Mikod (II) from the kindred Kökényesradnót ( hu, Kökényesradnót nembeli (II.) Mikod; died 1298) was a Hungarian baron and soldier in the second half of the 13th century. He served as
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 ...
from 1275 to 1276.
He was a staunch supporter of
Stephen V of Hungary
Stephen V ( hu, V. István, hr, Stjepan V., sk, Štefan V; before 18 October 1239 – 6 August 1272, Csepel Island) was King of Hungary and Croatia between 1270 and 1272, and Duke of Styria from 1258 to 1260. He was the oldest son of Kin ...
. He acquired several landholdings in
Transylvania
Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...
due to his military and political service since the 1250s. The influential Dobokai family ascended from him.
Family
Mikod (also Mikud or Mykud) was born into the
''gens'' (clan) Kökényesradnót,
[Engel: ''Genealógia'' (Genus Kökényesradnót 1., Dobokai branch)] which initially possessed landholdings in the southeastern part of
Nógrád County
Nógrád ( hu, Nógrád megye, ; sk, Novohradská župa) is a counties of Hungary, county ( hu, megye) of Hungary. It sits on the northern edge of Hungary and borders Slovakia.
Description
Nógrád county lies in northern Hungary. It shares bor ...
. According to the 14th-century ''
Illuminated Chronicle
The ''Chronicon Pictum'' (Latin for "illustrated chronicle", English: ''Illuminated Chronicle'' or ''Vienna Illuminated Chronicle'', hu, Képes Krónika, sk, Obrázková kronika, german: Illustrierte Chronik, also referred to as ''Chronica Hung ...
'', the ancestors of the kindred – Kökényes (Kyquin) and Radnót (Reynold) – were of
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
origin, who "came to Hungary with Queen Margaret, the wife of King
Béla I of Hungary
Béla I the Boxer or the Wisent ( hu, I. Bajnok or Bölény Béla, sk, Belo I.; – 11 September 1063) was King of Hungary from 1060 until his death. He descended from a younger branch of the Árpád dynasty. Béla's baptismal name was A ...
" in the 11th century. Whereas no such queen is known, the majority of historians considered that the two French or Spanish knights arrived to Hungary with
Margaret of France, the second spouse of
Béla III of Hungary
Béla III ( hu, III. Béla, hr, Bela III, sk, Belo III; 114823 April 1196) was King of Hungary and Croatia between 1172 and 1196. He was the second son of King Géza II and Géza's wife, Euphrosyne of Kiev. Around 1161, Géza granted Béla a ...
in the 1180s.
Mikod (II) was the son of Mikod (I), whose activity is unknown. He also had a brother
Emeric
Emerich, Emeric, Emerick and Emerik are given names and surnames. They may refer to:
Given name Pre-modern era
* Saint Emeric of Hungary (c. 1007–1031), son of King Stephen I of Hungary
* Emeric, King of Hungary (1174–1204)
* Emeric Kökénye ...
, who had a son John and a daughter Catherine, the wife of the influential lord
Egidius Monoszló
Egidius (II) from the kindred Monoszló ( hu, Monoszló nembeli (II.) Egyed; c. 1240 – March 1313) was a Hungarian powerful baron, who served as Master of the treasury from 1270 to 1272 and from 1274 to 1275. He was a loyal supporter of Stephen ...
. Mikod had four children from his marriage with an unidentified noblewoman. The eldest one Nicholas was the ancestor of the Dobokai family, while the Bogátis descended from Peter. The third son Demetrius appeared in contemporary records in the period between 1297 and 1305. Mikod's only known daughter Elizabeth married John Aba from the Cente branch of the
powerful clan.
Military career
Two donation letters of King
Ladislaus IV of Hungary
Ladislaus IV ( hu, IV. (Kun) László, hr, Ladislav IV. Kumanac, sk, Ladislav IV. Kumánsky; 5 August 1262 – 10 July 1290), also known as Ladislaus the Cuman, was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1272 to 1290. His mother, Elizabeth, was ...
, issued in June and July 1279, preserved details on Mikod's military service from the earlier decades. He participated in
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'' (''whit ...
's royal campaign against 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 ...
in 1250, when the Hungarian monarch made a plundering raid into Austria and
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 ...
in the summer of 1250, in retaliation of a former Austrian incursion into Hungary. Mikod fought during the siege of
Kirchschlag in
Lower Austria
Lower Austria (german: Niederösterreich; Austro-Bavarian: ''Niedaöstareich'', ''Niedaestareich'') is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Since 1986, the capital of Lower Austria has been Sankt P ...
; his right leg was broken when the defenders threw a stone at him and his left leg was pierced with a spear before the king's eyes. Mikod also participated in the royal campaign in the summer of 1253, when King Béla IV launched a war against
Ottokar II in
Moravia
Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia.
