The Methods of Compiling Libri Regii in Late Medieval Hungary

Abstract

All medieval libri regii written by the Hungarian Royal Chancellery are believed to have been lost since the fall of the medieval Kingdom of Hungary. There are a few charters remaining, however, which have preserved copies and excerpts of the original entries. Based upon them, the present study aims to determine the modalities of noting charters in the royal books and pursues the development of a comparative approach to the topic by incorporating libri regii of the early modern times in the analysis. It was possible to identify two genres of entries, either signaturae (excerpts) or full-text copies of original charters. The latter appears to coincide with legal acts proposed by the king, whereas all the other legal transactions were recorded only as short abstracts in the royal books.