Golden Bull of Hungary

Timeline

1. 1221–1222Kingdom of Hungary · HungaryAndrew II's years of foreign campaigns and lavish grants emptied the treasury, and royal encroachment on noble lands angered the magnates; around 1222 the nobles assembled armed forces to pressure the king to confirm and expand their traditional privileges.
2. 1222Fehérvár · Komárom-Esztergom CountyUnder noble pressure, Andrew II issued the Golden Bull, committing in writing to core provisions including exemption from military service other than the usual obligation, tax immunity, judicial exemption, and the right to take up arms when the king violated the law.
3. 1222–1231Kingdom of Hungary · HungaryThe Golden Bull became one of the fundamental laws of the Kingdom of Hungary, which later kings were required to swear to observe upon accession; its clauses limiting royal power and safeguarding the nobility profoundly shaped Hungary's medieval political structure and is regarded as one of Europe's earlier feudal constitutional documents.