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

BY GÉZA ÉRSZEGI AND ISTVÁN G.VASS HUNGARIAN NATIONAL ARCHIVES T

he history of the Hungarian National Archives originates from the beginning of the use of written records. Issuing records was put in practice during the time of Saint Stephen I (1000-1038) and were based on the aim of putting newly formed or the older acquired rights down in writing. And as far as we are able to extrapolate from the doubtful data the first records were made, were modelled on Latin and western imperial records. The written form of administration began to take on a more significant role during the reign of Béla III (1172-1196) with the establishment of the royal chancellery, the institution responsible for issuing regal records. In the next century, the production of evidence, the settling of legal proceedings and the courts (with the help of records) became more and more important. Records were produced in great quantities from 14

th century not only by the royal chancellery, but by other important national and ecclesiastical institutions and their clerks. Writing is only able to fulfil its function for legal security if it is preserved. That was the reason why the archives of the Hungarian medieval kingdom came into being, which might have been formed under the framework of the mentioned royal chancellery. Although everything was done for preserving these archives, a lot of them could not avoid a diastrous fate as was the case with the Golden Bull of Hungary in 1222. Although seven copies of the Golden Bull were issued and placed at the most secure places at the time / with the king, the palatine of Hungary, at the cathedral chapter of Esztergom and Kalocsa, at the crusaders and with the Orders of Knights Templars and papal registrum / not a single original copy survived. Only their authentic transcriptions from later times have survived. The first data about the existing royal archives (1240) can be traced from the age of Béla IV. (1235-1270) and it is mentioned more often from the Angevin period. The central archives of the Medieval Hungarian state, the royal archives was lost after the battle of Mohács (29th August,1526). A significant quantity of the archives were irretrievably lost. Not only the documents relating to reign and administration of the state were kept here - like in all other countries of Europe of this period - but also the archives of other medieval state institutions. Two departments of the royal chancellery worked in the royal court. One was the small or secret chancellery, the other was the Major chancellery and together with