The House of Talovac ( hu, Tallóci) was a Croatian

noble family Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the realm with many e ...

, descending from the island of

Korčula Korčula (, it, Curzola) is a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea. It has an area of , is long and on average wide, and lies just off the Dalmatian coast. Its 15,522 inhabitants (2011) make it the second most populous Adriatic island after K ...

and reaching its peak in the 15th century in the

Kingdom of Croatia Kingdom of Croatia may refer to: * Kingdom of Croatia (925–1102), an independent medieval kingdom * Croatia in personal union with Hungary (1102–1526), a kingdom in personal union with the Kingdom of Hungary * Kingdom of Croatia (Habsburg) (152 ...

, at that time in personal union with

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 east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

. The members of the family rose to high state, church or military offices, such as Ban (Viceroy) of Croatia and Dalmatia as well as Ban of Whole Slavonia, royal court chamberlain,

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

župan Župan is a noble and administrative title used in several states in Central and Southeastern Europe between the 7th century and the 21st century. It was (and in Croatia still is) the leader of the administrative unit župa (or zhupa, županija). ...

and others.

Family history

The oldest known ancestor of the family was Luka (‘’Lucha’’), a patrician from Korčula, mentioned at the end of the 14th century. He moved with his four sons ( Matko,

Franko Franko may refer to: * Franko (name), a given name and surname * Franko (bishop of Poznań), 11th-century Polish bishop * FranKo, a British pop rock band * '' Franko: The Crazy Revenge'', a 1994 computer game * Franko Escarpment, Antarctica ...

Petar Petar ( sr, Петар, bg, Петър) is a South Slavic masculine given name, their variant of the Biblical name Petros cognate to Peter. Derivative forms include Pero, Pejo, Pera, Perica, Petrica, Periša. Feminine equivalent is Petra. P ...

and

Ivan Ivan () is a Slavic languages, Slavic male given name, connected with the variant of the Greek name (English: John (given name), John) from Hebrew language, Hebrew meaning 'God is gracious'. It is associated worldwide with Slavic countries. T ...

) to

Dubrovnik Dubrovnik (), historically known as Ragusa (; see notes on naming), is a city on the Adriatic Sea in the region of Dalmatia, in the southeastern semi-exclave of Croatia. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterran ...

, where his family was engaged in

trade Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. An early form of trade, barter, saw the direct excha ...

and acquired citizenship of the

Republic of Dubrovnik hr, Sloboda se ne prodaje za sve zlato svijeta it, La libertà non si vende nemmeno per tutto l'oro del mondo"Liberty is not sold for all the gold in the world" , population_estimate = 90 000 in the XVI Century , currency = ...

. Their ships sailed to

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

and even farther, to the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Roma ...

. Some historians believe that members of the family met

Sigismund of Luxemburg Sigismund of Luxembourg (15 February 1368 – 9 December 1437) was a monarch as King of Hungary and Croatia ('' jure uxoris'') from 1387, King of Germany from 1410, King of Bohemia from 1419, and Holy Roman Emperor from 1433 until his death in ...

, King of Hungary and Croatia (who was in Dubrovnik after the

Battle of Nicopolis The Battle of Nicopolis took place on 25 September 1396 and resulted in the rout of an allied crusader army of Hungarian, Croatian, Bulgarian, Wallachian, French, Burgundian, German, and assorted troops (assisted by the Venetian navy) at ...

) as early as 1396, while others believe it happened later, around 1427. In one way or another, they entered the service of the king and gradually received new

titles A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...

properties Property is the ownership of land, resources, improvements or other tangible objects, or intellectual property. Property may also refer to: Mathematics * Property (mathematics) Philosophy and science * Property (philosophy), in philosophy and ...

and

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

s from Sigismund for their loyalty.

Rise of the family

One of the properties that the family members received from the king in 1434 was Talovac (then spelled Thallowc, Tallowcz, Tallocz, Tallovec, Tallovez or Talloucz), which was located southwest of the town of

Virovitica Virovitica () is a Croatian city near the Hungarian border. It is situated near the Drava river and belongs to the historic region of Slavonia. Virovitica has a population of 14,688, with 21,291 people in the municipality (census 2011). It is als ...

and after which the surname Talovac was formed. The property, including a large castle, was situated in the former

Bjelovar-Križevci County The Bjelovar-Križevci County ( hr, Bjelovarsko-križevačka županija; hu, Belovár-Kőrös vármegye) was a historic administrative subdivision of the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia. Croatia-Slavonia was an autonomous kingdom within the Lands ...

