At the beginning of the last quarter of the 19th century, the administrative system in Hungary underwent significant changes, as the laws of 1876 (XXXIII) and 1877 (I) dissolved the historically outdated privileged territories that had existed for centuries – including the Hajdú district – and incorporated them into the county system, resulting in the establishment of Hajdú County based in Debrecen. The idea of this had already emerged after the suppression of the 1848–49 revolution and war of independence – during which North and South Bihar counties were created – but after multiple reorganizations, by the end of 1860 and early 1861, the previous county system was restored, including the privileged territories. Following the Compromise of 1867, the demand for administrative reform intensified: in 1871, settlements were categorized into orderly council cities, large villages, and small villages. From 1872, the separation of administration and justice was introduced within counties and districts, district courts were established, large districts were dissolved and replaced with subdivisions/districts. The final step was the dissolution of various sized privileged territories in 1876–1877. The definitive formation of Hajdú County was preceded by more than three years of "struggle", beginning in 1873, during which Debrecen emerged victoriously with the support of Hajdúszoboszló, as the city became the seat of the county, to which six hajdú towns from Szabolcs and several villages from Bihar and Szabolcs were attached. Its territory remained unchanged until 1945, when two large villages (Nyírábrány and Nyírmártonfalva) were annexed from Szabolcs County, and then, in parallel with the establishment of the council system, Hajdú-Bihar County was created on March 16, 1950.