This thesis investigates the political role of Protestant refugees, foreign-educated locals, and Jesuits at the Transylvanian princely court under three consecutive rulers between 1559 and 1602....Show moreThis thesis investigates the political role of Protestant refugees, foreign-educated locals, and Jesuits at the Transylvanian princely court under three consecutive rulers between 1559 and 1602. The novelty of this project is the joint analysis of the relations, conflicts, and cooperation of these foreign-influenced groups that have been analysed only separately in the existing literature. The thesis argues that Transylvania's political elite was largely permeated by the activities of individuals that represented the interests of foreign powers or introduced foreign intellectual and political trends. Thus, this research sheds new light on the complexity and connectedness of the sixteenth-century Transylvanian elite.Show less
