The Baroque provincial town in the Great Plain lies approximately 118 km (73 mi) south of Budapest on the east side of the Danube. The town is almost as old as the Hungarian state itself. After the Conquest, the tribe of Prince Árpád settled down here. Later, along with Esztergom, Kalocsa was an archdiocese founded by King Stephen in the early years of the Hungarian state. The first archbishop of the town was Asztrik, who brought the crown to Stephen from the Pope. In the first decade of the 11th century, the first church was built. In the Middle Ages history of Hungary, some generals served as archbishops. For example, Ugrin Csák (archbishop from 1219 till 1241) was the leader against the Tartars at the battle of Mohi 11 April 1241. Another significant general was Pál Tomori who was (archbishop from 1523–1526) the leader of the Hungarian army against the Turks. He was killed in an action at the battle of Mohács.
The Turks entered Kalocsa on August 15, 1529. With people of the town dispersed, nobody cultivated the lands, and the archiepiscopal status lost its importance. In 1602, Hungarian Calvinistic Haiduk burned down Kalocsa. After the 148 years lasting rule, on 13 October 1686 the Turks burnt down the castle of Kalocsa and withdrew their troops. Peace was delayed because of the uprising against the Habsburgs led by the Transylvanian Prince Ferenc Rákóczi II.
The returned archbishops tried to increase the population and attracted new residents. Cardinal Mire Csáki (1710–1732) recovered the lands for Kalocsa and its neighbors. They organized a large (about 23,000 hectares) territory, including marshlands, gardens, and vineyards near Kalocsa.
In the 18th century, the villeinage held the lands. The next class were the craftswomen and craftsmen. The first charter of incorporation was mentioned in 1737 in Kalocsa. In 1769 a total of 90 craftswomen and men lived in the town. Because of the clergy and the schools, the population had
