Apaj (I) from the kindred Gutkeled ( hu, Gutkeled nembeli (I.) Apaj; died after 1239) was a Hungarian baron in the first third of the 13th century, who served as

Ban of Slavonia Ban of Slavonia ( hr, Slavonski ban; hu, szlavón bán; la, Sclavoniæ banus) or the Ban of "Whole Slavonia" ( hr, ban cijele Slavonije; hu, egész Szlavónia bánja; la, totius Sclavoniæ banus) was the title of the governor of a territor ...

from 1237 to 1239, during the reign of

Béla IV of Hungary Béla IV (1206 – 3 May 1270) was King of Hungary and Croatia between 1235 and 1270, and Duke of Styria from 1254 to 1258. As the oldest son of King Andrew II, he was crowned upon the initiative of a group of influential noblemen in his fath ...

Family

Apaj was born into the Sárvármonostor branch of the powerful ''gens'' (clan) Gutkeled. His parentage is unknown. His brothers were Nicholas (I) and Csépán, ancestors of the Bocskai and Bacskai noble families, respectively. One of his cousins was Dragun, progenitor of the Majád branch. Apaj and his unidentified wife had a son Apaj (II). His branch became extinct in the 1340s.Engel: ''Genealógia'' (Genus Gutkeled 5. Sárvármonostor branch)

Career

Apaj was a confidant of prince Coloman, who was

Duke of Slavonia The Duke of Slavonia ( hr, slavonski herceg; la, dux Slavoniae), also Duke of Dalmatia and Croatia ( hr, herceg Hrvatske i Dalmacije; la, dux Dalmatiae et Croatiae) and sometimes Duke of "Whole Slavonia", Dalmatia and Croatia ( hr, herceg cijele S ...

from 1226. He functioned as ''

ispán The ispánRady 2000, p. 19.''Stephen Werbőczy: The Customary Law of the Renowned Kingdom of Hungary in Three Parts (1517)'', p. 450. or countEngel 2001, p. 40.Curta 2006, p. 355. ( hu, ispán, la, comes or comes parochialis, and sk, župan)Kirs ...

'' of

Somogy County Somogy ( hu, Somogy megye, ; hr, Šomođska županija; sl, Šomodska županija, german: Komitat Schomodei) is an administrative county (comitatus or ''megye'') in present Hungary, and also in the former Kingdom of Hungary. Somogy County lies ...

between 1229 and 1234, which then belonged to the duke's province. Apaj possessed landholdings in

Križevci County Križevci (; la, Crisium; hu, Kőrös ; german: Kreutz ) is a city in central Croatia with a total population of 21,122 and with 11,231 in the city itself (2011), the oldest city in its county, the Koprivnica-Križevci County. History The f ...

(Körös) in the area between

Legrad Legrad () is a municipality in northern Croatia, located north of Koprivnica and east of Ludbreg in the Koprivnica–Križevci County. There are 2,241 inhabitants in the municipality, absolute majority of which are Croats at 97.4%, with the larges ...

and

Rasinja Rasinja is a settlement and an eponymous municipality in northern Croatia in Koprivnica–Križevci County, located halfway between Koprivnica and Ludbreg. Population The municipality's total population is 3,267 (2011 census), in the follo ...

(present-day in

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

). In the latter place he built a castle later called Apajvára (lit. "Apaj's Castle). The Hungarian name of the village Apajkeresztúr still preserves the name of the original owner. The castle is first mentioned by contemporary sources in 1236. According to Croatian historian

Baltazar Adam Krčelić Baltazar Adam Krčelić (5 February 1715 – 29 March 1778) was a Croatian historian, theologian and lawyer. After Vitezović, he was the most prominent figure in the Croatian cultural life of the time. Biography He was born in Šenkovec near Za ...

, Apaj handed over the fort to the Knights Templar in exchange for his spiritual salvation. Following Béla's ascension to the Hungarian throne, Apaj was appointed Ban of Slavonia sometime between 1235 and 1237. His deputy was vice-ban Jaksa Isaan, who is mentioned in this capacity throughout from 1238 to 1242. Apaj held his office at least until 1239, when he was succeeded by his brother Nicholas Gutkeled. It is likely that his death can be placed around this time, 1239 or 1240. His surviving seal from 1239 is one of the earliest rare examples in Hungary which depicts a mounted knight. His lands were inherited by his only son Apaj (II), who was also referred to as

patron Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...

of the Sárvár family monastery in 1270. Apaj's great-grandson, Stephen was the last male member of Apaj's branch.

References

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gutkeled, Apaj 13th-century Hungarian people Bans of Slavonia Apaj