Royal free city or free royal city (Latin: libera regia civitas) was the official term for the most important cities in the Kingdom of Hungary from the late 12th century[1] [2] [3] until the Hungarian Revolution of 1848. These cities were granted certain privileges by the king to rule out the possibility of the control of the Hungarian nobility, hence "royal", and exercised some self-government in relation to their internal affairs, hence "free". From the late 14th century, the elected envoys of the Royal free cities participated in the sessions of the Hungarian parliament, thus they became part of the legislature. The list include also cities in the Kingdom of Croatia and the Banate of Bosnia, which were part of the Lands of the Hungarian Crown.
The term "royal free city" in the languages of the kingdom is:
The status was similar to the Free Cities in the Holy Roman Empire.
| Current English name | Hungarian name | Other historical names | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alba Iulia | Gyulafehérvár | ||
| Arad | Arad | ||
| Baia Mare | Nagybánya | ||
| Baia Sprie | Felsőbánya | ||
| Banská Bystrica | Besztercebánya[4] | ||
| Banská Štiavnica[5] | Selmecbánya | ||
| Bardejov | Bártfa[6] | ||
| Bihać | Bihács | Bišće, Bić | |
| Bistrița | Beszterce | ||
| Braşov | Brassó | Kronstadt | |
| Bratislava | Pozsony | Pressburg, Prešporok, Požun | |
| Brezno | Breznóbánya | ||
| Budapest | Buda[7] [8] | ||
| Cluj-Napoca | Kolozsvár | Klausenburg, Cluj | |
| Debrecen | Debrecen | ||
| Eisenstadt | Kismarton | ||
| Erzsébetváros | Erzsébetváros[9] | ||
| Esztergom | Esztergom | ||
| Gherla | Szamosújvár | ||
| Győr | |||
| Kežmarok | Késmárk | ||
| Komárom | Komárom | ||
| Košice | Kassa | ||
| Kőszeg | Kőszeg | ||
| Krapina | Korpona[10] | ||
| Kremnica | Körmöcbánya[11] | ||
| Levoča | Lőcse | ||
| Ľubietová | Libetbánya[12] | ||
| Mediaș | Medgyes[13] | ||
| Modra | Modor | ||
| Nová Baňa | Újbánya | ||
| Novi Sad | Újvidék | ||
| Orăștie | Szászváros | Broos | |
| Pécs | Pécs | ||
| Budapest | Pest[14] | ||
| Pezinok | Bazin[15] | ||
| Prešov | Eperjes | ||
| Pukanec | Bakabánya[16] | ||
| Rijeka | Fiume | ||
| Rust | Ruszt | ||
| Sabinov | Kisszeben | ||
| Satu Mare | Szatmárnémeti | Sătmar | |
| Sebeș | Szászsebes | Mühlbach | |
| Sfântu Gheorghe | Szentgyörgy | ||
| Sibiu | Nagyszeben | Hermannstadt | |
| Sighișoara | Segesvár[17] | Schäßburg | |
| Skalica | Szakolca | ||
| Sombor | Zombor | ||
| Sopron | Sopron | ||
| Subotica | Szabadka | ||
| Szeged | Szeged | ||
| Székesfehérvár | Székesfehérvár[18] | ||
| Târgu-Mureș | Marosvásárhely | ||
| Timișoara | Temesvár | ||
| Trenčín | Trencsén | ||
| Trnava | Nagyszombat | ||
| Veľký Šariš | Nagysáros | ||
| Vukovar | Vukovár | Valkóvár | |
| Zvolen | Zólyom | ||
| Zagreb[19] | Zágráb | Gradec, Agram |
| Current English name | Hungarian name | Other historical names | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Banská Belá | Bélabánya | ||
| Belá-Dulice | Turócbéla | ||
| Berehove | Beregszász | ||
| Nitra | Nyitra | ||
| Podolínec | Podolin | ||
| Sighetu Marmatiei | Máramarossziget | ||
| Šamorín | Somorja | Zent Maria, Samaria | |
| Uzhhorod | Ungvár | ||
| Vasvár | Vasvár | ||
| Vršac | Versec |