The Golden Bull of 1222 and the historical constitution

Horváth, Attila (2022) The Golden Bull of 1222 and the historical constitution. In: Kings and Saints : The Age of the Árpáds. Publications of the Institute of Hungarian Research (6). Magyarságkutató Intézet; Szent István Király Múzeum, Budapest, Székesfehérvár, pp. 153-170. ISBN 9786156117656

Preview

Text MKI_kingsandsaints_B5_007.pdf Download (343kB) | Preview

Abstract

András II (1205-1235) imposed new taxes to be able to support his lavish lifestyle, but he mostly outsourced the collection of these taxes. To increase the number of his allies despite the general discontent, the king gave away royal estates one after another. In response to the protests of the royal servants and the lords on Imre’s side, András II issued the Golden Bull of 1222, in which he promised to abide by the law and to abandon his lavish lifestyle. The Golden Bull was named after the pendant seal that authenticated the charter. From the time of King Béla II onwards, the king used a gold seal on all important documents, but only the Golden Bull of 1222 is usually written with capital letters. It should be added that our historiography also mentions two other golden bulls: the second one was issued by András II in 1231 at the request of the high priests and two of his sons. The third golden bull was issued by King Béla IV, together with his two sons, Stephen the Younger and Béla, Prince of Slavonia.

Actions (login required)

Edit Item