The Charter of Despot Stefan on the Annual Fair in Munkács

officials, and archival material shows that the Despot also brought his own subjects from Serbia to administrative posts on his Hungarian estates.

At the beginning of the third decade of the 15th century, the fortress of Munkács, the town of Bereg and the market town of Beregszász, with the surrounding villages, which today lie in Transcarpathian Ukraine in the far west of the country, came into the possession of Despot Stefan . In the areas of present-day northeastern Hungary and southeastern Slovakia (in Abaújvár County) he owned several villages, and possibly also the fortresses of Boldogkő and Regéc, which were later retained by his successors. Probably in the same period he also acquired the castle of Tokaj on the Tisza River in Zemplén County.

The Despot's administration of his Hungarian estates has been little researched. The surviving material on his governance of these distant regions, which today lie in other states, is scarce and fragmentary. On the other hand, a number of Latin charters have been preserved that shed light on Despot Stefan's administration of his Hungarian estates. Most of these documents concern disputes and various problems in the wealthy Szatmár County. But there are also several documents relating to other places, such as the last known charter of Despot Stefan.

On May 6, 1427, at the place of Nekudim, Despot Stefan Lazarević issued a Latin charter concerning the fair in the town of Munkács. The town of Munkács, situated in Bereg County in the northeast of the Hungary of that time (today Mukachevo in Ukraine), had probably been in his possession since 1422/1423.

The inhabitants of Munkács had received from the Hungarian King Sigismund the right to hold an annual fair, which began on September 27, the feast of Saints Cosmas and Damian, and lasted fifteen days. Despot Stefan later confirmed this right by a charter (which has not been preserved), and in the charter of May 6, 1427, he called upon Hungarian officials and representatives of the local authorities to ensure the free arrival of merchants and visitors.

This document is one of the few surviving Latin acts from the Despot's chancery, and at the same time it is the last known document that he issued. Stefan Lazarević reposed on July 19 of the same year. His Hungarian estates were inherited by Đurađ Branković (1377–1456), but after 1444 he had to cede these estates to John Hunyadi (János Hunyadi - Lat. Ioannes Corvinus, 1387–1456), including the town of Munkács. Although Đurađ and his successors repeatedly tried to recover the lost territories, Munkács never belonged to them again.

However, the Despot's administration left its mark on this town. Besides confirming the right to the fair, it appears that Despot Stefan also granted other privileges to the inhabitants of Munkács. A confirmation of their enjoyment of the free use of the forests in the time of “the late old Despot” is recorded in an act of John Hunyadi from 1451.