What reforms did the March Laws of 1848 introduce in Hungary?

The March Laws (also known as the April Laws) were a series of legislative measures enacted in 1848 that transformed Hungary into a modern national state. These reforms introduced significant political and social changes:

• Political Autonomy: The laws established a responsible, independent Hungarian ministry based in Budapest, which was accountable to the Hungarian parliament rather than Vienna. Hungary gained control over its own national guard, budget, and foreign policy, while maintaining a union with the Austrian Empire only through the person of the emperor-king.12
• Parliamentary Reform: The feudal Diet was replaced by a representative parliament, with suffrage based on property qualifications.12
• Social and Economic Reform: The nobility’s tax exemption was abolished, generalizing taxation across the population. Feudalism was effectively ended by abolishing the robot (labor owed by peasants to landlords), with the state providing compensation to landowners.12
• Territorial Integrity: The laws sought to restore the territorial integrity of the lands of the crown of St. Stephen, including Transylvania and Croatia, and mandated the use of the Hungarian language for parliamentary representatives.12