Golden Bull of 1242

The Golden Bull of 1242 was a golden bull or edict, issued by King Béla IV of Hungary to inhabitants of Gradec (part of today's Zagreb in Croatia) during Mongol invasion of Europe. By this golden bull King Bela IV proclaimed a royal free city. The Golden Bull was a very important document by which Gradec was declared and proclaimed "a free royal city on Gradec, the hill of Zagreb". It stated that the towns were subject directly to the King, not to the nobles whose estate they were situated on. The citizens were given rights of different kinds; among other things they were entitled to elect their own "city judge" fulfilling the role of a mayor. They were also entitled to manage their own affairs.

 The first recorded appearance of the name Zagreb is dated to 1094, at which time the city existed as two different city centers: the smaller, eastern Kaptol, inhabited mainly by clergy and housing Zagreb Cathedral, and the larger, western Gradec, inhabited mainly by farmers and merchants. Gradec and Zagreb were united in 1851 by ban Josip Jelačić, who was credited for this, with the naming the main city square, Ban Jelačić Square in his honour.