### charter, arenga, narration
Charter A document made according to prescribed formulae, which declares a legal fact, and its original function is to guarantee this legal fact. There were different types of charters, concerning their form and function, and the most common - but not exclusive - way to certify them was sealing. In the age of the Árpád dynasty charters were written exclusively on parchments - a very thin leather made of animal skin (mainly sheep) specially curried. (Paper appeared only in the beginning of the 14th century in Hungary.) Charters were issued mainly by the king, by members of his family, different ecclesiastical and secular dignitaries and bodies, but there were some private charters as well. From the age of the Árpád dynasty - as a scanty portion of the original quantity - only ten thousand charters (texts) survived, most of them from the second half of the 13th century. They were the most important types of sources if the history of the Middle Ages: a document made according to fixed formulae, which had juristic importance. It had a regular, exactly determined structure. Its structure consists of formulae, the main parts are the following: introductory part (protocollum, its parts are invocation, intitulation and the name of the addresse, the arenga), the body (= contextus, its parts are narration and disposal) and finally the closing part (= eschatocollum, its parts are the asserting formula, signatures and the sanction). The existence of the parts and their order is typical of certain issuers of charters, and it is also an important factor of authenticity. Charters were made authentic by prescribed forms (signet, signature or chirogrpah). The regular royal charter in Hungary was born by King Béla III's chancellery reforms. Charters could survive in their original forms or in transcrips (Medieval authentic copy) or in a simple (medieval of modern) copy. Concerning their contents they can be authentic, interpolated or forgeries. The samples of forgeries were often authentic charters. SZK-ZSA arenga The formulae of the protocollum (introductory part) of charters, which connects the protocollum to the context. In general its content was not really relevant to the matter discussed in the charter. It usually contained general information and commonplaces about the matter in the charter. The composition, however, often follow the medieval style, its expressions are Biblical, of antique origin and sometimes it contains theological quotations. SzK narration The first part of the context (body) of the charter, where the issuer tells the story of the matter discussed in the charter. In case of deeds of gift it told about the merits of the donator, by which he deserved the privileges he received from the ruler. In charters from the age of the Árpád dynasty narrations are often as long as smaller epic works, as, for example, in the letter of privilege of Pannonhalma. SzK