Ugrin Csák
Ugrin (III) Csák | |
---|---|
Judge royal | |
Reign | 1275–1276 |
Predecessor | Nicholas Geregye |
Successor | Mojs |
Born | 1230s |
Died | 1311 |
Noble family | gens Csák |
Issue | Nicholas II |
Father | Pós |
Ugrin (III) from the kindred Csák (Hungarian: Csák nembeli (III.) Ugrin, Croatian: Ugrin Čak, Serbian: Угрин Чак; died in 1311) was a prominent Hungarian baron and oligarch in the early 14th century. He was born into an ancient Hungarian clan. He actively participated in the various internal conflicts during the era of feudal anarchy since the reign of Ladislaus IV of Hungary. He held various dignities in the royal court in the 1270s. Simultaneously, he established a province surrounding his centre Syrmia in the southern parts of the kingdom.
Initially, he supported the efforts of Andrew III of Hungary, but later turned against him, and became the guardian and the most ardent domestic partisan of the young pretender Charles. After the extinction of the Árpád dynasty in 1301, he was among the so-called oligarchs or provincial lords, who ruled de facto independently their dominions. Charles I fought for the Hungarian throne during the civil war relying on his hinterland in Ugrin Csák's province. The elderly lord died in 1311, his dominion was soon integrated into the royal administration.
Family
Ugrin III was born into the Újlak (or Ilok) branch of the powerful and prestigious
Despite Ugrin has lived at least seventy years, he had only one known son from his much younger unidentified wife, Nicholas, whose career rose to its peak during the early reign of Louis I of Hungary and died in 1359 or 1360.[3] The Újlak branch became extinct with Ugrin's grandson Ladislaus, who died in 1364 without heirs.[4]
Early career
After the indirect reference to his person in the above-mentioned document from 1240, Ugrin first appeared in contemporary records in 1268, when he already served as Ban of Severin.[5] In that year, he donated the villages of Felsőpetény and Alsópetény in Nógrád County to his faithful familiaris Denis Zsadány.[6] It is uncertain whether Ugrin has supported Béla IV or his son Duke Stephen in their emerging conflict and civil war in the early 1260s. Following Stephen' victory and the division of the kingdom, the Banate of Severin belonged to Stephen's realm. However, Ugrin narrates in his charter that he was granted the dignity due to "King Béla's goodness".[7] Ugrin's lands laid in both realms during that time. As historian Péter Galambosi considers, Ugrin was made ban by Duke Stephen, but later joined the allegiance of Béla, who confirmed him in that position.[8] In the same year, 1268, but also without exact date, Alexander Karászi was referred to as the "current" Ban of Severin by Duke Stephen.[5]
Ugrin did not hold any positions during the short reign of Stephen V. Initially, he possibly belonged to the
Before December 1275, another shift in the government occurred; Ugrin Csák elevated into the dignity of Voivode of Transylvania. He was appointed Judge royal on 10 December. He held the dignity until January 1276, when he became voivode again and served in that capacity in the first half of that year.[14] These high-ranking positions show that Ugrin's influence gradually increased within the baronial group, becoming its third most important leader after his relatives, brothers Matthew II and Peter I Csák.[13] Ugrin was again Ban of Severin in 1276.[12]
Provincial lord
Establishment of his province
Joachim Gutkeled died while battling against the
When Ladislaus IV imprisoned papal legate Philip of Fermo in late 1279, Ugrin lost his dignity during a major change in the composition of the royal council. However, thereafter Ladislaus himself was also captured by some lords. In less than two months, both the legate and the king were set free and Ladislaus took a new oath to enforce the Cuman laws. In accordance with the agreement, Ugrin was appointed Master of the treasury again in the spring of 1280. However he lost the position within months.[18] Based on some indirect data in the contemporary documents, it is plausible that Ugrin became disgraced in the royal court for the remaining part of the reign of Ladislaus. This includes that the king's mother, Queen Dowager Elizabeth the Cuman was created Duchess of Macsó and Bosnia in 1279, which seriously violated and threatened the local interests of Ugrin. With this appointment, Ladislaus IV intended to restore royal power over the southern border area against Ugrin, who increasingly dominated the region with his informal power.[19]
Ugrin retired to his province across the river
Charles' guardian
Andrew III made his maternal uncle,
Andrew III died on 14 January 1301. With his death, the
