií Mateja Bela (Slovak Translations of Matthias Bel’s Notitia), Proceedings, Trnava, Centre of Communication of the Faculty of Humanities of Trnava University in Trnava, 2004, p. 52-55.
10. M. Bel, Turčianska stolica, translated by J. Sopko, prologue and notes by R. Marsina, Martin, Osveta, 1989, 97 p.
11. See Bratislava Mateja Bela (Bratislava of Matthias Bel), ref. 2, 225 p.
12. M. Bel, Zemplínska stolica (The Zemplin county), translated by M. Slaninka, Bratislava, Zemplínsky valal, 2000, 91 p.
13. M. Bel, Užská stolica (The Už County), translated by M. Slaninka, Bratislava, Zemplínsky valal, 2000, 221 p.
14. M. Bel, Oravská stolica (The Orava County), translated by J. Minárik, Liptovský Mikuláš, 2001, 155 p.
15. E. Juríková, D. Škoviera et alii. Sondy do Belových Vedomostí o súvekom Uhorsku (Sambucus Supplementum II. Probes into Bel’s Learning on Contemporary Hungary), Trnava, Philosophical Faculty of Trnava University in Trnava, 2010, 260 p.
16. See K. Rácová, Trenčín pohľadom Mateja Bela (Trenčín in the eyes of Matthias Bel), Nitra, Philosophical Faculty of Constantine the Philosopher University, 2012, 168 p.
17. For more on the manuscripts, see the study of M. Šišmiš, Ján Thurzo z Nosíc, spolupracovník Mateja Bela na opise Trenčianskej stolice (Ján Thurzo from Nosice, collaborator of Matthias Bel when describing the Trenčín County), in Matej Bel, doba, život (Matthias Bel, Time, Life), ref. 1, p. 309.
18. About how their activities concerned Trenčín, see K. Rácová, ref. 16, p. 117-130.
19. More on Bel’s view of the Bočkaj uprising, see K. Rácová, ref. 16, p. 118-119.
20. Ibidem, p. 122.
21. Ibidem, p. 122.
22. Ibidem, p. 123-124.
