Iban ''

Graf (feminine: ) is a historical title of the German nobility, usually translated as "count". Considered to be intermediate among noble ranks, the title is often treated as equivalent to the British title of "earl" (whose female version is "coun ...

'' von Bernstein (born John Kőszegi, also known as John the Wolf; hu, Kőszegi "Farkas" János; 1300s – after 1382) was a Hungarian-born Austrian nobleman in the 14th century. He was a member of the powerful

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-gra ...

, of which he became head in 1324. He launched plundering raids against both the

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...

and the

Duchy of Austria The Duchy of Austria (german: Herzogtum Österreich) was a medieval principality of the Holy Roman Empire, established in 1156 by the ''Privilegium Minus'', when the Margraviate of Austria (''Ostarrîchi'') was detached from Bavaria and elevated ...

. After his defeat and downfall in Hungary in 1327, he settled down in

Styria Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of , Styria is the second largest state of Austria, after Lower Austria. Styria is bordered to ...

and pledged allegiance to the

House of Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...

. Gradually integrating into the

Austrian nobility The Austrian nobility (german: österreichischer Adel) is a status group that was officially abolished in 1919 after the fall of Austria-Hungary. The nobles are still part of Austrian society today, but they no longer retain any specific privil ...

, he became forefather of the Bernstein (or Pernstein) family.

Origins

John the Wolf was born into the illustrious Kőszegi family as the son of the powerful oligarch

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 ( ...

. He was born in the 1300s, not long before the death of his elderly father (April 1308), as he first appeared in contemporary records only in 1325, and Ivan's province in

Western Transdanubia Western Transdanubia ( hu, Nyugat-Dunántúl) is a statistical ( NUTS 2) region of Hungary. It is part of the Transdanubia (NUTS 1) region. Western Transdanubia includes the counties of Zala, Vas, and Győr-Moson-Sopron. See also *List of regio ...

was inherited by John's nephews Nicholas III, then

Andrew Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in List of countries where English is an official language, English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is freq ...

, who were definitely older than their uncle. In September 1326, the cathedral chapter of Győr referred to him as a "young noble". John had an elder brother, Gregory (father of Nicholas III and Andrew), who died years before his birth.Engel: ''Genealógia'' (Genus Héder 4. Kőszegi nd Rohoncibranch) He also had a sister, who married a certain Dominic. In addition, John had a stepbrother from his father's extramarital affair,

Nicholas Nicholas is a male given name and a surname. The Eastern Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Anglicanism, Anglican Churches celebrate Saint Nicholas every year on December 6, which is the name day for "Nicholas". In Greece, the n ...

(born 1282), who entered ecclesiastical career and elevated into the dignity of

Bishop of Győr 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 ...

Revolt in Hungary

Both Nicholas III and Andrew died without heirs, in 1314 and 1324, respectively. Von Bernstein inherited Andrew's lands, becoming head of the Kőszegi family's Ivan branch, who once governed their dominion independently of the monarch, consisting of

Győr Győr ( , ; german: Raab, links=no; names of European cities in different languages: E-H#G, names in other languages) is the main city of northwest Hungary, the capital of Győr-Moson-Sopron County and Western Transdanubia, Western Transdanubia ...

Moson Moson (German language, German: Wieselburg, Slovak language, Slovak: Mošon) was an administrative county (Comitatus (Kingdom of Hungary), comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary, situated mostly on the right (south) side of the Danube river. Its t ...

Sopron Sopron (; german: Ödenburg, ; sl, Šopron) is a city in Hungary on the Austrian border, near Lake Neusiedl/Lake Fertő. History Ancient times-13th century When the area that is today Western Hungary was a province of the Roman Empire, a ...

, Vas and Zala counties and other lands, but the family was able to retain only Vas County after Andrew's failed rebellion in 1317. It is presumable that John became hereditary ''

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 Vas County too after Andrew's death in 1324. John was first mentioned by a contemporary record in June 1325, when Herbord Reszneki complained that his ''

familiaris 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"), ...

'' Demetrius Balai, the castellan of Nempti invaded and pillaged his lands in

Resznek Resznek ( Slovene:Režek ) 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 north ...

days ago upon John's order. Herbord was wounded, while his brother was killed during the attack.