The me ...
. Béla sent Mikod to besiege and occupy the (now unidentified) castle of "''Mynen''", which laid along the northern border of Hungary. According to the narration, when Mikod and his soldiers, as part of the vanguard army, tried to break into the fort and to set the his own flag inside, Ottokar's defenders severely injured his right hand and rib with a spear. For his loyal service, Mikod was granted the villages
Lövő, Szepene and
Bánd
Bánd is a village in Veszprém (county), Veszprém county, Hungary.
References
External links
Street map (Hungarian)
Populated places in Veszprém County
{{Veszprem-geo-stub ...
in
Zala County
Zala ( hu, Zala megye, ; ; ) is an administrative county (comitatus or ''megye'') in south-western Hungary. It is named after the Zala River. It shares borders with Croatia ( Koprivnica–Križevci and Međimurje Counties) and Slovenia (Lendava ...
.
By the early 1260s, both Mikod and Emeric Kökényesradnót were considered important partisans of
Duke Stephen, King Béla's eldest son and heir, who administered his provinces in Styria, then
Transylvania
Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...
. The close confidential relationship is well indicated by that purchase, when Stephen paid Mikod the hefty sum of 100 silver marks for a single horse in 1269. Sometime before 1262, Mikod and Emeric were granted Szentmiklós in
Torda County Torda County (german: Komitat Torda,Fallenbüchl 1994, p. 153. hu, Torda vármegye, la, comitatus Thordensis) was a county in Transylvania between the 11th century and 1876.
History
Kingdom of Hungary
Counties (districts formed around royal for ...
along the river
Aranyos (Arieș) near
Torda (present-day Turda, Romania) by Béla IV. The relationship between Béla IV and Stephen became tense by the beginning of 1261, because the latter accused his father of planning to disinherit him. After a brief skirmish, Stephen forced his father to cede all the lands of 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 ...
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 , pa ...
to him and adopted the title of junior king in 1262. Thereafter, the Kökényesradnót brothers were also oriented in Transylvania, establishing a wealth there and roughly abandoning their inherited possessions in
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 ...
, which laid in senior king Béla's domain. Mikod was granted whole
Doboka County
Doboka County was a county in Transylvania
Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is th ...
around 1262, which he governed as
perpetual count A perpetual count ( hu, örökös főispán, la, supremus et perpetuus comes)Nemes 1989, p. 81. was a head or an ''ispán'' of a county in the Kingdom of Hungary (“Lord Lieutenant”) whose office was either hereditary or attached to the dignity ...
(or ''
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 ...
'') until 1268.
Despite the division of the country, the relationship of Béla and Stephen remained tense, which escalated into a
civil war
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
by the end of 1264, when Béla IV invaded his son's realm in two fronts. According to the aforementioned charter of Ladislaus IV from July 1279, both Mikod and Emeric took an active part in the fighting, are the only known persons who were present in all battles along the Transylvanian front. Stephen's army – involving Mikod and Emeric – stopped the advance of the royalist Hungarian–
Cuman
The Cumans (or Kumans), also known as Polovtsians or Polovtsy (plural only, from the Russian language, Russian Exonym and endonym, exonym ), were a Turkic people, Turkic nomadic people comprising the western branch of the Cuman–Kipchak confede ...
army at the
Fortress of Déva (Deva, present-day Romania), where the invaders suffered a heavy defeat. Simultaneously, Béla IV launched another attack against Stephen's province in Northeast Hungary, while the Cuman vanguard was followed by an army of greater significance led by
Lawrence, son of Kemény
Lawrence, son of Kemény ( hu, Kemény fia Lőrinc; died after 1274) was a Hungarian influential lord and military leader in the 13th century, who held various positions in the royal court since the late 1250s. He was a skilled and loyal soldier d ...
, which forced the younger king and his accompaniment to retreat to
Feketehalom
Codlea (; german: Zeiden; Transylvanian Saxon dialect: ''Zäöeden''; hu, Feketehalom) is a city in Brașov County, Transylvania, Romania.
History
During the 13th century, the Teutonic Order built a fortress known as ''Schwarzburg'' ("black cas ...
(Codlea, Romania) in the easternmost corner of Transylvania. Mikod and Emeric were among the few dozen defenders during the siege of Feketehalom at the turn of 1264 and 1265. After their victory in late January 1265, Stephen decided to march into the central parts of Hungary. Somewhere in the
Tiszántúl
Tiszántúl or Transtisza (literal meaning: "beyond Tisza") is a geographical region of which lies between the Tisza river, Hungary and the Apuseni Mountains, Romania, bordered by the Maros (Mureș) river. Alongside Kiskunság, it is a part of Gre ...
around the second half of February 1265, Stephen's advancing army collided with another royal army commanded by
Ernye Ákos
Ernye from the kindred Ákos (''Erne''; hu, Ákos nembeli Ernye; died after January 1275) was a Hungarian baron and landowner. He is best known for saving the life of king Béla IV after the disastrous Battle of Mohi in 1241. He participated in v ...
