“Who deserves eternal shackles?” – The subject as an archaeological source

"Who deserves an eternal shackle?", the question was immediately formulated when, in the summer of 2017, in the summer of 2017, in the excavation of the 84th grave from the Turkish period in downtown Győr, during the excavation on the 84th of Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Street, the heavy, wrought-iron leg cuffs surrounding the buried leg also came to light. The discovery of this, one might say unique object, made it obvious to us that the excavation area served as one of the burial places for the former prisoners who died in the castle prison during the 17th century. Then, of course, a question followed a question - "Who could he be? Was he imprisoned in the castle prison in Győr for a long time? could he be sick? Or was he an important person in public opinion? What distinguished him from his other fellow prisoners buried next to him? Who is he, who could not gain his freedom even after his death?" - which questions have already attracted the attention of Nándor Fábry and András Uzsoki, former archaeologists from Győr.

In addition to the professional completion of the excavations, the work of the archaeologist also includes the interpretation of the findings and sites: on the one hand, using the archaeological analogies, historical and local historical data, the reconstruction of the era and historical environment in which the former prisoners could live, and on the other hand, the knowledge of the prisoners themselves as persons, their origin, health, and possibly the living conditions.

Six cases are known from the Győr area where the leg cuffs (in contemporary usage: shackles, cranky, iron or Turkish iron) were placed in the grave together with the deceased. The shackles placed on the prisoners' feet were the most effective means of preventing the escape, the wearer could only walk as much as the length of the shackle chain allowed. The two iron pretzels cylindrically bent from the wrought iron strap, the ear-like ends of which are closed to each other by a studded attachment, are connected by a short chain. The chain usually consists of three chain links and rings, the middle of which is larger. The shackles found in the Győr area are typical 17th-century pieces, weighing between 4-6 kg (4-8 pounds).

One of their most accurately dated analogies is the surviving shackles of the sub-captain of Győr castle, László Kisfaludy, which he wore between 1682 and 1683 during his captivity in the Esztergom dungeon. The weight of this piece is close to 12 kg, based on which it can be rightly assumed that the heavier a leg clamp, the more prestigious and/or more significant a person could wear it.

Réka Györke
Archaeological excavation group leader, museologist-archaeologist