juridical sessions

This was the title of the working period of the most supreme courts in the 16-17th century. The juridical sessions were: the great octaves (eighths) where courts held sessions on the octaves (the eighth day) of certain religious festive. The Saint György - day octave was held in Eperjes for the Upper-Hungarian region and the Saint Mihály - day octave in Pozsony for that of lower Hungary. This was the only time when the High Court of Justice had a full authority to administer justice. It was forbidden to hold the great octave to be announced in those times when there was a recess of the law-courts, or in times of rebellion, war or a diet. The death of the king, epidemics, floods or other natural catastrophes were also excluding reasons. This meant that in the 16-17th century there was hardly a proper, full-authority juridical session held and the supreme courts of the High court of Justice also barely functioned. Although small octaves that worked with limited spheres of authority still functioned and there were separate diet juridical sessions too, here only certain cases were permitted to come to trial.

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