Lakos János: A Magyar Országos Levéltár története (Budapest, 2006)
A képek jegyzéke
decreased: after his death only 1 vice-archivist worked there, between 1823 and 1825 there was no staff at all, between 1825 and 1848 it consisted of one or two persons. No wonder that lag occurred in the processing works on the gradually increasing archival material. This chapter mentions also the significant change in the development of European archives caused by the French Revolution. Actually, it meant that in parallel with the termination of privileges, the previously closed archives performing legal security were rather regarded as repositories of historic records, which resulted in the accessibility of archives for researchers as well. Half a century later, through the revolution of 1848 and the establishment of popular representation as well as the Ministry responsible to Parliament, conditions were provided for the reorganization of archives. The Hungarian Academy of Sciences initiated the foundation of a central public archival institution. The aim was to create an archival institution by merging the Archivum Regni, the historical archives of royal organs (Archives of Treasury, Archives of the Supreme Court) and their current archives, involving other archives in order to found a central state archives serving the interests of historical science. Due to the suppression of the revolution, this plan could not be realized. Following the Compromise of 1867 and the restoration of constitutional order, the scientific body proposed its former initiation. For a while, the government seemed to accept the idea of foundation on the basis of the plans declared by a special committee consisting of historians, convened in 1872. Finally, the new central institution directed by a director-general did not materialize, but the stagnating Archivum Regni, after forfeiting its function, i.e. the old National Archives was reorganized in a way that the feudal government organs (even the Transylvanian ones as well) storing much greater archival material, as well as the archives and repositories of the Supreme Court were integrated into it. On 19 September 1874 and 17 October, the Cabinet accepted this decision, and - after the death of the last head of Archivum Regni, János Török - on 14 October the king appointed the historian Gyula Pauler, lawyer of exchange and public affairs, a corresponding member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Soon after that, the Minister of the Interior practising the right of supervision of the Archives ordered that the Archives of the Hungarian and Transylvanian Chancelleries and that of the offices of the former Transylvanian government should be integrated into the old National Archives 522