Charles I of Hungary Charles I, also known as Charles Robert ( hu, Károly Róbert; hr, Karlo Robert; sk, Karol Róbert; 128816 July 1342) was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1308 to his death. He was a member of the Capetian House of Anjou and the only son of ...

ordered the chapter of Vasvár in July to investigate the act of domination, but John's instigator role has not been proved. In August 1325, John issued a charter in

Sárvár Sárvár (german: Kotenburg or ; la, Bassiana; sl, Mala Sela) is a town in Vas County, Hungary. Sárvár lies on the banks of the River Rába at Kemeneshát. The population is nearly 16,000. The town has become a tourist centre of internatio ...

that he had donated the estates of

Hidegség Hidegség ( hr, Vedešin) is a village in Győr-Moson-Sopron county, Hungary. Sightseeing for visitors: the old church of Árpád age In the village there is an old architectural heritage from the romanesque art: the church standing on the top ...

and

Fertőhomok Fertőhomok ( hr, Umok) is a village in Győr-Moson-Sopron 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 ...

to the Blessed Virgin church of Felsőkethely (present-day Neumarkt im Tauchental, a borough of

Stadtschlaining Stadtschlaining ( hu, Városszalónak, Város-Szalónak) is a town in the district of Oberwart in the Austrian state of Burgenland. The Burg Schlaining, built by Henry I Kőszegi Henry (I) Kőszegi from the kindred Héder ( hu, Héder nembeli (I. ...

in Austria), in accordance with his nephew's will. Burg Bernstein, Luftbild

Due to certain intrigues, it was revealed that John's stepbrother Bishop Nicholas Kőszegi was born when his father Ivan Kőszegi was still married. Consequently, the bishop requested

Pope John XXII Pope John XXII ( la, Ioannes PP. XXII; 1244 – 4 December 1334), born Jacques Duèze (or d'Euse), was head of the Catholic Church from 7 August 1316 to his death in December 1334. He was the second and longest-reigning Avignon Pope, elected by ...

to exempt him from this requirement in the first half of 1325. The pope granted this exemption on 30 July. In the next year, there were reports of looting and seizures of his diocese's certain lands and estates, as well as the neighboring

Diocese of Passau The Diocese of Passau is a Roman Catholic diocese in Germany that is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising.Henry, Bishop of Veszprém as Nicholas Kőszegi's defender ("''conservator''") in June in order to restore

benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

of the diocese. According to historian Ádám Vajk, John Kőszegi was behind the attacks against the Diocese of Győr. Accordingly, he transuded private information to the Holy See about the bishop's parentage, in order to turn him out of office, and occupied

Szombathely Szombathely (; german: Steinamanger, ; see also other alternative names) is the 10th largest city in Hungary. It is the administrative centre of Vas county in the west of the country, located near the border with Austria. Szombathely lies by t ...

and other bishopric estates in Vas County. Plausibly, he turned against Nicholas in connection with the open rebellion of the Kőszegis in 1327, to which the bishop refused to join. John Kőszegi entered alliance with the Babonići and rose up in open rebellion against Charles I in 1327. However royal generals Mikcs Ákos and

Alexander Köcski Alexander (II) Köcski ( hu, Köcski (II.) Sándor; died January or February 1328) was an influential Hungarian nobleman and soldier, who served as Judge royal from 1324 until his death. Initially, as a ''familiaris'' and possibly distant relativ ...

defeated them within months. During the military campaign, Köcski seized Sárvár, Németújvár (present-day Güssing, Austria) and two other forts in

Kőszeg Kőszeg (german: Güns, ; Slovak: ''Kysak'', sl, Kiseg, hr, Kiseg) is a town in Vas County, Hungary. The town is famous for its historical character. History The origins of the only free royal town in the historical garrison county of Vas ...

with surrounding villages and lands from John. Köcski was made ''ispán'' of Vas County and castellan of Sárvár, ending John's hereditary positions. The Kőszegis' dominion had disintegrated in Transdanubia, John lost all of his power and influence in the region. Charles provided Köcski broad power in the redistribution of lands to the loyal local nobility and he had the mandatory of royal grace to the Kőszegis' former ''familiares'', of whom many left John's allegiance. After his downfall, John was able to retain only Borostyánkő (Bernstein) and, possibly, Nempti. Bernstein became his residence and the centre of his lands thereafter. He issued his charter there in March 1333, where he was styled as "''Johannes dictus Farcas''" (i.e. "John the Wolf") for the first time. In the document, he returned the estate of Pózva (today a borough in

Zalaegerszeg Zalaegerszeg (; hr, Jegersek; sl, Jageršek; german: Egersee) is the administrative center of Zala County, Zala county in western Hungary. Location Zalaegerszeg lies on the banks of the Zala River, close to the Slovenian and Austrian borders and ...

) to the sons of Kalmer Geregye, which was demolished by Ivan Kőszegi decades earlier. The Babonići and the Kőszegis, including John, made an alliance with the

Dukes of Austria This is a list of people who have ruled either the Margraviate of Austria, the Duchy of Austria or the Archduchy of Austria. From 976 until 1246, the margraviate and its successor, the duchy, was ruled by the House of Babenberg. At that time, thos ...

against Charles I in January 1336. When Charles signed a truce with his enemies on 13 December after a brief war, he called the members of the two families as the "traitors of the

Holy Crown The Holy Crown of Hungary ( hu, Szent Korona; sh, Kruna svetoga Stjepana; la, Sacra Corona; sk, Svätoštefanská koruna , la, Sacra Corona), also known as the Crown of Saint Stephen, named in honour of Saint Stephen I of Hungary, was the ...