, who sent a vanguard of Cuman warriors with its commander, chieftain Menk, which attacked the troops of Mikod and Emeric Kökényesradnót, which functioned as the vanguard for Stephen's army. The Kökényesradnót brothers routed the Cumans. Mikod and his brother also participated in the subsequent main battle, where Stephen defeated Ernye's army. Subsequently, both of them took part in the decisive
Battle of Isaszeg in early March 1265, which resulted Stephen's victory and end of the brief civil war. During the skirmish, Mikod suffered life-threatening injuries. Whether Stephen subsequently occupied the
castle of Buda
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 ...
is uncertain and subject to historical debate, nevertheless an undated charter refers to Mikod as "''Mykud comes, rector castri Budensis''", which suggests he was temporarily installed as ''
rector
Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to:
Style or title
*Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations
*Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...
'' of Buda after the civil war, succeeding
Henry Preussel
Henry Preussel, also ''Preuscilinus'' (german: Heinrich Preussel, hu, Preussel Henrik; died March 1265) was an Austrian knight in the Kingdom of Hungary, a faithful confidant of King Béla IV. Henry served as the first ''rector'' of Buda from 1264 ...
, who was executed after the Battle of Isaszeg.
Social ascension
Following the civil war, Mikod began to establish his wealth in Transylvania. Upon the request of his lord Stephen, he returned the perpetual county of Doboka to the duke around 1268. As a compensation, he was granted the village
Bálványos (today Unguraș, Romania) and its namesake castle with a surrounding settlement called Németi and its accessories in the same county in 1269. Béla IV also donated
Koppánd and Ivánkatelke (today Copand and Căptălan, respectively, Romania) along the river
Maros (Mureș) to Mikod and Emeric in the same year. Shortly after his ascension to the Hungarian throne in 1270, Stephen confirmed the former land donations of his father and himself to the Kökényesradnót brothers in his royal charter. The document confirms that, beside the aforementioned settlements, Mikod and Emeric were the owners of
Jenő
Jenő () is a Hungarian male given name, equivalent to Eugene. In Austria and Germany the name is often simplified to Jenö (which in Hungarian is a shorter vowel) and pronounced as German umlaut ö. Jenő is also the legendary founder of one of H ...
(today Fundătura, Romania) in Doboka County (also a former donation from Stephen). Because of their loyal service and "heroic" involvement in the civil war, Mikod and Emeric were granted large-scale donations in Transylvania, altogether 13 known possessions in four counties, including two former royal fortresses by Stephen V. The brothers were granted surrounding estates and villages near Doboka Castle – today all belongs to
Doboka
Dabaka ( ), also called Doboka or Dobaka ( ), is a town in Hojai district (formerly in Nagaon district) of Assam state in India. It is a commercial place situated in the central part of Assam.
Demographics
Indian census, Dabaka had a popula ...
(Dăbâca, Romania) – and an uninhabited land
Lózsárd (Lujerdiu), in addition to another estates along the Aranyos river, Kerekegyház, Igrictelek and
Mészkő (Cheia) near Torda.
Ladislaus IV emphasized in his two charters issued in 1279 that "during the turmoil" (i.e. the 1272–1277 internal conflict) in Hungary "
..he
ikodnever inflicted any damage
.., and kept himself away from internal struggles. Nevertheless, Mikod remained a close ally of those barons, who once were considered confidants of the late Stephen V and consisted one of the two rivaling baronial groups during the 1270s civil war. For instance, he acted as co-judge beside
Matthew Csák,
Voivode of Transylvania
The Voivode of Transylvania (german: Vojwode von Siebenbürgen;Fallenbüchl 1988, p. 77. hu, erdélyi vajda;Zsoldos 2011, p. 36. la, voivoda Transsylvaniae; ro, voievodul Transilvaniei) was the highest-ranking official in Transylvania wit ...
in November 1274, as one of the influential members of the local elite in the province. He was styled as ''ispán'' of Doboka County in this occasion. When the
Csáks regain power by the last months of 1275, Mikod served as Ban of Severin from around December 1275 to 1276. Around the same time, Mikod built his fort, Torda Castle in Aranyos Valley, to the west of the namesake town on the border of his estates (Szentmiklós, Kerekegyház, Igrictelek and Mészkő). However, during the
Second Mongol invasion of Hungary
The Second Mongol invasion of Hungary ( hu, második tatárjárás) led by Nogai Khan and Tulabuga took place during the winter of 1285–1286.
