Kecskemét

Kecskemét developed as a market town between Buda and Szeged. A royal charter called it an oppidum in 1368, and a document of 1423 referred to its elected judge. Even after the town passed into private lordship, its residents retained important privileges: they chose their officers, paid the lord's dues collectively, and could buy and sell their holdings.

Ottoman rule brought taxation and supervision while the Hungarian judge and council continued to conduct local affairs. Religious life also changed. The medieval stone church of Saint Nicholas was used by Catholics and Protestants during the Reformation. A separate Calvinist church was consecrated in 1684 with the sultan's permission. These arrangements made Kecskemét a town where local institutions endured under overlapping authorities. In the eighteenth century seigneurial justice became more regular: from 1713 the Koháry family's manorial court held sessions there, adding another forum to the town's established judicial life.