Conrad (I) from the kindred Győr ( hu, Győr nembeli (I.) Konrád; 1299/1302) was a Hungarian lord in the 13th century, who served as

Master of the cupbearers The master of the cupbearers or master of the cup-bearers (german: Königliche Oberst-Grossmundschenke, hu, főpohárnok, sk, pohárnik and la, pincernarum regalium magistri or magister pincernarum) was one of the high officials of the royal ho ...

between around 1254 and 1260. Also known as Conrad of Óvár ( hu, Óvári Konrád) in contemporary documents, he was the progenitor of the Gyulai, Geszti and Kéméndi noble families.

Family

Conrad was born around 1219 into the Óvár branch of the ''gens'' (clan) Győr of German origin, as one of the two sons of Stephen II. His grandfather was Maurus I, the first known '' banus maritimus''. Conrad also had a brother Maurus II, who married a daughter of nobleman Vekhard.Engel: ''Genealógia'' (Genus Győr 1., Óvár branch) He died before 1252, leaving Conrad as the only surviving member of the branch. He had four children from his unidentified wife:

James James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguati ...

, Stephen III, Catherine and an unnamed daughter. James also served as Master of the cupbearers in 1291. He married Helena Kán (or Siklósi), later members of the branch, including the Gyulai, Geszti and Kéméndi noble families descended from them. Catherine was the wife of Miske Rátót from the Kővágóörs branch: thus they are direct ascendants to the illustrious

Batthyány family The House of Batthyány () is the name of an ancient and distinguished Hungarian Magnate family. Members of this family bear the title Count/Countess ( Graf/Gräfin) Batthyány von Német-Ujvar respectively, while the title of Prince (Fürst) vo ...

through their granddaughter, also a Catherine. Conrad's another unidentified daughter married George Balog of Harsány, son of Nicholas the Sinister,

Master of the stewards The master of the stewards or master of the table (german: Königliche Obertruchsess, hu, étekfogómester, and la, dapiferorum regalium magistri or magister dapiferorum) was one of the high officials of the royal household in the Kingdom of Hung ...

in the early 1250s.

Power struggles

Conrad is first mentioned by contemporary records in 1239, when he was already an adult. Historian Norbert C. Tóth argued a hypothetical Baranya branch of the kindred became extinct by the

First Mongol invasion of Hungary The first Mongol invasion of Hungary ( hu, tatárjárás) started in March 1241, and the Mongols started to withdraw in late March 1242. Background Mongol invasion of Europe The Hungarians had first learned about the Mongol threat in 1229, when ...

(1241–42), thus Conrad inherited their lands in

Baranya County Baranya ( hu, Baranya megye, ) is a county () in southern Hungary. It is part of the Southern Transdanubia statistical region and the historical Baranya region, which was a county (''comitatus'') in the Kingdom of Hungary dating back to the ...

as the closest relative within the Győr clan. Initially, he belonged to the courtiers of King

Béla IV Béla may refer to: * Béla (crater), an elongated lunar crater * Béla (given name), a common Hungarian male given name See also * Bela (disambiguation) * Belá (disambiguation) * Bělá (disambiguation) Bělá, derived from ''bílá'' (''wh ...

; he appeared as

in the court of queen consort

Maria Laskarina Maria Laskarina (c. 1206 – 16 July or 24 June 1270) was a Greek Queen consort of Hungary by marriage to Béla IV of Hungary. She was the daughter of Theodore I Laskaris and Anna Komnena Angelina. Life She was a younger sister of Irene Lascar ...

in 1253. Former historiographical works considered that his contemporary Conrad Szák held that dignity, but historian Attila Zsoldos revealed that the office-holder named Conrad owned Alásony – as Conrad Győr dit it. By 1258 (or already 1256), he was appointed 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

Borsod County Borsod was an administrative county (comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. The capital of the county was Miskolc. After World War II, the county was merged with the Hungarian parts of Abaúj-Torna County and Zemplén counties to form Borsod-Aba� ...

, an unusual position for a landowner from

Transdanubia Transdanubia ( hu, Dunántúl; german: Transdanubien, hr, Prekodunavlje or ', sk, Zadunajsko :sk:Zadunajsko) is a traditional region of Hungary. It is also referred to as Hungarian Pannonia, or Pannonian Hungary. Administrative divisions Trad ...

