The Prosecutorial Function in the Age of Peerage in Hungary

Abstract

The profession of prosecutor was practised in Hungary for centuries. The legal representation of kings appeared in the 13th century and became permanent from the early 16th century. The Attorney General (prosecutor of the Holy Crown) represented the monarch in its private and criminal law affairs, and from 1774, this job was carried out with the support of a prosecutorial office. The legal representation of the local governments of the county, which are the fundamental building blocks of the Hungarian constitution, developed from the 17th century, and the county solicitors exercised this duty. The General Assembly elected legally trained persons for the duties in public, private, criminal, and penal law. Besides operating in these fields, they also engaged in activities as solicitors. In towns, the position of the legal counsel of the town began to emerge from the end of the 16th century. Representatives of landlords (legal counsel) were represented by a lawyer with a legal qualification until 1848, who contributed to the work of private courts. In the Reform Era an attempt was made for the prosecutor to codify the criminal proceedings.