royal treasurer, keeper of the treasury

Bank
Buda law book
Sigismund coin 1
royal treasurer

The main financial office bearer in medieval Hungary since the 14th century. It first appeared during the reign of Charles I, as the subordinate clerk to the contemporary treasury keeper. From 1377 it became an independent job. Since the royal chancellery was not a unified organisation till the reform of Matthias Hunyadi, in many cases he was the main financial office bearer only in theory, the different chancelleries had a lose relationship with him. Money minting, precious metal mining, customs duties, salt affairs, taxes, the loans of rulers belonged under his authority. After 1377 he was entitled as a baron, but he did not belong to the group of 'real barons' of the country.

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keeper of the treasury

An honour, which appeared at the end of the 12th century. The bearer of this had to perform central financial duties, which were transformed into a juristic duties by the end of the 14th century. Originally it was the head of royal treasurers, and during Béla III's rule it was mentioned as the master of chamber. Under the name of 'keeper of the treasury' it is mentioned since 1214. He took over the economic functions of the baliff of the royal court, who became the state judge by that time. After a century - just as the palatine did, then his predecessor - he passed his function over to the royal treasurer, who was his substitute originally. After 1377 he became the judge of royal towns, and his law court was the law court of the treasury. The central law court got out of the law courts of the Royal High Courts of Justice by the 15th century. His fellow-judges were citizens, who made sentences according to the city laws of Buda. So the keeper of the treasury did not belong to the main judges of the country, but belonged to the real barons of the country.

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