### laws, Golden Bull
Laws An important territory of legislative literacy. The juristic life of the Middle Ages was regulated by unwritten laws. Written laws were needed where customary laws were missing, or the customary laws needed changes. First of all matters in connection with the church and religion, and the questions belonging to criminal law required written regulations. In these cases the synod resolutions and collections of church laws of the Caroling age were the sources of legislation. In the 11th century laws were enacted by the king and the council during mixed synods, where the mixed royal council made decisions in secular and ecclesiastical questions. From the beginning of the 12th century church legislation became independent, and decisions were made at church synods. Presumably they had to make theoretical decisions several times, which were included in unified law books later. From the 11-12th century on there are two law-books connected to St Stephen, three connected to St Ladislaus, and two connected to Coloman. Besides these the text of two synods in Esztergom and a smaller text, a fragment of a synod survived from the 12th century. In the 13th century laws were substituted by letters of privileges issued for bigger social groups, but from the end of the century, from King Andrew III's age, two legislative memories and a council resolution survived. From the point of view of literature, the law-book from the age of King Coloman is an excellent one, as it had a prologue of literary value. It was Alberic who compiled it. Hungarian laws survived only in later, 15-16th century copies. SzK Golden Bull Originally its meaning referred to the golden hanging seal, which authenticised the charter. It also referred to letters of liberations provided with such seals. Most frequently, however, the Golden Bull means King Andrew II's law enacted in 1222. SGY