Urbs - Magyar várostörténeti évkönyv 1. (Budapest, 2006)

Abstracts

Bratislavc, Slovakia) had a doubtful privileged status. Kőszeg and Kismarton (Eisenstadt, Austria) in 1649, Késmárk (Kezmarok, Slovakia), Breznóbánya (Brezno, Slovakia) in 1655 and Ruszt (Rust, Austria) in 1681 debuted as new free royal towns at the diet. The delegates of Debrecen, Buda, Pest (gaining the privilege in 1693), Székesfehérvár (1703), Esztergom (1708) and Szeged (1719) could appear among the delegates of the other towns at the first diet after the Rákóczi war of independence (1703-1711). Szatmárnémeti (Satu Marc, Rumania) finally gained its status as a free royal town in 1715. We can divide the newly assigned free royal towns into several groups. Some of them (Késmárk, Kőszeg) already enjoyed such privileges like free royal towns did. Therefore, they may be considered theoretically free royal towns, however in the practice their being donated or being put in pawn contradicts this supposition. Other settlements (Debrecen, Modor, Bazin, Szentgyörgy, Ruszt, Kapronca, Korpona/Krupina Slovakia and Szatmárnémeti) could acquire the status of a free royal town due to their economic development or political situation. The third group includes the towns located in the territory of the Turkish occupation, which had previously disposed of the status of a free royal town (Buda, Pest, Székesfehérvár, Esztergom, Szeged). Some of these (Pest, Szeged, to some extent Székesfehérvár) satisfied the hopes bound to them, while others (Esztergom) had an undeserved advantage compared to their economic advancement. The status of free royal town meant collective nobility for a settlement. Based on this they could participate at the diet (therefore, we emphasised the participation at the diet so much). Moreover, they could dispose of the ownership of an estate, and by owning some land, they could become members of the privileged society not only in the diet but in the assembly of the county as well. They could also dispose of numerous favours that substantially belonged to the fundamental rights of the privileged members of the society. Their exemption from the payment of the inland duties and the thirtieth toll imposed on foreign trade are such privileges. However, by the end of the seventeenth century the advantages of the free royal town status strongly decreased. Although their fundamental rights concerning the possession of land were not hurt, the exemption from the thirtieth considered fundamental almost vanished by the end of the century. The right concerning the re-election of the officials and the election of the vicar was restricted due to the pressure of the chamber and the Viennese Court and because of the constant control of the counsellors of the Hungarian Chamber and later of the so-called Consilium Regium Locumtenentiale Hungaricum (Hungarian Royal Governor Council). The exemption from the inland toll was also hurt in many cases, the towns could protest against these only collectively assuming considerable financial expenses. However, this status gave the towns yet a much larger scope within the privileged system than the legal status of the market-towns under manorial control. Their political possibilities were also much larger, as they could participate at the diets, where they could defend their interests. The nobility had to consider their right to vote