REMEMBRANCE IN TIME - Index of

408
Remembrance in Time
Alone at the age of 16, she stood with dignity the greedy relatives who wanted to
take her fortune. The hard times and events contributed to her status as serious
mistress, responsible, generous but intransigent, with a strong character 4 .
She married at the age of 16 with George Rakoczy, a young captain from Onoda city,
gouverner of the Borsod I county, she helped with her dowry to her husband's prestige
and authority, making him a man of action, taking important decisions on which
application they will sacrifice their wealth and even their youth 5 .
The year 1630 brought a decisive turn in the family life, in that after the death of
Stephen Bethlen the throne of Transylvania was offered to Rakoczy I, on December 24,
1630, and he will be sworn in Alba Iulia as prince. Princess of Transylvania, Zsuzsanna
Lorantffy will stay by his side, sharing hardships with her husband during his reign,
helping and guiding him with advice. Within their work is now Transylvania, with its
center in Alba Iulia Court. The Princess took her new role with dignity, imposing strict
rules during his reign, keeping him away from politics.
But the most important role which Zsuzsanna Lorantffy assumed was to support the
cultural rise of Transylvania, performing all the duties of an enlightened mistress, a true
patron. First, she took note of the situation of schools and the Academy in Alba-Iulia,
especially since the two sons were studying at the Academy. In this Academy there
weremany excellent professors as JH Alstedt, professor at the University of Hernborn, a
disciple of Comenius, and L.Ph. Piscator, a professor at the University of Heidelberg. The
most important personality remains Bisterfeld JH, a German theologian and naturalist in
Nassau, the confident and advisor of Rakoczy I. In this company, the Princess had direct
contact with new religious and spiritual currents of the time.
She also encourages students in Transylvania to continue their studies, giving them
generous scholarships, ensuring their own financial resources, and the most gifted she
offered scholarships at universities from abroad. Those who left to study in university
centers in Europe urged to bring as many new books in Transylvania, giving them
consistent material aid. It is well-known the case of Csánáki Mate, who traveled to
Germany, England and the Netherlands, and he was supported by the prince at the
insistence of his wife, obtaining his license as a physician at the University of Bologna.
Since 1629, he becomes the doctor of the Rakoczy family first to Sárospatak, then in Alba
Iulia. Csánáki is the author of the first dissertation on medical topics in Transylvania,
entitled "On the plague" (Cluj, 1634).
The young man returned his travels in the West, with boxes full of books ordered by the
princess, thus succeeding to compile a library in the Rakoczy family where one could find
books reflecting all philosophical and scientific currents of the time
The generous support provided by Zsuzsanna Lorantffy for the School in Oradea drew
here valuable professors from renowned universities in the Western Europe, which in
1640 amounted to the rank of the scientific center of the country. The rector of the school,
Kecskeméti Miklos, has acquired his knowledge at Dutch and English universities.
4 Csetriné Lingvay Klára, Principesele noastre, Ed.Bisericii Reformate, 2004, p. 31.
5 Nicolae Albu, Istoria învăŃământului românesc din Transilvania până la 1800, Tipografia
,,Lumina” Miron Roşu, Blaj, 1944, p. 64.