the most influential prelate in the 12th-century Hungary. Nicholas first appears as archbishop in a royal document of 1181, when Béla returned fleeing serfs to the Cégény Abbey in accordance with the verdict of Farkas Gatal, Palatine of Hungary. Nicholas crowned the eight-year-old prince Emeric king on 16 May 1182, which confirmed Emeric's right to succeed his father, according to the narration of French chronicler Geoffroy du Breuil. Nicholas is the first archbishop, whose own charter was preserved. Accordingly, the Esztergom Chapter sold a portion of land in Kéménd (present-day Kamenín, Slovakia) to Farkas Gatal for two marks in 1183. The document contains the phrase "sigillum authenticum" (official authentic seal), which guaranteed systematically the contractants' transactions recorded in writing. Pope Alexander III distinguished that type of document from private seals in 1166, beginning with his papal decretals. The permanent royal chancellery also emerged during the brief bishopric of Nicholas. Whether he was a promoter of court reforms, it is not known. Nevertheless, Béla separated the issuance of royal charters from the court clergy with that step after the experience of his long lasting jurisdictional conflicts with the strong-willed Lucas. Nicholas died either in 1183 or 1184, as his successor Job appears as archbishop since 1185. References Sources 1180s deaths Archbishops of Esztergom Bishops of Várad 12th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Hungary 12th-century Hungarian people