A Historical and Archival Guide to Székesfehérvár (Székesfehérvár, 2003)

A SUMMARY OF THE HISTORY OF SZÉKESFEHÉRVÁR

it possible, partly because the town had not paid the reparations to the Hofkammer (the Treasury of Vienna). As a result the town remained subordinated to it till 1711. The town was enacted as a free royal borough in 1715. Town management was distributed among wealthy German and Hungarian citizens in accordance with the nationality pattern; the two nationalities comprised the two halves of the six-, then 12-member body of magistrates. Disagreement among the magistrates became more acute during the wars of independence. 'Kuruts' (pro-independence) troops occupied Székesfehérvár in January 1704 but the town capitulated to the troops of General Heister on 9 April 1704. Apart from the first months of 1

704 Székesfehérvár was under Habsburg rule, they confiscated the houses of the Hungarian-minded inhabitants. The events of war happened outside of the town, but they caused severe damage. The suburbs were raided a few times, then the inhabitants suffered from the blockades of 'Kuruts' troops, finally the citizens were stricken with plague in 1709. Significant topographical changes occurred after the partial rebuilding of the town. During the spring of 1 702 a part of the castle was pulled down; earlier, between 1689 and 1691 it was fortified considerably, Italian-style bastions were built, the moat was widened and a counter-fortress was built to protect the bridges. The authentic maps from the town's first Turkish period served as fortification plans, which also depict the street layout of the castle. During the Rákóczi war of independence the formerly demolished fortress parts were restored. The Hofkammer ordered the castle to be pulled down again on 24 May 1724 but it was still not executed completely. It is known from the description of Mátyás Bél that the walls of the fortress were still standing in the middle of the 18

th century. Maintaining the walls laid a great burden on the town. Most parts of the walls were pulled down at the turn of the 18

Lh-19

th century. Construction works were significant in Fehérvár in the first third of the 18

th century, the Town Hall was completed in 1710s. Other major constructions were carried out by the monastic orders that returned to or settled in Fehérvár at the time: Franciscan, Jesuit and Carmelite orders. The first to start building a church and a monastery were the Franciscans in 1720. The church in the town's main square was consecrated on 1 August 1745. In 1731 the Carmelite order