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

A SUMMARY OF THE HISTORY OF SZÉKESFEHÉRVÁR

transformed to national assemblies, which also took place in our town; 47 national assemblies were held here until 1527. The canonisation of King Stephen and Prince Emeric in 1083 had great importance in the history of Alba Civitas. The significance of the sanctified centre increased considerably in the 1 1

lh century, Székesfehérvár became an important stop for the pilgrimages to the Holv Land. Armies of crusaders marched through the town several times. The townscape which changed little in the Middle Ages took shape at this time. Owing to the big traffic of the military road Géza II settled the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem in Alba Civitas in 1147. In the quarter called the Sziget (Island) the Johannites built their monastery, which was aided by the widow queen Eufrozina. The order operated a loca credibilia with country-wide authority. Queen Eufrozina, the widow of Géza II was buried in the monastery. The suburbs housed several institutions. Saint Nicolas church was also in the Sziget, the Nova Civitas. Saint Cosima and Demjén churches were in the Ingovány (Swamp) quarter. To the south of the castle was the Saint Martin church, where the coronation ceremonies took place. The Saint Nicolas provosthip, Saint Bartholomew church and its Franciscan cloister and the Saint Margaret monastery of the Dominicans were all in the Buda suburb. In addition the district had a parish church, too. Besides the coronation ceremonies, royal weddings and burials there were other national events in the town and in its area. The battle of Fövenv (Quicksand) ranks among them, which was fought in the outskirts of the town. The battle took place on 19 June 1163 between the armies of Stephen IV and Stephen III. The clash ended with the defeat and capturing of Stephen IV, who represented the politics and church influence of Byzantium The national assembly of 1222, the issuing of the Golden Bull bears greater significance. The Bull declared that the king was obliged to keep the juridical-day on King Saint Stephen's day. A copy of the document was placed in Székesfehérvár, in the state archives of the basilica. The national assembly of 1231 was also held here, when the decrees of the Golden Bull were confirmed and supplemented. The edicts of Andrew II and the diploma of Andrew III in 1290 confirmed the Stephen's day royal assizes to be held in Székesfehérvár. The