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At the
time of the census ordered by Joseph II, the county of Borsod
had 196 settlements with no free royal boroughs. Among its 10 market towns,
Sajószentpéter ranked 5th according to the number of population (2,349
people). The society, ethnic and denominational composition of the town
showed both similar and contrasting features in comparison with national and
county conditions and changes in the 18th century. While the ethnic
composition of the country underwent a change due to the effect of the
settlements in the 18th century with the proportion of Hungarians falling
under 50%, Sajószentpéter preserved its Hungarian ethnic character throughout
the era. In spite of the fact that in the second half of the 18th century,
there was a remarkable increase in the number of Jews, and their proportion
was steadily increasing in the 19th century, as well, there were no other
characteristic ehtnic groups although the town had a gipsy population
throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. In the 18th century, there started
massive recatholicisation in Hungary.
A lot of people reconverted to Roman Catholicism for various reasons
undetailed here. The Catholic church was supported in this by the Hapsburg
dynasty out of religious commitment but denominational unity was also one of
the devices to create a unified empire. Sajószentpéter deviated from national
trends in this respect, too, as the town preserved its Protestant majority.
Several religious denominations coexisted peacefully in the 18th and 19th
centuries in the town although the dominance of the Protestant church was
preserved among the population and thus in the leadership of the town, as
well, from the second half of the 16th century.
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