Use of seals in the Árpád era

Novák, Ádám (2022) Use of seals in the Árpád era. 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. 277-294. ISBN 9786156117656

Preview

Text MKI_kingsandsaints_B5_014.pdf Download (473kB) | Preview

Abstract

Seals used to authenticate documents are reference sources in the special area between written and material sources. They were indispensable starting points for the study of Árpád-era history. The Golden Bull, our most important medieval document with legal power, was named after the golden seal it was certified with. Royal seals, combined with the results of numismatic studies, have enabled researchers to reconstruct the heraldic programme of the Hungarian kings. The seals of church figures and institutions provided sources for art historians to help examine changes in the artistic styles of the Árpád era. The seals of secular officials grant insight into the use of coat of arms by ancient clans, and a collection of these imprints provide important family history data for a period with very few sources. This is precisely why the present study cannot undertake to give a detailed account of the emergence, development and certain aspects of seal usage in the Árpád era. Fortunately, this work was carried out in sufficient depth by the historical research of recent centuries, thanks to the collections of Jesuit historiographers, the depositaries of Hungarian diplomacy and sphragistics, and to cultivators of art history research as well as scholars of the related sciences, such as numismatics, genealogy, archontology and heraldry. Apart from the fact that the writer of this paper is not able to, the size of the study also limits the possibility for writing such a synthesis. Therefore, a brief definition of seals and a list of their types is provided below. Royal seals and the sealing customs of ecclesiastical and secular officials are summarised without striving to provide an exhaustive summary.

Actions (login required)

Edit Item