Torda County

Kingdom of Hungary

Counties (districts formed around royal fortresses) were the basic units of royal administration in the Kingdom of Hungary from the 11th century.^[2] The fortress initially serving as the seat of Torda County was located at a distance of about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi)^[3] from modern Torda (now Turda, Romania), above the village Várfalva (now Moldovenești, Romania), on the river Aranyos (now Arieș in Romania).^[4] A cemetery near the castle was used from the turn of the 10th and 11th centuries.^[4]

The earliest royal charter mentioning the castle is from 1075,^[5] but only its interpolated version has been preserved.^[6] The earliest authentic charter referring to the same castle is dated to 1177.^[7] Although the county itself was only first mentioned in 1227,^[8] a reference in the charter of 1075 to taxes levied on salt at the castle implies the existence of a system of administration.^[9] Reference to an unnamed^[10] ispán of Torda was preserved in a charter from 1221.^[3] The ispáns of Torda were appointed by the voivodes of Transylvania, the representative of the kings of Hungary in the province.^[11]

Eastern Hungarian Kingdom

Principality of Transylvania

Austria-Hungary

Fourteenth century

Fifteenth century

Sixteenth century

Seventeenth century

Eighteenth century

Nineteenth century