Ugrin was the most ardent domestic supporter of Charles' claim to the Hungarian throne for a decade until his death.[29][30] The so-called Chronicon Posoniense ("Chronicle of Pressburg"; present-day Bratislava, Slovakia) also emphasized his importance several times, which fact suggests that the chronicle was written in the court of the Csáks' Újlak branch.[31] In the lists of barons, which were part of the royal charters issued by Charles in the first decade of the 14th century, Ugrin's name was constantly placed to the first place, ahead of the king's another mainstay Amadeus Aba.[29] Following Andrew's death, Ugrin had an important role in the subsequent events; under his guidance, Charles hurried Székesfehérvár, then Esztergom, where he was crowned king irregularly in the spring of 1301. Being Pope Boniface's candidate for the Hungarian throne, Charles had always been unpopular, because the Hungarian lords feared that they would "lose their freedom by accepting a king appointed by the Church", as the Illuminated Chronicle narrates. The majority of the lords supported Wenceslaus instead of him.[32] After Wenceslaus's coronation, Charles withdrew to Ugrin Csák's domains in the southern regions of the kingdom.[25]
Despite his advanced age, Ugrin participated in the unsuccessful siege of Buda in September 1302. Through his diplomat Benedict, he also played a decisive role in the concluding alliance between Charles and his cousin
His dominion
Ugrin Csák dominated the southern part of the Kingdom of Hungary, acquiring suzerainty over Upper Syrmia and other territories along the river Sava.
Because of his persistent loyalty to Charles, several historians did not list him among the oligarchs. The young pretender was put under the protection of Ugrin Csák.[25] He resided in Bélakút Abbey (near present-day Petrovaradin, Serbia), which laid in the neighbor of Újlak, Ugrin's seat.[3][44] In his dominion, Charles performed judicial powers, donated lands and customs, granted privileges of tax exemption and judicial freedom, while the possessions of those who died without an heir returned to the Crown.[45] Charles donated lands and granted privileges in Ugrin's territory even after he left the province for Buda in 1307, when his troops seized the town.[44] Therefore, Attila Zsoldos draws a distinction between the "oligarchs" and "provincial lords" regarding the role of the royal power in the provincial administration. While, accordingly, Ugrin was considered "only" provincial lord, Charles' other faithful partisans, Amadeus Aba or Stephen Ákos, who exercised sovereign rights in their domains but remained loyal to the king, were regarded as "loyal oligarchs".[46] While the Aba, Ákos and Kán sons rebelled against Charles after their fathers' deaths, Charles managed to restore full royal power without any resistance in Ugrin's domain after his death, despite the fact that he had a son, as royally appointed ispáns appear at the head of the counties which had formerly belonged to his province.[47]
Ugrin's familiares entered the service of Charles, while retained the allegiance and loyalty to their lord, which reflects a power-sharing between the monarch and Ugrin Csák in his province. Among them, Denis Zsadány was a long-time servant of Ugrin. He was present, when the king restored the privileges and rights of the church of Buda in September 1308. He attended the second coronation of Charles as the envoy of Ugrin in June 1309.[48] His skilled diplomat Benedict also represented him in the event; on his way to home, he was captured by the partisans of Henry II Kőszegi. His remaining fate is unknown.[49] The renowned military leader, Paul Garai initially also belonged to Ugrin's household; he served as castellan of Požega Castle, when it was granted to the arriving Charles.[50] He participated in the war against Bohemia in the autumn of 1304. The neighboring oligarch, Stephen Dragutin's troops pillaged Ugrin Csák's domains in 1307, but Garai made a counter-attack and defeated Dragutin's army, according to the narration of a royal charter issued on 13 October 1307. Records of the destructions that Dragutin and his troops made in Valkó and Syrmia counties most probably refer to Dragutin's frequent raids against Ugrin Csák's territories in 1309 and 1310. Dragutin's army was led by John Smaragd, but he was defeated and captured by Paul Garai. Formerly, Ugrin's province also faced a series of attacks by the Kőszegis at the turn of 1304 and 1305; firstly they ravaged Požega County, then Valkó County (Henry Kőszegi issued his charter there in January 1305). Their troops marched to the town of Eng, which then was liberated by Paul Garai. Thereafter his army gradually ousted the invaders from Ugrin's territory.[51]
Ugrin Csák died by the end of 1311; his son Nicholas confirmed one of his former land donations in Požega County on 27 December 1317 and noted the act occurred in the sixth year after his father's death. Following Ugrin's death, his province had disintegrated without resistance and merged into the royal administration. Albeit Nicholas did not inherit his father's oligarchic power, he was able to retain his family's private equity, as he issued his charter in Újlak. Consequently, Ugrin Csák's dominion became the basis of the wealth of the emerging Újlaki family, which was granted the lands once owned by Ugrin after his branch died out in 1364.[21][52]
References
- ^ Zsoldos 2011, p. 347.