. From the old castle, about 100×80 meters in size, there are only few remains in a forest today, several kilometers southeast of the similar-named present-day village of Topolovica (in the municipality of

Veliki Grđevac Veliki Grđevac (, hu, Nagygordonya) is a municipality in Bjelovar-Bilogora County, Croatia. According to the 2001 census, there are 3,248 inhabitants, 80.41% of which are Croats, in 1,157 of family households. Geography The present municipal ...

). In addition to the Talovac estate, the family also owned

Đurđevac Đurđevac is a town in the Koprivnica-Križevci County in Croatia. According to the 2011 census, there are a total of 8,264 inhabitants in the municipality, in the following settlements: * Budrovac, population 373 * Čepelovac, population 3 ...

in Podravina, Orljavac at Brestovac,

Čazma Čazma is a town in Bjelovar-Bilogora County, Croatia. It is part of Moslavina. Geography Čazma is situated 60 kilometers east of Zagreb and only 30 kilometres from the center of the region - Bjelovar. Čazma is situated on the slopes of Mosl ...

and

Voćin Voćin is a village and municipality in western Slavonia, Croatia, located southwest of Slatina and east of Daruvar. The population of the municipality is 1,911, with 956 people living in Voćin itself (census 2021). Geography Voćin, a pilgrima ...

Slavonia Slavonia (; hr, Slavonija) is, with Dalmatia, Croatia proper, and Istria, one of the four historical regions of Croatia. Taking up the east of the country, it roughly corresponds with five Croatian counties: Brod-Posavina, Osijek-Baranja ...

Brčko Brčko ( sr-cyrl, Брчко, ) is a city and the administrative seat of Brčko District, in northern Bosnia and Herzegovina. It lies on the banks of Sava river across from Croatia. As of 2013, it has a population of 39,893 inhabitants. De jure, ...

Srebrenik Srebrenik ( sr-cyrl, Сребреник) is a city located in Tuzla Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, near Tuzla. As of 2013, it has a population of 39,678 inhabitants. The t ...

and

Grabovac Grabovac may refer to: Places * Grabovac, Osijek-Baranja County, a village in eastern Croatia * Grabovac Banski, a village in central Croatia * Grabovac, Split-Dalmatia County, a village near Šestanovac in southern Croatia * Grabovac, Karlovac ...

Čelinac Čelinac ( sr-cyr, Челинац) is a town and municipality located in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, it has a population of 15,548 inhabitants, while the town of Čelinac has a population of 5,097 inhabitants. Geograph ...

in Usora- Soli County (in modern-day

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

), Kamičak,

Knin Knin (, sr, link=no, Книн, it, link=no, Tenin) is a city in the Šibenik-Knin County of Croatia, located in the Dalmatian hinterland near the source of the river Krka, an important traffic junction on the rail and road routes between Zagr ...

Klis Klis ( hr, Klis, it, Clissa, tr, Kilis) is a Croatian municipality located around a mountain fortress bearing the same name. It is located in the region of Dalmatia, located just northeast of Solin, Croatia, Solin and Split, Croatia, Split near ...

Sinj Sinj (; it, Signo; german: Zein) is a town in the continental part of Split-Dalmatia County, Croatia. The town itself has a population of 11,478 and the population of the administrative municipality, which includes surrounding villages, is 24 ...

Omiš Omiš (, Latin and it, Almissa) is a town and port in the Dalmatia region of Croatia, and is a municipality in the Split-Dalmatia County. The town is situated approximately south-east of Croatia's second largest city, Split. Its location is wh ...

