Privilegium (Latin, meaning privilege, prerogative)

Privileges were granted by the ruler or certain land owners to their subjects or serfs for particular services. The fact that in royal Hungary the operation of printing houses was subject to licenses, - relates to literature history, however, only the Catholic (Jesuit) printing house founded by Miklós Telekdi in 1577 enjoyed such privileges. Towns either ignored royal orders prohibiting the operation of Protestant printing houses, or they were able to obtain the privilege for their printers as in the example of Bártfa shows, whereby in 1584 the printer David Gutgesell was granted an operational licence through the influence of the town council.

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