The 800-year-old Golden Bull

The Golden Bull, issued 800 years ago by King Andrew II, is the much-discussed, but perhaps most misunderstood, document of the Hungarian Middle Ages. The volume presents in detail the main elements of the reform policy serving as the background to the Golden Bull, the political struggles leading to the enactment of the law, as well as the events that forced the renewal of 1231 and the consequences of the renewal. The main result of the political, social, and economic historical analyses is the agreement that both versions of the Golden Bull - contrary to previous beliefs - actually summarized the political aspirations of Andrew II. Finally, the volume outlines the major stages of the medieval afterlife of the Golden Bull and the changes that occurred in the interpretation of the "resistance clause" in the late Middle Ages.