Köcski Sándor királyi országbíró működésének okleveles adatai : 1324-1328

The reunification of the Hungarian Kingdom fragmented in the early 14. Century completed successfully by 1323. In addition to the introduction of numerous reforms, King Charles I. (Charles of Anjou) re-organized the government in the country which included the significant element of restoring the order of royal jurisdiction. The foundations of the above were laid down by the kindred Hermán, Royal Lord Chief Justice, and following his death in 1324 his successor, Sándor Lord Chief Justice, who came from Köcsk village Vasvár County, consolidated the organization and operating practices of the highest level of jurisdiction that concentrated in the royal court in Visegrád. The present study seeks to present the life and work of Sándor Lord Chief Justice, which initially proved to be successful in the military area. He rose to the dignity of becoming a member of the country’s first line leadership; however, his relationship ties with the similarly ambitious, socially recently advanced members and families of the renewed social elite might have assisted in this process in the days of Charles I. The years of the activities of Sándor Lord Chief Justice are documented by certificates of which survival was continuous and consistent. On the basis of their examination, the distinctive characteristic of his judicial practice was the continued consolidation of the role of certificates in the taking of evidence. Court cases were less frequently resolved by duels, and although sentences were often brought after taking the oath, the judge’s assessment sought to rely mainly on the content of the presented conclusive documents in the investigation of the state of affairs. The trend in more serious cases shows that particularly when churches, prestigious families and people close to the king were the interested parties of trials, the documents of the Lord Chief Justice listed fellow judges by their names in almost all cases. This practice might have aimed at sharing the judge’s responsibility; however, the persons of contributors to legislation clearly represented a body of in-depth understanding of law and proficiency in legal administration