Theodore Tengerdi
Theodore Tengerdi | |
|---|---|
Vice-chancellor | |
| Personal details | |
| Died | May/October 1308 |
| Nationality | Hungarian |
| Parents | Nicholas I Tengerdi |
| Alma mater | University of Bologna |
Theodore Tengerdi (
Early career
Theodore was born into a prominent Transdanubian family, which originated from Tengerd in Fejér County. His father was vice-judge royal Nicholas I, who bought the village and the surrounding lands in 1256.[1] Theodore had two elder brothers, Nicholas II and Ladislaus I, who actively participated in the royal military campaigns against the Kingdom of Bohemia in the early 1270s. Ladislaus had a daughter Anne, who married James Hahót. The brothers' branch died out by the middle of the 14th century. The Rumi and the Botka de Széplak noble families descended from Theodore's uncles.[2]
As the youngest one, Theodore entered ecclesiastical service. Consequently, he attended the University of Bologna, a university record preserved his name in February 1269, when his debt (18 pounds) was settled by another Hungarian student Paul in his name.[3] He bore the title of "magister", demonstrating his education and skills in science.[4] Theodore was first mentioned by contemporary records in 1274, when Ladislaus IV of Hungary recovered the estate of Sitke and donated Chueföld, which then belonged to Szolgagyőr Castle (present-day ruins in Hlohovec, Slovakia), to the three brothers for the bravery and loyalty of Nicholas and Ladislaus in the previous years. He elevated into the dignity of provost of Szeben (today Sibiu, Romania) by 1284, serving in this office until 1287. Simultaneously, he also acted as a personal notary of King Ladislaus IV.[5] Theodore was also a confidant of the queen mother, Elizabeth the Cuman and the queen consort Elizabeth of Sicily: the two queens jointly donated Dencs and Sztupán, accessories to the Segesd lordship, to Theodore and Ladislaus in June 1284 (their brother Nicholas died by then).[6]
Ladislaus made Theodore as his vice-chancellor in 1286. In the next year, he was also elected provost of Székesfehérvár, thus he held both offices simultaneously, which have traditionally belonged together in the previous decades.[7] By that time, he was already a canon of the collegiate chapter.[8] During his appointment, he was granted Iváncsa by the king's spouse, Queen Elizabeth of Sicily.[6] A single charter from 1289 also styled him as Bishop-elect of Vác, but he was unable to take the office for unknown reasons.[9] Theodore was confirmed as provost by Pope Nicholas IV shortly after February 1289, when he instructed the local Dominican prior and the custos of the local Franciscans to investigate the regularity of his election before confirmation.[8]
Crown guard and bishop
It is possible that Theodore supported Archbishop Lodomer, who entered into an alliance with the rebellious Kőszegi family against the immoral and weak-handed Ladislaus IV and agreed to offer the crown to the king's distant relative Andrew the Venetian, who arrived to Hungary in early 1290. However Andrew was captured and surrendered him to Duke Albert. Ladislaus was assassinated by his favored Cuman subjects on 10 July 1290. Following the assassination, Lodomer managed to free Andrew from his captivity in order to crown king. As provost of Székesfehérvár, Theodore also functioned as guardian of the Holy Crown of Hungary. Upon Andrew's arrival, his unidentified opponents tried to bribe Theodore not to hand over the crown jewels to the soon-to-be-king, but the provost refused them. Archbishop Lodomer crowned Andrew king in Székesfehérvár on 23 July 1290.[10]
Theodore was a staunch supporter of Andrew III throughout his reign. He retained his positions of vice-chancellor and provost of Székesfehérvár too. He was one of the main organizers of the
Theodore Tengerdi was elected Bishop of Győr around April 1295.
