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

A SUMMARY OF THE HISTORY OF SZÉKESFEHÉRVÁR

the town council and petitioned to change the Latin legend on the town seal. The citizens of the body, with predominantly German names proposed a new seal with a Hungarian legend in their petition of 13 March 1843. The Bull of Ferdinand V changed, although to a lesser degree, the depiction of the old official town seal too. The use of the seal in Hungarian was introduced on 9 August 1845. Town citizens received further rights in these years; one example of them was that in 1843 representatives of Parliament were elected by those with civic rights. The claim arose as early as this that citizens should elect the members of the town's general assembly by ballot. The claim was realised among the achievements of the Revolution of 1 848. In addition to new rights the structure of town society changed profoundly during these years, in financial and religious aspect, too. Following the Turkish rule, besides the Roman Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church was present in the town. According to the Charter of Székesfehérvár only members of the Roman Catholic Church could obtain civic rights and settle in the town. By the terms of this decree town officials tolerated no other denominations until the Reform age. Serbs were rarely granted civic rights and allowed to settle in Székesfehérvár. They could own real-estates only in the so called Palota- or Rác town. The number of orthodox inhabitants grew until the middle of the 19

lh century, and as they assimilated they almost disappeared by the turn of the century. The Orthodox Church maintained an elementary school until the end of the 19

th century. The Calvinist congregation was founded in I 824, until the 1840s the Calvinist community of Fehérvár was the out-parish of the parish of Sárkeresztes. They built their church in 1837 but it was demolished in the fire of September 1843. The new church was consecrated on 1 December 1844. As the parish's financial position improved the idea was conceived to establish a Calvinist Episcopal see in Fehérvár. The Israelite denomination established its parish in 1842. Its members were allowed to settle in Székesfehérvár with certain conditions in the late 1830s. They arrived primarily from the surrounding villages, and in greater numbers after the regulations of 1840. Their