A 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] to the Hungarian Revolution of 1848.
The cities were granted certain privileges by the King of Hungary to prevent their control by the Hungarian nobility, hence "royal", and exercised some self-government in relation to their internal affairs and so were "free". From the late 14th century, the elected envoys of the royal free cities participated in the sessions of the Hungarian Diet and so they became part of the legislature. This list also includes 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 kingdom's languages is as follows:
They had a status similar to the free imperial cities in the Holy Roman Empire.
| Current English name | Hungarian name | Other historical names | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alba Iulia | Gyulafehérvár | Karlsburg | |
| Arad | Arad | ||
| Baia Mare | Nagybánya | Frauenbach | |
| Baia Sprie | Felsőbánya | Mittelstadt | |
| Banská Bystrica | Besztercebánya[4] | ||
| Banská Štiavnica[5] | Selmecbánya | ||
| Bardejov | Bártfa[6] | ||
| Bihać | Bihács | Bišće, Bić | |
| Bistrița | Beszterce | Bistritz | |
| 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 | Neuschloss | |
| Győr | |||
| Kežmarok | Késmárk | ||
| Komárom | Komárom | ||
| Košice | Kassa | Kasschau | |
| Kőszeg | Kőszeg | ||
| Krapina | Korpona[10] | ||
| Kremnica | Körmöcbánya[11] | ||
| Levoča | Lőcse | ||
| Ľubietová | Libetbánya[12] | ||
| Mediaș | Medgyes[13] | Mediasch | |
| 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 | Sepsiszentgyörgy | Sankt Georg | |
| Sibiu | Nagyszeben | Hermannstadt | |
| Sighișoara | Segesvár[17] | Schäßburg | |
| Skalica | Szakolca | ||
| Sombor | Zombor | ||
| Sopron | Sopron | ||
| Subotica | Szabadka | ||
| Szeged | Szeged | ||
| Székesfehérvár | Székesfehérvár[18] | ||
| Târgu-Mureș | Marosvásárhely | Neumarkt am Marosch | |
| Timișoara | Temesvár | Temeschvar | |
| 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 | Marmaroschsiget | |
| Šamorín | Somorja | Zent Maria, Samaria | |
| Uzhhorod | Ungvár | ||
| Vasvár | Vasvár | ||
| Vršac | Versec |