Ságvári Ágnes (szerk.): Budapest. The History of a Capital (Budapest, 1975)
Documents
King Béla IV confirms and extends the privileges of the City of Pest November 24th, 1244 In the Name of the Holy Trinity and the One and Indivisible, Amen. Béla, by the grace of God perpetual king of Hungary, Dalmatia, Croatia, Rama, Serbia, Galicia, Lodomeria and Cumania. To all believers in Christ who shall see this writing, greetings in the Saviour of all. Whereas the glory of kings and princes is particularly more manifest in the multitude of peoples, His Royal Majesty, mindful of their merits has decided to grant further provisions to his subjects, in order to increase the people subject to him in fidelity and number. It is therefore our will that all those present and posterity know the contents of this document. Whereas our hospes* of Pest at the time of persecution by the Tartars, whose incursion and savagery has done great harm to our Kingdom by the Lord’s permission, have lost the charter on their privileges, duly executed and granted them, we have therefore ordered the several aforesaid privileges as these were commonly known to be renewed and set down in this document, in military expeditions on which we go in person it will be incumbent on them to provide us ten properly armed men. Within the limits of our Kingdom they shall be exempt from all taxes save the thirtieth and save the right of the Church Chapter of Buda on tolls levied on salt. On no grounds whatsoever shall anyone exact from them butt duties on their vineyards. None of our notables shall quarter themselves on them by force, or take anything from them against their will, but when quartered on them shall buy what ever is needed at a just price. None of the hospes shall sell his estates or houses to a foreigner, unless to one who is desirous of taking up permanent habitation in the same locality at that time. If any of them dies leaving no heir, he shall be entitled to leave his property to whom he pleases(l). If any man of them has purchased an estate, and has remained in legal and undisturbed possession of it nor challenged for a year and a day, he shall be entitled thence onward to enjoy the estate in peace and quiet as his own, regardless of any objections. When the incumbency of their church falls vacant, they shall be free to elect their parish priest, and the parish priest shall provide no surrogate priests against their will. They may elect whom they will (!) as mayor of the Commune, and they shall present to us the mayor elect who shall adjudicate on all their temporal matters, and should he notwithstanding fail to do justice to any man, the magistrate and not the Commune shall be summoned to appear before us or before he whom we have entrusted with this matter. And, furthermore, the Deputy Palatine shall not quarter himself upon them by force, nor shall he sit in judgment on them. They shall enjoy all we granted them after * hospes — resident foreign merchants I 78
