Csongrád county arose in the 11th century as one of the first counties of the Kingdom of Hungary. It was taken by the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century, and reconquered by the Habsburg Kingdom of Hungary at the end of the 17th century (recognised in the 1699 Treaty of Karlowitz). The southern part of the county, including Szeged, was part of the (Mureș) Military Frontier until the mid-18th century.
On 1 June 1786 the county was merged with Békés and Csanád counties to form Békés-Csanád-Csongrád; they were re-separated in 1790.[citation needed]
The county gained Kiskundorozsma with the abolition of the Jászkunság in 1876. Prior to that the area had formed a large salient (panhandle) mostly separating the southernmost area from the rest of the county; the two areas were connected by a small section of land between Kiskundorozsma and the Tisza only around 3.2 km (2.0 mi) across.
In the early 19th century Csongrád County was divided into two processus, which were separated by the Tisza: Processus Cis-Tybiscanus in the west and Processus Trans-Tybiscanus in the east.[6]
In 1854 Csongrád county comprised the following Bezirke (presented as they appear in the defining act):[1]
Stuhlbezirk Csongrád
Stuhlbezirk Szentes
Stuhlbezirk Vásárhely (Hódmezővásárhely)
Landbezirk Szegedin (i.e. the area around the city)