Szentemágócs (or Szente-Mágocs) was the name of a gens (Latin for "clan"; nemzetség in Hungarian) in the Kingdom of Hungary.
History First acquisitions The early 13th-century chronicler Anonymus writes in his work, the Gesta Hungarorum, that the common ancestor of the Kölcse (i.e. Szentemágócs) and Kalán clans was Ond, one of the seven chieftains of the Magyars during the conquest of the Carpathian Basin in the late 9th century, through his son Ete. Anonymus writes that Ond was granted lands in the area of Tisza river.Anonymus, Notary of King Béla: The Deeds of the Hungarians (ch. 6), p. 19.
The progenitors of the kindred were brothers Szente (Zenta) and Mágócs (Maguch), who may have lived no later than the early 12th century. The ancient seat of the clan was Mágocs, which lay along the border between Baranya and Tolna counties in Transdanubia. They founded a Benedictine monastery, dedicated to Saint Peter, there at an unknown time. The abbey is first mentioned in 1251, when Elizabeth, the spouse of ispán Apsa bequeathed her estates to the Benedictine monks.
By the early 13th century, the genus had spread to many parts of the kingdom, mainly in Békés, Szabolcs, Szatmár, Zemplén, Sáros and Valkó counties. They acquired estates in the western part of Békés County, where the villages Szentetornya (present-day a borough of Orosháza) and Nagymágocs preserve the name of the clan. They also became landowners in Szabolcs County, in the area between the rivers Tisza and Szamos (Someș), where ispán Kölcse received extensive landed estates as a royal grant, namely Kölcse, Istvándi, Kóród, Csécse, Cseke, Milota and Cégény. He erected a Benedictine monastery, dedicated to Virgin Mary, in Cégény sometime between 1140 and 1181. In the latter year, Béla III of Hungary confirmed his donations to the newly founded monastery. The noble families descended from the clan were patrons of the monastery in the upcoming centuries. Prior to 1204, the Szentemágócs kindred founded a Cistercian abbey, dedicated to Virgin Mary, in the borough Szentmáriamező near the royal capital Esztergom. Some members of the kindred also possessed a forest near Ordas in Fejér County in 1229. This is the first time, when the name of the kindred ("Senta et Maguch") is mentioned.
The formation of families Members of the clan appear in the second half of the 13th century; however, due to a lack of sources, it is impossible to outline the degrees of kinship between them. Historian János Karácsonyi defined the various branches according to the estates. However, the awareness of clan affiliation still existed in 1291, when several members from various branches approved to certain members of the clan's Szabolcs branch to regain the patronage over the Cistercian St. Mary monastery in Esztergom in or out of court.
Tolna–Baranya branch Matthew, son of Saul bought a half portion of the village Bika in Tolna County for 10 marks around 1270. His sons, Demetrius and Stephen handed over the estate to the Szakadáti family in 1291 following a lost lawsuit which ruled that the plaintiffs had held a right of first refusal at the time regarding the share purchased by Matthew. The two brothers received the purchase price back in 1293. Their permanent residence was in their estate Cél (Chely) laid near Lengyel.
Albert appears in contemporary records in 1264, when – as an influential local lord – he mediated a dispute between the nobles of Gerenás in Tolna County and the Knights Hospitaller. His son was Michael, who served as Palatine of Hungary from 1291 to 1292. This political rise was unusual for the era, occurring without any prior indication. Therefore, historian Tamás Kádár considered the 1291 single document styles Michael as palatine retrospectively, and he possibly held the dignity in the late 1280s (mostly 1288 or 1289), when the politically isolated Ladislaus IV of Hungary appointed officials from the minor nobility. Michael was one of the family members, who approved to regain the St. Mary monastery for the clan in 1291. It is possible that his uncle was that comes Györk (Gurk),Engel: Genealógia (Genus Szentemágócs 7., fragments) who paid 20 marks to his widowed daughter-in-law (a daughter of Kompolt from the gens Aba) in respect of her marriage portion and dowry in 1291. However, he still owed his granddaughter her "daughters' quarter" of the inheritance. Györk's sons were also among the family members, who approved to regain the St. Mary monastery in 1291. Among them, Apsa – alongside other members from the kinship – testified in 1292 concerning the losses suffered by the cathedral chapter of Esztergom caused by the sons of Casimir Hont-Pázmány. This implies that Györk's branch also possessed some estates around the archiepiscopal seat.
Family tree
N Albert (fl. 1264) Michael (fl. 1291) Györk (fl. 1291) Gregory (fl. 1291) Apsa (fl. 1291–1292) Mágócs (fl. 1291) Ladislaus (fl. 1291) Inabor (1291†) ∞ N Aba (fl. 1291) a daughter (fl. 1291)
Stephen, son of Mark (I), served as cantor of the cathedral chapter of Pécs between 1287 and 1296. He and his brother Mark (II) were also among the family members, who approved to regain the St. Mary monastery in 1291. Mark testified in 1292 concerning the losses suffered by the cathedral chapter of Esztergom. Mark possessed the estate Anya along the river Sárvíz (near present-day Sióagárd) in Tolna County. He acted as an arbiter in a process of determination of borders concerning the Szakadátis' inherited possessions in 1315. His son was Bodó, who is mentioned as a royal bailiff in 1338. He was the ancestor of the Bodó de Györgyi family, which flourished until the mid-16th century.Engel: Genealógia (Genus Szentemágócs 5., Bodó de Györgyi family) The estate Györgyi once had laid near Mágocs in Tolna County.
