Royal servant

A royal servant was a freeman in the Kingdom of Hungary in the 13th century who owned possession and was subordinate only to the king. The expression was documented for the first time in a charter issued in 1217. By the end of the 13th century, the use of the expression ceased, and the "royal servants" merged into the nobility of the kingdom and they formed the basis of the lesser nobility.
The "royal servants'" freedom became endangered during the reign of King Andrew II who granted whole "royal counties" to his partisans. The new lords endeavoured to expand their supremacy over the "royal servants" who owned possessions in the county. However, the "royal servants'" commenced to organize themselves and they persuaded the king to issue the Golden Bull, a royal decree summarizing and confirming their following liberties:

"royal servants" could not be arrested without a verdict;
they were exempt from taxation;
they were entitled to dispose of their properties in their last will in case they died without a male descendant, with the exception of the quarter due to their daughters;
"royal servants" were exempted from the jurisdiction of the heads of the counties;
outside the realm, they were obliged to serve in the king's army only for remuneration.