Közjegyzők a középkori Pécsen: Pozsegavári Márton fia, Balázs
Notaries in medieval Pécs: Balázs, the son of Márton Pozsegavári

Summary/Abstract: The paper consists of four chapters. The first discusses the history of the places of authentication (loca credibilia) in medieval Hungary. In the second, the author examines the operation of notaries licensed to issue authentic charters and describes the formal characteristics of the documents they prepared. He claims that it was only in the second half of the 14th century when notary offices finally became widespread in Hungary. As the scribal culture and the activity of the places of authentication could practically completely fulfill local demand, notaries were of secondary importance. They dealt only with ecclesiastical jurisdiction and the connected legal institutions. The third chapter describes the notaries active in the diocese and the city of Pécs. Among them, a person, who has only recently become known, played an especially important role, he was Balázs, the son of Márton Pozsegavári. He is first mentioned in 1459 in the last will of a Pécs citizen, Henry of Bastogne. Probably it was he who prepared the testament for Henry, in which he is mentioned in relation to its execution as well. His notarial activity was praised in a charter issued by the city of Pécs on 8 March, 1456. This recently discovered document, published by the author in the appendix, has survived in the Medici collection of the State Archives of Florence (Archivio di Stato di Firenze. Mediceo avanti il Principato).

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