. In the year 1258, Conrad filed a lawsuit against his second cousins, the wives of

Paul Geregye Paul from the kindred Geregye ( hu, Geregye nembeli Pál; ''c''. 1206 – 1270 or 1271) was an influential Hungarian baron following the Mongol invasion of 1241. He served as Judge royal twice during the reign of Béla IV of Hungary. Family Paul ...

and Stephen Csák, disputing the legitimacy of their ownership over Ilsva and Rahóca in Baranya County, respectively. Béla IV rejected Conrad's accusations citing the two lady were granted the aforementioned possessions via

daughters' quarter The daughters' quarter, also known as filial quarter ( hu, leánynegyed; la, quarta filialis), was the legal doctrine that regulated the right of a Hungarian nobleman's daughter to inherit her father's property. Origins One of the laws of the ...

approximately thirty years ago. Béla IV referred to Conrad as his "former" Master of the cupbearers in his 1263 charter. Thus it is plausible he served in this capacity sometime in the period between 1254 (when the last known office-holder Baldwin Rátót is mentioned) and 1260 (when Conrad fall out of favor in the Hungarian royal court until he obtained pardon from Béla in the diploma). C. Tóth considers Conrad Győr built his castle in Óvár (today Mosonmagyaróvár, german: Altenburg) in the 1250s, when Béla abandoned the ancient royal prerogative to build and own castles and allowed the barons and the prelates to erect stone fortresses after the Mongol invasion. Nevertheless, Conrad definitely built his seat by the end of Béla's reign. However, soon, Conrad turned against Béla IV, according to the above-mentioned royal charter issued in 1263, which suggests he defected to

Ottokar II of Bohemia Ottokar II ( cs, Přemysl Otakar II.; , in Městec Králové, Bohemia – 26 August 1278, in Dürnkrut, Lower Austria), the Iron and Golden King, was a member of the Přemyslid dynasty who reigned as King of Bohemia from 1253 until his dea ...

, after his army vanquished the Hungarian troops in the

Battle of Kressenbrunn The Battle of Kressenbrunn was fought in July 1260 near Groissenbrunn in Lower Austria between the Kingdom of Bohemia and the Kingdom of Hungary for the possession of the duchies of Austria and Styria.''A Global Chronology of Conflict: From the ...

on 12 June 1260. The document narrates Conrad invited and garrisoned Ottokar's Styrian soldiers in his fort at Óvár, and made plundering raids against the nearby villages and estates in

Moson County Moson (German: Wieselburg, Slovak: Mošon) was an administrative county (comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary, situated mostly on the right (south) side of the Danube river. Its territory is now divided between Austria and Hungary, except a sma ...

. At the same time, Ottokar issued a safe conduct to Conrad's lands at the border in order to avoid plunder and destruction during the war between the kingdoms. Béla IV also accused his former loyal partisan of

coin counterfeiting Coin counterfeiting of valuable antique coins is common; modern high-value coins are also counterfeited and circulated.Duke Stephen. After that Béla confiscated Conrad's landholdings in Moson and

Pozsony Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approximately 140% of ...

counties, in addition to the Óvár Castle and the patronage of the

Lébény Lébény ( la, Quadrata or ) is a town in Győr-Moson-Sopron County, midway between Mosonmagyaróvár and Győr, Hungary. It has a Romanesque monastic church commenced in 1208. Similar family or clan-financed medieval Hungarian monastic churches ...

monastery. A large portion of his lands, including the fort itself was granted Lawrence Aba, a staunch supporter of Béla. Duke Stephen's relationship with his father Béla IV deteriorated in the early 1260s. After a brief clash between them in 1262, they concluded a

treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal pe ...

around 25 November, when divided the country and Stephen received the lands to the east of the

Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , p ...

. In accordance with the treaty, Conrad, among other noblemen, received amnesty from the king, who also returned the confiscated lands to him in early 1263. The king returned the estate Fertőfő-Szombathely to Conrad in 1267, while the Lébény monastery regained the villages Régen and Sásony (present-day Winden am See,

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

) in the same time. Before 1270, Béla IV has authorized him the collection of duties at the bridge, where the

Leitha The Leitha (; or , formerly ; Czech and sk, Litava) is a river in Austria and Hungary, a right tributary of the Danube. It is long ( including its source river Schwarza). Its basin area is . Etymology The ''Lithaha'' River in the Carolingia ...

