Estates and Constitution

Across eighteenth-century Europe, political power resided overwhelmingly with absolute monarchs, with notable exceptions including the much-studied British Parliament as well as the frequently overlooked Hungarian Diet, which placed serious constraints on royal power and broadened opportunities for political participation. Estates and Constitution provides a rich account of Hungarian politics during this period, restoring the Diet to its rightful place as one of the era s major innovations in government. Istvan M. Szijarto traces the religious, economic, and partisan forces that shaped the Diet, putting its historical significance in international perspective.