". The document put John's name in the second place among the traitors, following his cousin Peter the "Duke", but before the Babonići.

Loyalty to the Habsburgs

The war between Hungary and Austria continued until 1339. Charles obliged the Kőszegis to renounce their last fortresses along the western borders of the kingdom in 1339 or 1340. John's cousins returned to the loyalty of Charles, but he chose a different path; John and his "some servants" pledged allegiance to

Albert II, Duke of Austria Albert II (12 December 1298 – 16 August 1358), known as ''the Wise'' or ''the Lame'', a member of the House of Habsburg, was duke of Austria and Styria from 1330, as well as duke of Carinthia and margrave of Carniola from 1335 until his death ...

in Hainburg in June 1339. The duke forgave them "for everything they did against his person and country" prior to this. The document referred to John as the "former" owner of Bernstein; Charles I confiscated the castle, which became a royal property thereafter. Following that contemporary Austrian documents and letters referred to him Iban (also Yban, Iwan or Vban etc.), or sometimes Johannes (Johann or Hans). He adopted the title ''Graf von Bernstein'' (also Pernstein or Pernstain) despite that he actually did not possess the fortress, which laid in the

. His ancestry and the title of count proved him social respect in Austria, where ''

ministerialis The ''ministeriales'' (singular: ''ministerialis'') were a class of people raised up from serfdom and placed in positions of power and responsibility in the High Middle Ages in the Holy Roman Empire. The word and its German translations, ''Minis ...

'' noble families dominated the governance, and the number of families of ancient descent had diminished by the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries. Albert II of Austria

Shortly after his settlement to Austria, Iban bought pledge from the revenues of the tribunal at Neunkirchen. He resided in that town, which is approximately 40 kilometers from Bernstein Castle. In the following years, he received incomes from the surrounding Kirchberg Abbey. He bought lands in Styria and Lower Austria, mostly in the region between Neunkirchen and

Wiener Neustadt Wiener Neustadt (; ; Central Bavarian: ''Weana Neistod'') is a city located south of Vienna, in the state of Lower Austria, in northeast Austria. It is a self-governed city and the seat of the district administration of Wiener Neustadt-Land Distr ...

, along the Hungarian border. Iban married Agnes (died before 1363), the daughter of captain Eberhard V von Wallsee, which resulted his rapid integration into the Austrian nobility. He appeared as arbitrator, witnesses and countersigning noble in several legal documents, contracts and lawsuits, of which the Wallsee family were involved in the upcoming decades. Iban had at least five children. Heinrich (Henry) was born from his first marriage with an unidentified noblewoman. He was still alive in 1377. The other sons were the children of Agnes von Wallsee. Johann (John) entered ecclesiastical career, he was mentioned as vicar of the

Riegersburg Riegersburg is a municipality in the district of Südoststeiermark in the Austrian state of Styria. Riegersburg Castle Riegersburg Castle is a medieval castle situated on a dormant volcano above the town of Riegersburg in the Austrian state o ...

parish. Ulrich married Johanna von Sonnenberg. He predeceased his father sometimes between September 1381 and January 1382. During his death, he had a minor daughter, Anna. A June 1382 charter also referred to Iban's fourth son Peter as a deceased person. Iban also had a daughter Anna, who married Otto von Ehrenfels and she was still living in 1397. Before 1363, Iban married Elsbeth von Puchheim, the widow of Otto von Maissau (d. 1359). Iban Graf von Bernstein financially supported the dukes of Habsburg for decades. The first documented loans occurred in 1340 and 1343 to Albert II, in exchange for the revenues of the tribunal at Neunkirchen. Interestingly, Iban retired from courtly service for the remaining part of the reign of Albert, who died in 1358. He was succeeded by his son,

Rudolf IV Rudolf IV (1 November 1339 – 27 July 1365), also called Rudolf the Founder (german: der Stifter), was a scion of the House of Habsburg who ruled as duke of Austria (self-proclaimed archduke), Styria and Carinthia from 1358, as well as count ...

, who invited Iban to the ducal council. Among other lords, Iban acted as a councillor in the lawsuit between

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

and Wiener Neustadt over wine delivery and sale in November 1358. He appeared as a witness, when Rudolf granted the status of ''

oppidum An ''oppidum'' (plural ''oppida'') is a large fortified Iron Age settlement or town. ''Oppida'' are primarily associated with the Celtic late La Tène culture, emerging during the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, spread across Europe, stretchi ...

