Kujbusné Mecsei Éva: Nyíregyháza kiváltságlevele 1837 - A Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg Megyei Levéltár Kiadványai II. Közlemények 13. (Nyíregyháza, 1997)
Nyíregyháza' s Way to a Free and Privileged Town New settlers were brought to Nyíregyháza in the middle of the 18th century, and the new landlords of the town, the Dessewffy and the Károlyi families offered excellent economic and legal opportunities for the population consisting mostly of Evangelical Slovakian serfs. Good legal opportunities included the right to move from one place to another, once the serf paid in his tax to the landlord. It created a good foundation for the population to start to accumulate some wealth, and the town achieved the status of a country town in 1786. In order to become a royal free town in the early 19th century, the population was ready to pay a manumission compensation so as to buy themselves out of the supremacy of the landlords once and for all. It was, however, successful only with the Dessewffy family first in 1803. The Károlyis were only ready to accept the manumission compensation only after twenty years, in 1824. The manumission compensation contracts opened up new opportunities for the population, as rights that had earlier belonged to the landlords were taken over by peasants. The magistracy of the town developed the regulations governing the life of the town in detail (Statútum), but it was not accepted by the General Assembly of the Noblemen of Szabolcs County. They modified it, preserving the influence of the county and that of the few hundred aristocrats living in the community of 15,000 people. Nyíregyháza refused to accept the limitations of its freshly obtained rights, and in order to regain its autonomy and privileges appealed for the support of the king. It took years before their request was received favourably at the Chancellorship, at the Council of the Governor-general and also at the General Assembly of the Noblemen of Szabolcs County. The effective support of some of the most influential aristocrats of the county and of the whole kingdom was also required for the success. The Letter of Privileges issued by Emperor Ferdinand V on 31 August 1837 restored internal autonomy for Nyíregyháza, ensured the right of the town to elect two sovereign magistracies for the town (external and internal councils) and the rights and obligations of the citizens of the town, free from their landlords. The heads of the new leadership appointed to carry out the changes opening a new age in the life of the town added implementation instructions to the general enclosures of the royal Letter of Privileges. The implementation instructions adapted the general enclosures to local circumstances. The Letter of Privileges made it possible for Nyíregyháza, the only town in the county able to buy its independence from its landlords, to continue its development independently of the interference of the General Assembly of the Noblemen of Szabolcs County, and become the centre of the region, and the capital of the county bv the last third of the 19th century.