flowed into the Moson arm of the Danube west of Szigetköz near his fortress. After Stephen V succeeded his father in 1270, he confirmed the received privilege on 1 October, along with other estates in Moson County. When Ottokar invaded the lands north of the Danube in April 1271 and captured a number of fortresses, and routed the Hungarian army at Moson on 15 May, his troops devastated its fortress. Following that Stephen relocated the capital of Moson County to Conrad's seat Óvár Castle. After Stephen's sudden death in August 1272, the minor Ladislaus IV succeeded him as king. His reign marked the beginning of the era of "feudal anarchy", when many groupings of barons fought against each other for supreme power. Under such circumstances, Conrad had numerous conflicts and lawsuits with his neighbors and opponents, for instance the nobles of Kiliti (1274), Paul Gutkeled (1276), Peter Tétény and his family (1278–1279) and his toughest local enemy Herbord Hahót (1279), who looted and plundered his landholdings. His estate of Novák was seized by

Ivan Kőszegi Ivan Kőszegi ( hu, Kőszegi Iván, german: Yban von Güns; died 5 April 1308) was an influential lord in the Kingdom of Hungary at the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries. Earlier historiographical works also refer to him Ivan Németújvári ( ...

, a notorious lord, and unlawfully owned the property until his death.

Decline

Ladislaus IV, who was declared to be of age in 1277, granted half of the royal customs of Moson to Conrad in 1282, while the

Székesfehérvár Chapter Székesfehérvár (; german: Stuhlweißenburg ), known colloquially as Fehérvár ("white castle"), is a city in central Hungary, and the country's ninth-largest city. It is the regional capital of Central Transdanubia, and the centre of Fejér ...

possessed the other half. Ladislaus also ordered to register Conrad as the lawful owner of Novák estate in 1284. However these measures proved to be only virtual supports for Conrad, as the advancing

Kőszegi family The Kőszegi ( hr, Gisingovci) was a noble family in the Kingdom of Hungary and the Kingdom of Croatia in the 13–14th centuries. The ancestor of the family, Henry the Great descended from the ''gens'' ("clan") Héder. Henry's paternal great-gr ...

gradually displaced him from the region. Conrad's lands laid in the boundaries of interests of the two most powerful and aggressive oligarchic provinces – the Kőszegis seized his villages one after another in Moson County by the mid-1280s and handed over them to their ''

familiares In the Middle Ages, a ''familiaris'' (plural ''familiares''), more formally a ''familiaris regis'' ("familiar of the king") or ''familiaris curiae''In medieval documents, ''curiae'' may also be spelled ''curiæ'' or ''curie''. ("of the court"), ...

'', the Héderváris, while Matthew Csák expelled him from Pozsony County. Conrad and his family receded to their lands in Baranya County. There Conrad built his new seat in Kéménd (today Máriakéménd) by the early 1290s. Conrad integrated into the local nobility, his all previous connections to Northwest Hungary had been lost. He was mentioned as a noble judge ( hu, szolgabíró; lit. "servants' judge") of Baranya County in 1282, alongside three other noblemen. In 1295, Conrad Győr founded a Pauline monastery at Gyula (present-day Belvárdgyula), dedicated to Saint Ladislaus of Hungary. He donated his three villages of

Olasz Olasz ( hr, Olas; german: Ahlaß) is a village and municipality ( hu, község) in Baranya County, Hungary. Etymology The name of the village is ultimately a Hungarianised term derived from the German word ''walha'' which Hungarians otherwise u ...

, Hásságy and Hidor (today part of Olasz) to the newly established abbey. This is the third earliest known privately founded Pauline monastery. However the Győr kindred embroiled in conflict with the influential local families, the Matucsinais ( Kemény, son of Lawrence) and the Kórógyis, who plundered and seized their several lands in Baranya County in 1296, including Kéménd, Gyula, Olasz and Palkonya. Conrad and his son James were granted exemption from the jurisdiction of the ''ispán'' by

Andrew III of Hungary Andrew III the Venetian ( hu, III. Velencei András, hr, Andrija III. Mlečanin, sk, Ondrej III.; 1265 – 14 January 1301) was King of Hungary and Croatia between 1290 and 1301. His father, Stephen the Posthumous, was the posthumous son of ...

, but in reality this did not prevail due to the anarchic conditions. In 1298, Conrad and James were mentioned among the many patrons of the

Zselicszentjakab Abbey The Zselicszentjakab Abbey was a Benedictine monastery established at Zselicszentjakab (now Kaposszentjakab) in Somogy County in the Kingdom of Hungary in 1061. Its founder was the Palatine Otto of the Győr clan. The monastery was dedicated to ...

. Conrad last appeared in contemporary records in 1299. He died by 11 November 1302, at approximately 80 years of age.

References

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gyor, Conrad 13th-century Hungarian people Conrad Masters of the cupbearers Year of birth uncertain