Reform, konzervatív fordulat vagy szerves folytatás? : IV. Béla kancelláriája a tatárjárás előtt, 1220-1241

In this paper I examine the invocatio, intitulatio, inscriptio, salutatio, arenga and promulgate of the charters surviving in full text issued by Bela IV between 1220 and 1241. The systematic analysis of the various formulas utilised in these charters has not been attempted by previous scholars like István Hajnal or Imre Szentpétery. Such an inquiry on the other hand can shed light on the otherwise elusive shifts and changes in the functioning of the chancellery, further elaborating the findings of earlier scholarships. As a result of my analysis I reached the following conclusions: First, the earliest charters of duke Bela adhere firmly to those issued by his father's royal chancellery, this gradually changed after 1224. Secondly, a noticeable shift can be identified in the charters in 1226 — the year Bela was transferred from Slavonia to Transylvania by Andrew II —, consequently some changes must have happened regarding the personnel of the duke's chancellery. Thirdly, after Bela's ascension to the throne in 1235 his charters resemble closely those issued by his father, so it is safe to assume that in 1235-1236 a significant amount of continuity existed between the staff of King Andrew II's chancellery and that of his son's. Lastly, all three attributes mentioned in the title of this paper can be used to describe the chancellery of Bela IV. A conservative turn was made by annulling some of the reforms made in 1217, whereas the chancellery also continued on a course of organic development owing to the continued presence of Andrew II's staff, additionally significant reforms were also made: a new kind of charter was devised to accommodate the coutrywide policy of the annulment of former royal donations