Fonsol ( hu, Fancsal or ''Foncsol''; died after 1138) was a Hungarian lord in the first half of the 12th century, who served as
Palatine of Hungary from around 1131 to 1138, during the reign of
Béla II of Hungary.
Career
Fonsol was the son of a certain Bozeta (or Buzita). It is plausible that the noble family possessed lands in
Abaúj County
Abaúj ( la, comitatus Abaujvariensis, sk, Abov, german: Neuburg or ) is a historic administrative county (comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. In parts of the 19th century, and in the beginning of the 20th century, it was united with Torna Coun ...
in Northeast Hungary, since the location of the eponymous villages
Buzita (present-day Buzica,
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
) and
Fancsal (present-day in
Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County).
Violent purges were carried out among the partisans of his predecessors to strengthen the rule of Béla II shortly after his coronation in 1131, consequently Fonsol was among those nobles, who expressed their displeasure with the reign of
Stephen II prior to 1131. Shortly after Béla's ascension to the Hungarian throne, Fonsol was made Palatine of Hungary around 1131. He first appears in this dignity, when the monarch judged over a lawsuit between the
Bakonybél Abbey
The Bakonybél Abbey is a Benedictine monastery established at Bakonybél in the Kingdom of Hungary in the first decades of the 11th century. Its patron is Saint Maurice.
Foundation (c. 1018–1038)
The establishment of the monastery is conn ...
and Opus, the count (''
ispán'') of
udvornici The ''udvornici'', also ''udvarniks'' or royal serving people ( hu, udvarnokok, Slovak: ''dvorníci''), was a class of half-free people who were obliged to provide well-specified services to the royal court in the medieval Kingdom of Hungary. They ...
in
Pápa
Pápa is a historical town in Veszprém county, Hungary, located close to the northern edge of the Bakony Hills, and noted for its baroque architecture. With its 32,473 inhabitants (2011), it is the cultural, economic and tourism centre of the re ...
, following an investigation process conducted by a five-member ad litem court of which Fonsol was a member.
Fonsol was styled as "''palatinus comes''" (1131), "''curialis comes''" (1137), then "''comes prefectus''" (1138). Regarding the latter two, historians Péter Váczy and Attila Zsoldos considered the phrase applied to Fonsol's term a palatine, while other historians – for instance, Tibor Szőcs – claimed Fonsol already functioned as
Judge royal
The judge royal, also justiciar,Rady 2000, p. 49. chief justiceSegeš 2002, p. 202. or Lord Chief JusticeFallenbüchl 1988, p. 145. (german: Oberster Landesrichter,Fallenbüchl 1988, p. 72. hu, országbíró,Zsoldos 2011, p. 26. sk, krajinsk ...
by 1137. In that year, Fonsol ("Fanczellus") belonged to the accompaniment of King Béla II during the foundation of the
Benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
abbey of
Csatár
Csatár is a village in Zala County, Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the e ...
, according to a later document issued by
Géza II Géza is a Hungarian given name and may refer to any of the following:
* Benjamin Géza Affleck
* Géza, Grand Prince of the Hungarians
* Géza I of Hungary, King of Hungary
* Géza II of Hungary, King of Hungary
* Géza, son of Géza II of Hungar ...
. Fonsol is last mentioned as palatine in 1138, when he was present at the
Dömös Chapter
The Dömös Chapter was a collegiate chapter, established around 1107, in the Kingdom of Hungary. It was dedicated to Saint Margaret of Antioch.
Establishment
Duke Álmosthe younger brother of Coloman the Learned, King of Hungaryestablished ...
on the occasion of the confirmation of its privileges by Béla II. His fate is unknown. Around 1165, a certain ''comes'' Fonsol is mentioned as a member of the royal court of
Stephen III.
References
Sources
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fonsol
12th-century Hungarian people
Palatines of Hungary