Family tree
Mark I Stephen (fl. 1287–1296) Mark II (fl. 1291–1292) Bodó (fl. 1338) Nicholas → Bodó de Györgyi family
Gregory, son of James, was also among the family members, who approved to regain the St. Mary monastery in 1291. He and his nephew Peter (son of Bencenc) bought the land Kubli in Tolna County around 1300. There, Gregory founded the villages Szalatnak and Bikal. His sons, John and Chama possessed the estate Himesd, southeast to Mágocs (near Köblény), in 1324–1325. The influential lord Nicholas Treutel accused John of theft in 1325. Palatine Philip Drugeth sentenced them to trial by combat. To avoid this, the two parties eventually reached an agreement: Nicholas withdrew the charge, while John sold two of his villages – Szalatnak and Bikal – to the lord below market value (for 30 marks).
Additional members – Ladislaus and Gúg (sons of John), Ugrin and Stephen (sons of Stephen), Mikó and Ete (sons of Ete) and George – were also among those, who approved to regain the St. Mary monastery in 1291. Among them, Ladislaus, Ugrin and Stephen – beside Thomas and Kölcse, whose parentage is unknown – also testified in 1292 concerning the losses suffered by the cathedral chapter of Esztergom. Andrew, son of Simon belonged to this branch too; he pledged the fishpond named Hattyas to the Pauline monastery of Keresztúr in Baranya County in 1282 due to his limited financial situation. It is plausible that Andrew was patron of the nearby Benedictine abbey of Bodrog, since the Benedictines filed a lawsuit against the Paulines over the estate in the following decades. The ailing Andrew made his last will and testament in 1320 in the presence of his mother, in which he bequeathed the aforementioned fishpond to the monastery for the spiritual salvation of his parents and himself, in exchange for having his son James and his mother accepted as their patron.
Valkó branch The prestigious Alsáni family descended from this branch. The earliest known ancestor is Logretus (I), who lived in the late 13th century. His son was Logretus (II), who is mentioned as a neighboring landowner near the village Tolmán in Valkó County in 1300. He possessed the village Becse. His son was John (I), who participated in King Charles I's unification war against the oligarchs in the 1310s and made his fortune as a leading familiaris of Paul Garai, whose daughter he also married and he succeeded him as Ban of Macsó in 1328. The estates of the Alsáni family centered around the castle Alsán (Alšan), which they built at an unknown time. The family, which provided a cardinal alongside powerful barons of the realm, became extinct in 1437.Engel: Genealógia (Genus Szentemágócs 3., Alsáni family)
Family tree
Logretus I Logretus II (fl. 1300–1311) John I (fl. 1319–1334; d. before 1335) ∞ Helena Garai (fl. 1357) → Alsáni family Stephen (fl. 1338–1353)
Another kinship also belonged to this branch; they possessed lands around Valkófő along the river Vuka. Alexius had two sons, Thomas and Demetrius (I). Thomas entered ecclesiastical career and served as Bishop of Bosnia at least from 1289 to 1299. He and his cousin Peter were also among the family members, who approved to regain the St. Mary monastery in 1291. Peter testified in 1292 concerning the losses suffered by the cathedral chapter of Esztergom. Thomas and Demetrius bought the estate Koprivna prior to November 1293. The neighboring lords, Lawrence and Philip from the Kórógyi family protested against the act. The two sides finally reached an agreement through the mediation of local nobles. As a staunch supporter of Andrew III, Thomas participated in the 1298 and 1299 national diets. Demetrius was referred to as a neighboring landowner near Tolmán in 1300, as well as the unidentified sons of a certain Dominic from the same branch. During Charles' unification war, the branch (sons of Demetrius and Peter) joined the allegiance of John Kőszegi and fought against the royal troops in the 1310s. They plundered the estates of the Garai family, and looted and burnt the church of Gara (present-day Gorjani, Croatia). Following Charles' victory, they were sentenced to death, but, upon the request of the Garais, the king pardoned them and confiscated only the estates Valkófő and Azariás from them in 1320. The Garais were granted both estates as a compensation thereafter.
Family tree
N Alexius Thomas (fl. 1289–1299) Demetrius I (fl. 1293–1300) Nicholas (fl. 1320) Demetrius II (fl. 1320) Stephen Peter (fl. 1291–1292) Simon (fl. 1320)
A certain banus Martin, son of Joachim, was ancestor of the Liszkói family, which elevated into the upper nobility in the late 14th century. This Martin was among the family members, who approved to regain the St. Mary monastery in 1291. His three sons – Paul, Emeric and Nicholas – were mentioned as landowners in Valkó County in 1301. The prestigious Liszkói (initially also known as Bátyai) family descended from Paul, while the offspring of Emeric and Nicholas remained members of the lesser nobility.
Family treeEngel: Genealógia (Genus Szentemágócs 4., Liszkói (Bátyai) family)
Joachim Martin (fl. 1291) Paul (fl. 1301–1335) → Liszkói (Bátyai) family Emeric (fl. 1301–1348; d. before 1353) → Bátyai family Nicholas (fl. 1301–1330) → Bátyai family
References
Sources Primary sources
Anonymus, Notary of King Béla: The Deeds of the Hungarians (Edited, Translated and Annotated by Martyn Rady and László Veszprémy) (2010). In: Rady, Martyn; Veszprémy, László; Bak, János M. (2010); Anonymus and Master Roger; CEU Press; .
Secondary sources