A History of Central Eastern Europe

THE REINS OF GOVERNMENT – WHO HELD THEM AND WHAT DID THEY DO?
ROYAL COUNTIES (late 10 th c – late 13 th c): Each county was the responsibility of a county head,
whose seat was a castle - a quasi-capital of the county. The county head was the representative of
the king, the judge, and the supreme law observance supervisor on his respective territory. He
collected the fees and payments in kind made by the subjects for the king, gave two thirds of
them to the king and kept the rest. His castle had special fortification and was able to withstand
long-term besieges. The royal county divided into castle districts; official language was Latin.
Royal County: Latin compagus civitatis / comitatus comitatus
Hungarian: vármegye / megye / várispánság
Slovak: kráľovský / komitát / župa / hradské španstvo
Royal County head: Latin: comes civitatis / comes comitatus
Hungarian: ispán
Slovak: župan
German: Gespan
Royal County Deputy:
Latin (only): comes castri / castellani
NOBLE COUNTIES (late 13 th c – 1848): In the late 13th century, the royal counties gradually turned
into noble counties maintaining the same borders, duties – support the king militarily – and the
title of county head. The noble county was an autonomous entity of lower gentry. It was led by
the comes who was appointed by the king for a specific amount of time with the right to recall,
and (mostly) by his deputy, appointed by the king, subject to increasing influence of the comes
from the 15 th c on. The comes were the supreme feudal lords of the county, usually held higher
offices such as Palatine or Treasurer and beginning in the 14 th c were the county castellan for the
castle. Beginning in the13th c, the real county administrator was the deputy county heads; they
presided over the county assembly, supervised the police, regulated and collected taxes and
maintained bridges and roads. The deputy became the effective county castellan or held an
equally influential post from the 15 th c.
Noble County: Latin: comitatus
Hungarian: vármegye / megye
Slovak: stolica / župa
Noble County head: Latin: comes
Hungarian: ispán
Slovak: župan
German: Gespan
Noble County Deputy: Latin: comes curialis / vicecomes
Hungarian: alispán / vicispán
Slovak: podžupan / vicišpán
German: Untergespan / Vizegespan
COUNTIES (1849 – 1918)
Main county head: Latin: comes (supremus)
Hungarian: főispán
Slovak: hlavný župan
German: Obergespan
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