, Poljica and Čačvina in southern Croatia, as well as others. Clissa

The Talovac brothers distinguished themselves in the military intervention in 1436 ordered by Sigismund, in which they captured the castles, fortresses and properties, previously belonging to the Nelipčić family, that had been taken over by the Croatian Ban (Viceroy)

Ivan VI Frankopan Ivan VI Frankopan or Ivan Anž Frankopan (also known as Ivaniš; died 20 November 1436) was a Croatian nobleman who ruled as Ban of Croatia from 1432 to 1436. He was one of the nine sons of the Croatian viceroy, Nikola Frankopan.''Kalmarunionens t ...

against the will of the king. Earlier, prince Ivaniš Nelipić († 1434) had given his property to Ivan VI Frankopan as a

dowry A dowry is a payment, such as property or money, paid by the bride's family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price and dower. While bride price or bride service is a payment b ...

for his daughter Katarina, but Sigismund did not recognize it. The king gave the property to the Talovac family for their merits and awarded them the title "Princes of

Cetina Cetina () is a river in southern Croatia. It has a length of and its basin covers an area of . From its source, Cetina descends from an elevation of above sea level to the Adriatic Sea. It is the most water-rich river in Dalmatia.Naklada Naprijed ...

and Klis" (Croatian: Knezovi cetinski i kliški). As the Talovac brothers lived in turbulent times of continual

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

threat and expansion, they took part in numerous battles. Not only did they defend their possessions and other parts of the kingdom, but also fought in

Kingdom of Bosnia The Kingdom of Bosnia ( sh, Kraljevina Bosna / Краљевина Босна), or Bosnian Kingdom (''Bosansko kraljevstvo'' / Босанско краљевство), was a medieval kingdom that lasted for nearly a century, from 1377 to 1463, and ...

and

Despotate of Serbia The Serbian Despotate ( sr, / ) was a medieval Serbian state in the first half of the 15th century. Although the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 is generally considered the end of medieval Serbia, the Despotate, a successor of the Serbian Empire and ...

. In Serbia they cooperated with despots

Stefan Lazarević Stefan Lazarević ( sr-Cyrl, Стефан Лазаревић, 1377 – 19 July 1427), also known as Stefan the Tall ( sr, Стефан Високи / ''Stefan Visoki''), was the ruler of Serbia as prince (1389–1402) and despot (1402–1427), ...

and

Đurađ Branković Đurađ Branković (; sr-cyr, Ђурађ Бранковић; hu, Brankovics György; 1377 – 24 December 1456) was the Serbian Despot from 1427 to 1456. He was one of the last Serbian medieval rulers. He was a participant in the battle of Anka ...

Decline of the family

In conflicts against the

Ottomans The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922). Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...

, Franko, one of the brothers, was killed as a partner of the Hungarian commander

John Hunyadi John Hunyadi (, , , ; 1406 – 11 August 1456) was a leading Hungarian military and political figure in Central and Southeastern Europe during the 15th century. According to most contemporary sources, he was the member of a noble family of ...

in 1448 in the

second battle of Kosovo The Second Battle of Kosovo ( Hungarian: ''második rigómezei csata'', Turkish: ''İkinci Kosova Muharebesi'') (17–20 October 1448) was a land battle between a Hungarian-led Crusader army and the Ottoman Empire at Kosovo Polje. It was ...

. In 1453, after the death of Petar, who had been Ban of Croatia and Dalmatia, declined gradually the power, wealth and influence of the family. Many fought for its possessions:

Stjepan Vukčić Kosača Stjepan Vukčić Kosača ( sr-Cyrl, Стјепан Вукчић Косача; 1404–1466) was the most powerful Bosnian nobleman whose active political career spanned the last three decades of medieval Bosnian history, from 1435 to 1465. D ...

, Duke of Herzegovina,

Stjepan Tomaš Stephen Thomas ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=/, Stefan Tomaš, Стефан Томаш, sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=/, label=none, Stjepan Tomaš, Стјепан Томаш; 1411 – July 1461), a member of the House of Kotromanić, reigned from 1443 ...

, King of Bosnia, Radivoj Ostojić, counter-king of Bosnia, Ulrich, powerful Count of Celje, John Hunyadi, Hungarian regent,

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...

and others. However, the children of Matko (Pavao and Benedikt), Franko (Nikola, Ladislav, Matko II., Franjo and Anka) and Petar (Ivaniš and Stjepan) managed to preserve a certain part of the former family fortune. Talovac

Ivaniš and Stjepan, Petar's sons, who were minors at the time of their father's death, could not keep their lands in southern Croatia and moved to Slavonia around 1460. The members of the family who lived in Slavonia began to call themselves Banić (Hungarian Bánffy) in the second half of the 15th century, as they were sons of Ban. At the beginning of the 16th century, the descendants of Franko and Petar lived in Slavonia. Juraj, Franko's grandson, was appointed deputy

Župan Župan is a noble and administrative title used in several states in Central and Southeastern Europe between the 7th century and the 21st century. It was (and in Croatia still is) the leader of the administrative unit župa (or zhupa, županija). ...

of the Vuka County in 1527. His son Baltazar became a captain in the service of King Ferdinand I of Habsburg and took part in the siege of

Buda Buda (; german: Ofen, sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Budim, Будим, Czech and sk, Budín, tr, Budin) was the historic capital of the Kingdom of Hungary and since 1873 has been the western part of the Hungarian capital Budapest, on the ...