'' to Hollenburg in 1359. He also functioned in this capacity, when the duke established the St. George chapel in Enns in late 1361, after his victory over Lodovico della Torre,

Patriarch of Aquileia The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate (bishop), primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholicism, Independent Catholic Chur ...

. Iban participated in the war against

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

for

Tyrol Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...

in 1364. Iban and his son Heinrich were also present at the foundation of the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich histor ...

on 12 March 1365. Rudolf IV, who died in Italy, where prepared a second war against patriarch Lodovico, was jointly succeeded by Albert III and Leopold III. They inherited empty treasury and a lot of debt from their brother. Iban, who bought a house in Vienna, borrowed large sums to the dukes in the following years. He countersigned that document, which granted Leopold control over Tyrol,

Further Austria Further Austria, Outer Austria or Anterior Austria (german: Vorderösterreich, formerly ''die Vorlande'' (pl.)) was the collective name for the early (and later) possessions of the House of Habsburg in the former Swabian stem duchy of south-we ...

and

Carniola Carniola ( sl, Kranjska; , german: Krain; it, Carniola; hu, Krajna) is a historical region that comprised parts of present-day Slovenia. Although as a whole it does not exist anymore, Slovenes living within the former borders of the region sti ...

while income would be split between the dukes in July 1373. After the

Treaty of Neuberg The Treaty of Neuberg, concluded between the Austrian duke Albert III and his brother Leopold III on 25 September 1379, determined the division of the Habsburg hereditary lands into an Albertinian and Leopoldian line. Background Albert and Le ...

(1379), which determined the division of the Habsburg hereditary lands, Iban's lands in Styria belonged to Leopold's realm, while his possessions in Lower Austria was under the suzerainty of Albert. In the 1370s, Iban received several pledge lands from the dukes (for instance, Mahrenberg and

Aspang Aspang-Markt is a market town in Lower Austria in Austria. Geography Aspang-Markt is situated in the region Bucklige Welt submontane of the Wechsel mountain (1,743 m). It is completely surrounded by Aspangberg-St. Peter. History The village was ...

castles). He was last mentioned in this capacity in July 1382, when Albert III pledged the fort of Gutenstein to Iban. In order to finance his dukes, Iban also had to apply for loans; at the end of his life he was owed to three Jewish traders in Neunkirchen. Decades after his departure, Iban von Bernstein first visited Hungary in December 1361, when Rudolf IV and his brothers signed a treaty of alliance with

Louis I of Hungary Louis I, also Louis the Great ( hu, Nagy Lajos; hr, Ludovik Veliki; sk, Ľudovít Veľký) or Louis the Hungarian ( pl, Ludwik Węgierski; 5 March 132610 September 1382), was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1342 and King of Poland from 1370 ...

Casimir III of Poland Casimir III the Great ( pl, Kazimierz III Wielki; 30 April 1310 – 5 November 1370) reigned as the King of Poland from 1333 to 1370. He also later became King of Ruthenia in 1340, and fought to retain the title in the Galicia-Volhynia Wars. He wa ...

and

Meinhard III, Count of Gorizia-Tyrol Meinhard III (9 February 1344 – 13 January 1363), a member of the House of Wittelsbach, was duke of Upper Bavaria and count of Tyrol from 1361 until his death. He was the son of Duke Louis V of Bavaria with Countess Margaret of Tyrol and as s ...

Pressburg 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 ...

(present-day Bratislava in

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 ...

). Iban certified the contract on behalf of Rudolf, alongside several other Austrian lords. According to a document from June 1368, Iban took out a loan from brothers Smerlein and Eberlein, two Jewish

usurers Usury () is the practice of making unethical or immoral monetary loans that unfairly enrich the lender. The term may be used in a moral sense—condemning taking advantage of others' misfortunes—or in a legal sense, where an interest rate is ch ...

. He visited Fraknó Castle (today Forchtenstein, Austria) with Rudolf von Stadeck in December 1374. They personally guaranteed the trustworthiness of Nicholas Nagymartoni ("the German", Mertensdorfi), who pledged allegiance to Albert III and vowed that he will serve the duke faithfully with all his strength and castle against everyone but the Hungarian monarch Louis I. Nagymartoni promised neutrality in case of potential war between Austria and Hungary. Three years later, Iban also sealed that document in Vienna in which Nagymartoni promised does not offer to take shelter for those who robbing and tearing Austria. As historian Renáta Skorka analyzed, the formerly rebellious Graf Iban, who plundered and looted the borderland of the two realms several times, continuing his father's activity, became guardian and promoter of those Hungarian nobles, who entered the service of the Habsburgs, and helped maintain the lawful order in Styria and Lower Austria by the end of his life. Iban was last mentioned by contemporary records in October 1382.

References

Sources

* * * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Bernstein, Iban von 1300s births 14th-century Hungarian people 14th-century Austrian people Hungarian expatriates in Austria John the Wolf Year of death unknown