The National Archives of Hungary (Budapest, 2006)
NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND SPECIAL ARCHIVES OF NATIONAL COLLECTION - Hungarian National Archives by Géza Érszegi and István G. Vass
under its competence that is, everything that enlightened despotism drew under its own control in the 18 th century. For example, population, agriculture, industry, trade, transportation, taxation, protection of the taxpayers, regulation of the serf and landowners relationship, supplying the army, guild organization, town affairs, public health, religion affairs, public education, publishing of books, censorship etc. Domains and mines were subordinated to the Chamber and armies stationing in Hungary were subordinated to the headquarters of the main body of the army. The Council of governor-general completed the decrees of the ruler that were more important than that of the chancellery. Its archives is a rich and valuable source of material dealing with the different problems of Hungarian history in the 18 th and 19 th century up to the revolution in 1848. The Council of governor-general started its work with 22 councillors in 1724. The causes were discussed at meetings where records were made. Later -permanent committees were formed to arrange certain affairs. Among the first ones there were the comptroller, economic and foundation committees in 1724. Later customs affairs, health care affairs, Jewish affairs, nobility examination, religion affairs, ecclesiastic treasury, socage affairs, study affairs committees started to work. Jozeph II. ' organizational reforms resulted in significant changes. According to them separate departments were set up in 1783 for arranging special concerns more quickly and professionally. At the same time most of the committees were dissolved. The system of departments existed up to 1848. The written material after 1783 is classified according to it. But on the instruction of Joseph II, that ordered to unify the Council of governor-general and the Chamber provisionally (1785 - 1791) it seemed to have a very existence. The documents of the Council of Governor - General were written in Latin and German , mainly between 1784 and 1790 and in Hungarian (about 1845). The Archives of Absolutism (1848 - 1867, D section) originated from the inheritance of the great quantity of political authorities and their subordinated offices working in Hungary at the time. This historical and complicated source got to its present repository from different places and different time. The National Archives inherited most of the documents from the Archives of the Council of the Governor - General. Some of these were taken over as integral parts of Chancellery Archives. But the documents of government agency working between 1861 and 1867 and those of the restituted council of governor - general were secured by the ministries. They arrived at their final place just after the compromise of 1867 when they lost their importance from the point of view of management. The material of National Archives was extended with the written materials of Haus-, Hof- und Staatsarchiv of Vienna in the 1920s. The last records were exchanged with the Archives of Military History in 1951; and as a result, the documents of absolutism were completed.