Interregnum
Andrew III died in 1301. With his death, the
To strengthen his son's position, Wenceslaus II of Bohemia came to Hungary at the head of a large army in May 1304. However, his negotiations with the local lords convinced him that his son's position in Hungary had dramatically weakened. Accordingly, he decided to take his son back to Bohemia and even took the Holy Crown of Hungary with himself to Prague. According to the narration of the Steirische Reimchronik ("Styrian Rhyming Chronicle"), perceiving the intrigue, Theodore Tengerdi and his small accompaniment caught up to the royal escort before crossing the border. There, the bishop asked and begged King Wenceslaus not to take the Holy Crown and the royal insignia out of the Kingdom of Hungary, but the Bohemian king replied angrily the crown is not entitled to anyone more than the rightful king who is his son, and the Holy Crown must be kept where the king resides.[19] Theodore and his banderium participated in the invasion of Bohemia in the autumn of 1304.[20] Theodore Tengerdi died sometimes between May and October 1308, when he was succeeded by Ivan Kőszegi's illegitimate son Nicholas, who was Theodore's deputy as provost of the collegiate chapter of St. Adalbert church in Győr prior to that.[21]
References
- ^ Győri 2008, p. 25.
- ^ Engel: Genealógia (Tengerdi kinship 1. Rumi branch)
- ^ Haraszti Szabó & Kelényi 2019, p. 122.
- ^ Győri 2008, p. 26.
- ^ a b Szűcs 2002, p. 451.
- ^ a b Győri 2008, p. 28.
- ^ Zsoldos 2011, p. 113.
- ^ a b Kertész 2022, p. 45.
- ^ Zsoldos 2011, p. 97.
- ^ Zsoldos 2003, p. 136.
- ^ Zsoldos 2003, p. 163.
- ^ a b c d Győri 2008, p. 32.
- ^ Szűcs 2002, p. 456.
- ^ a b Bánk 1968, p. 33.
- ^ Zsoldos 2011, p. 92.
- ^ Zsoldos 2003, p. 204.
- ^ a b c Győri 2008, p. 36.
- ^ Kádár 2015, pp. 78–80.
- ^ Kádár 2015, p. 87.
- ^ Kádár 2015, p. 94.
- ^ Engel 1996, p. 71.
Sources
- Bánk, József, ed. (1968). Győregyházmegyei almanach. Schematizmus Dioecesis Jaurinensis [Almanac of the Diocese of Győr] (in Hungarian). Authority of the Diocese of Győr.
- ISBN 963-8312-44-0.
- Győri, Éva (2008). "Győri püspökök a XIII. században [The Bishops of Győr in the 13th Century]". Belvedere Meridionale (in Hungarian). 20 (1–2): 24–43. ISSN 1419-0222.
- Haraszti Szabó, Péter; Kelényi, Borbála (2019). Magyarországi diákok francia, angol, itáliai és német egyetemeken a középkorban, 1100–1526 [Students from Hungary at the Universities of France, England, Italy and Germany in the Middle Ages 1100–1526] (in Hungarian). ELTE Egyetemi Könyvtár és Levéltár; MTA ELTE Egyetemtörténeti Kutatócsoport. ISBN 978-963-489-098-0.
- Kádár, Tamás (2015). "Harcban a koronáért. I. Károly (Róbert) király uralkodásának első évei 1305 végéig [Fight for the Crown. The First Regnal Years of Charles I (Robert) until the End of 1305]". Történeti Tanulmányok. Acta Universitatis Debreceniensis (in Hungarian). 23: 42–111. ISSN 1217-4602.
- Kertész, Balázs (2022). A székesfehérvári káptalan archontológiája és oklevéladó tevékenysége az Árpád-korban [The Archontology and Diploma Issuing Activity of the Chapter of Székesfehérvár in the Age of Árpáds] (in Hungarian). Városi Levéltár és Kutatóintézet. ISBN 978-963-8406-27-9.
- Szűcs, Jenő (2002). Az utolsó Árpádok [The Last Árpáds] (in Hungarian). Osiris Kiadó. ISBN 963-389-271-6.
- Zsoldos, Attila (2003). "III. András". In Szovák, Kornél; Szentpéteri, József; Szakács, Margit (eds.). Szent István és III. András [Saint Stephen and Andrew III] (in Hungarian). Kossuth Kiadó. pp. 119–227. ISBN 963-09-4461-8.
- Zsoldos, Attila (2011). Magyarország világi archontológiája, 1000–1301 [Secular Archontology of Hungary, 1000–1301] (in Hungarian). História, MTA Történettudományi Intézete. ISBN 978-963-9627-38-3.