- ^ a b Galambosi 2017, p. 291.
- ^ a b c d e Markó 2006, p. 275.
- ^ Engel: Genealógia (Genus Csák, 8. Újlak branch)
- ^ a b Zsoldos 2011, p. 49.
- ^ Galambosi 2017, p. 293.
- ^ Kristó 1979, p. 120.
- ^ Galambosi 2017, p. 294.
- ^ Zsoldos 2011, pp. 57, 207.
- ^ Galambosi 2017, p. 295.
- ^ Szűcs 2002, p. 395.
- ^ a b Zsoldos 2011, p. 50.
- ^ a b Galambosi 2017, p. 297.
- ^ Zsoldos 2011, pp. 33, 39.
- ^ Zsoldos 2011, pp. 64, 131.
- ^ Zsoldos 2011, pp. 51–52.
- ^ Galambosi 2017, p. 298.
- ^ Zsoldos 2011, p. 64.
- ^ Kristó 1979, pp. 31, 51.
- ^ a b c Galambosi 2017, p. 301.
- ^ a b Engel 1996, p. 451.
- ^ Zsoldos 2011, p. 182.
- ^ a b Galambosi 2017, p. 302.
- ^ a b c Báling 2015, p. 102.
- ^ a b c d Kristó 1999, p. 44.
- ^ Galambosi 2017, p. 303.
- ^ Kristó 1979, p. 139.
- ^ Engel 1996, pp. 100, 164, 199, 221.
- ^ a b Kristó 1999, p. 42.
- ^ Báling 2015, p. 106.
- ^ Galambosi 2017, p. 304.
- ^ a b Galambosi 2017, p. 305.
- ^ Galambosi 2017, p. 306.
- ^ Engel 1996, p. 36.
- ^ Kristó 1999, p. 43.
- ^ Engel 1996, p. 470.
- ^ Galambosi 2017, p. 307.
- ^ Engel 1996, p. 6.
- ^ Galambosi 2017, p. 308.
- ^ Zsoldos 2011, p. 207.
- ^ a b Galambosi 2017, p. 309.
- ^ Kristó 1979, p. 194.
- ^ a b Galambosi 2017, p. 310.
- ^ a b Galambosi 2017, p. 312.
- ^ Zsoldos 2012, p. 353.
- ^ Zsoldos 2012, p. 352.
- ^ Zsoldos 2012, p. 354.
- ^ Kristó 1999, p. 53.
- ^ Kristó 1979, p. 161.
- ^ Báling 2015, p. 99.
- ^ Galambosi 2017, pp. 313–314.
- ^ Galambosi 2017, p. 316.
Sources
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- Engel, Pál (1996). Magyarország világi archontológiája, 1301–1457, I [Secular Archontology of Hungary, 1301–1457, Volume I] (in Hungarian). História, MTA Történettudományi Intézete. ISBN 963-8312-44-0.
- Galambosi, Péter (2017). "Csák Ugrin, a hűséges tartományúr [Ugrin Csák, the Loyal Provincial Lord]". Fons (in Hungarian). 24 (3). Szentpétery Imre Történettudományi Alapítvány: 289–322. ISSN 1217-8020.
- Kristó, Gyula (1979). A feudális széttagolódás Magyarországon [Feudal Anarchy in Hungary] (in Hungarian). Akadémiai Kiadó. ISBN 963-05-1595-4.
- Kristó, Gyula (1999). "I. Károly király főúri elitje (1301–1309) [The Aristocratic Elite of King Charles I, 1301–1309]". Századok (in Hungarian). 133 (1). Magyar Történelmi Társulat: 41–62. ISSN 0039-8098.
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- Szűcs, Jenő (2002). Az utolsó Árpádok [The Last Árpáds] (in Hungarian). Osiris Kiadó. ISBN 963-389-271-6.
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- Zsoldos, Attila (2012). "Hűséges oligarchák [Loyal Oligarchs]". In Baráth, Magdolna; Molnár, Antal (eds.). A történettudomány szolgálatában: Tanulmányok a 70 éves Gecsényi Lajos tiszteletére (in Hungarian). ISBN 978-963-7228-34-6.