Francis II Rákóczi and the Idea of Veritas

Abstract

There is no part of Francis II Rákóczi’s oeuvre in which he does not deal with the issue of veritas in any form. Although historical, theological, moral, logical, and philosophical thinking are constantly mixed in varying proportions and emphasis in his writings, and the genres of religious, political and ethical literature appear “combined”, the works refer to each other in this regard. Rákóczi dealt with the question of truth following Augustine, at a Camaldolese-Janzenist instigation, using Grosbois reading experiences and the private library in Tekirdağ (Rodostó in Hungarian).Through the use of terms that are essentially biblical and Augustinian in origin, close to that of Jansenius and several other authors, the works confront several conceptions of truth, while the author is constantly trying to prove that he also thinks independently in this field and that his opinion differs from others. Rákóczi’s conception of veritas is as syncretistic as his conception of sin, grace, free will, predestination, and chosenness. Veritas is a personal concept for Rákóczi, a fundamental factor of his works and an important organizing principle at the same time, but not to the same extent, and it did not become as obsessive as in Saint-Simon.