(1530). He received new possessions in western Hungary. Petar's son Ivaniš and grandson Gabriel were mentioned as owners of Talovac Castle in 1495. This branch of the family died out in the 16th century. In 1526 the members of the Talovac family were raised to the peerage as

baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...

s. When the Ottomans conquered almost all of Slavonia in the 1530s and 1540s, the members of the lineage moved to western Hungary. Franko's descendants lived there on their estates until the 19th century.

Notable members

The following members of the family were most notable: * Matko,

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 1435 and

Ban of Croatia and Dalmatia Ban of Croatia ( hr, Hrvatski ban) was the title of local rulers or office holders and after 1102, viceroys of Croatia. From the earliest periods of the Croatian state, some provinces were ruled by Ban (title), bans as a ruler's representative ...

from 1436 until his death in 1444 or 1445, royal

Chamberlain Chamberlain may refer to: Profession *Chamberlain (office), the officer in charge of managing the household of a sovereign or other noble figure People *Chamberlain (surname) **Houston Stewart Chamberlain (1855–1927), German-British philosop ...

(from 1434), Count of Hungarian-held

Keve Keve, the son of Csele of the Zemény clan, was a legendary Hun leader in the 4th century. Keve was captain of a group of soldiers who headed west into Pannonia in the late 4th century. They fought against the armies of Prince Macrinus from Lomb ...

and

Castellan A castellan is the title used in Medieval Europe for an appointed official, a governor of a castle and its surrounding territory referred to as the castellany. The title of ''governor'' is retained in the English prison system, as a remnant o ...

Nándorfehérvár Belgrade ( , ;, ; names in other languages) is the capital and largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. Nearly 1,166,763 million ...

(modern-day Belgrade),

Diocesan administrator :''See: Catholic Church hierarchy#Equivalents of diocesan bishops in law'' A diocesan administrator is a provisional ordinary of a Roman Catholic particular church. Diocesan administrators in canon law The college of consultors elects an admini ...

(Steward) of the Diocese of Zagreb (1433-1438) and the

Priory of Vrana The Priory of Vrana ( lat, prioratus Auranae, hu, vránai perjelség, hr, vranski priorat) was a monastery near the Croatian town Vrana established as priory of Templars by the Hungarian king Béla II at the beginning of the 12th century. At th ...

(1434-1439) *

Ban of Severin The Banate of Severin or Banate of Szörény ( hu, Szörényi bánság; ro, Banatul Severinului; la, Banatus Zewrinensis; bg, Северинско банство, ; sr, Северинска бановина, ) was a Hungarian political, mili ...

, Count of Temes (from 1437),

(Steward) of the Diocese of Zagreb (from 1433) *

(1437-1452),

(Steward) of the Diocese of Zagreb (1438-1440) *

prior Prior (or prioress) is an ecclesiastical title for a superior in some religious orders. The word is derived from the Latin for "earlier" or "first". Its earlier generic usage referred to any monastic superior. In abbeys, a prior would be l ...

of Vrana (1439-1445),

(1440) *

Juraj Juraj is a given name used in a number of Slavic languages, including Czech, Slovak, and Croatian. Pronounced "You-rye" but with a trilled r. The English equivalent of the name is George. Notable people * Juraj Chmiel, Czech diplomat and politicia ...

, (grandson of Franko), deputy

of the Vuka County (from 1527)

References

External links

Talovci - Croatian noble family

Talovac brothers administered Slavonia and Croatia during the reign of Sigismund of Luxemburg (page 204)

Talovac Kindred - one of the most powerful noble families in Croatian-Hungarian Kingdom
{{Croatian nobility Talovac Talovac Talovac Talovac Talovac Talovac Talovac Talovac Talovac