# Perpetual count

A perpetual count (Hungarian: örökös főispán, Latin: supremus et perpetuus comes) was a head or an ispán of a county in the Kingdom of Hungary (“Lord Lieutenant”) whose office was either hereditary or attached to the dignity of a prelate or of a great officer of the realm. The earliest examples of a perpetual ispánate are from the 12th century, but the institution flourished between the 15th and 18th centuries. Although all administrative functions of the office were abolished in 1870, the title itself was preserved until the general abolition of noble titles in Hungary in 1946.

## List of perpetual ispánates
### Ex officio ispánates

| County | Perpetual count | Period | Notes |
| Baranya | Bishop of Pécs | ?–1777 | |
| Bács | Archbishop of Kalocsa | ?–1776 | |
| Bihar | Bishop of Várad | 1466–1776 | |
| Esztergom | Archbishop of Esztergom | 1270–1300 1301–1881 | granted to archbishop Philip Türje by King Stephen V King Andrew III temporarily deprived the archbishop from the ispánate castellans of the archbishops' castle at Esztergom sometimes styled themselves ispán |
| Fehér | Voivode of Transylvania | | |
| Győr | Bishop of Győr | 1453–1783 | |
| Heves | Bishop (from 1804 Archbishop) of Eger | 1498–1840 | |
| Nyitra | Bishop of Nyitra | ?–1777 | |
| Outer Szolnok | Bishop (from 1804 Archbishop) of Eger | 1569–1840 | |
| Pest | Palatine | ?–1848 | |
| Pilis | Castellan of the Visegrád Castle | ?–? | |
| Pilis | Palatine | 1569–1848 | |
| Požega/Pozsega | Bishop of Bosznia | 1753–1770 | renounced of the title |
| Veszprém | Bishop of Veszprém | 1313–1323 1392–1773 | although King Charles I awarded the bishops with the ispánate, he seems to have failed to confirm this grant in 1323 the bishops perpetually held the office from 1392 |

### Hereditary ispánates

| County | Family | Period | Notes |
| Abaúj | Perényi | 1570–1598 1643–1699 | |
| Abaúj | Csáky | 1702–1764 | |
| Árva | Thurzó | 1585–1626 | also perpetual ispáns of Szepes County |
| Árva | Thököly | 1666–1668 | |
| Bereg | Schönborn | 1740– | last grant of a perpetual ispánate |
| Beszterce | Hunyadi | 1452–1458 | earliest example of a hereditary title in Hungary proper |
| Beszterce | Szilágyi | 1458–? | |
| Hont | Koháry | 1711–1826 | |
| Komárom | Nádasdy | 1751– | last grant of a perpetual ispánate |
| Liptó | Illésházy | 1582–1838 | also perpetual ispáns of Trencsén County |
| Požega/Pozsega | Keglevich | 1707–1749 | |
| Pozsony | Pálffy | 1651– | always a member of the family was appointed ispán from 1580 |
| Sáros | Rákóczi | 1666–1711 | always a member of the family was appointed ispán from 1622 |
| Sopron | Esterházy | 1686– | always a member of the family was appointed ispán from 1626 |
| Szepes | Szapolyai | 1464–1528 | |
| Szepes | Thurzó | 1531–1635 | also perpetual ispáns of Árva County |
| Szepes | Csáky | 1638– | |
| Teočak | Újlaki | 1464–? | in Bosnia |
| Trencsén | Illésházy | 1600–1838 | also perpetual ispáns of Liptó County |
| Turóc | Révay | 1712–1875 | always a member of the family was appointed ispán from 1532 |
| Valkó | Draskovich | 1693–1695 | the county was dissolved in 1695 |
| Varaždin/Varasd | Erdődy | 1570–c. 1582 | |
| Varaždin/Varasd | Erdődy | 1687– | always a member of the family was appointed ispán from 1607 |
| Vas | Batthyány | 1728– | |
| Zala | Althann | 1721–1824 | |