Prelude
The first invasion
In 1241, a Mongol army under Subutai and Batu Khan invaded central an ...
in the winter of 1285 and 1286, the invader Mongols seized and destroyed the fort. The "guests" (''hospes'') of Torda salt mine complained that their letters of privileges also burned and perished during the attack. Sometime between 1268 and 1298, Mikod established a monastery at Sáp along the river
Zagyva
The Zagyva is a river in Hungary. Its length is 179 km, and drains an area of about 5,677 km2. The source is near Salgótarján in Nógrád county. It flows through the towns of Bátonyterenye, Pásztó, Hatvan and Jászberény and flows ...
in the border between Nógrád and
Heves
Heves is a small town in eastern Hungary. About 100 km east of Budapest, Heves lies at the northern extreme of the Great Hungarian Plain, just south of the Mátra and Bükk hills and west of the Tisza River. Heves gave its name to the Heves ...
counties. Beside his acquiring efforts in Transylvania, Mikod remained a prominent landowner in Nógrád County too. For instance, he owned Mikod-Hatvana (today
Palotás) in 1283.
Emeric died sometime in 1285 or 1286. In accordance with his will, Mikod and his nephew John divided their estates at Koppánd and Ivántelke in March 1286, and Mikod allowed his nephew to donate his late brother's portions to the
cathedral chapter of Transylvania for the latter's spiritual salvation in that year. According to a document from March 1288, their father Mikod I once willed his sons, Mikod II and Emeric obliging them to make a pilgrimage to the
Holy Land
The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy ...
. Due to political circumstances and lack of wealth, the brothers could not fulfill this wish. In 1279 or 1280, papal legate
Philip
Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...
,
Bishop of Fermo
The Archdiocese of Fermo ( la, Archidioecesis Firmana) is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction in northern Italy, with its seat in the city of Fermo, Marche. It was established as the Diocese of Fermo in the 3rd century, and elevated to a ...
excused them from the oath in exchange for paying 50 silver marks for one of the churches. This vow has also not been fulfilled until Emeric's death. Unable to pay the summon, Mikod donated his land Szentmiklós to
Peter Monoszló
Peter (II) from the kindred Monoszló ( hu, Monoszló nembeli (II.) Péter; 1240s – 27 November 1307) was a Hungarian prelate, who served as the Bishop of Transylvania from 1270 until his death. The current St. Michael's Cathedral in Gyulafehé ...
, Bishop of Transylvania in order to finance the re-construction of the
St. Michael's Cathedral in March 1288. He also requested Ladislaus IV to confirm the donation; consequently he acknowledged the king's supremacy despite the chaotic situation in Hungary and Ladislaus' complete political isolation by that time. Mikod pledged a portion of his village
Nagyfalu 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 11 ...
to his "relatives"
Julius
The gens Julia (''gēns Iūlia'', ) was one of the most prominent patrician families in ancient Rome. Members of the gens attained the highest dignities of the state in the earliest times of the Republic. The first of the family to obtain the ...
and Peter Kán in March 1294 for 50 silver marks with a redemption period of seven months. Mikod and his sons, Nicholas, Demetrius and Peter sold the family estate at Jobostelke in
Alsó-Fehér County
Alsó-Fehér was an administrative county (Comitatus (Kingdom of Hungary), comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory is now in western Romania (central Transylvania). The latest capital of the county was Nagyenyed (present-day Aiud).
Ge ...
for 29 silver marks in 1297. Mikod was 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
Premonstratensian
The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (), also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines and, in Britain and Ireland, as the White Canons (from the colour of their habit), is a religious order of canons regular of the Catholic Church ...
monastery of
Garáb
Garáb is a village in Nógrád County, Hungary with 49 inhabitants (2014). The name comes from Slavic languages ''grab'': hornbeam
Hornbeams are hardwood trees in the flowering plant genus ''Carpinus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The 30– ...
in 1281 and in early 1298. In the same year, he and his sons exchanged
Szentkirály (Sâncrai) and
Szászlóna (Luna de Sus) for
Marosújvár (Ocna Mureș), a nearby village called Faludi and the
tithe
A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash or cheques or more r ...
s of three villages with Peter Monoszló. The Kökényesradnóts and the bishop also concluded a mutual defense agreement with each other. The elderly Mikod fell ill in 1298. On his deathbed, he compiled his
last will and testament
A will or testament is a legal document that expresses a person's (testator) wishes as to how their property ( estate) is to be distributed after their death and as to which person (executor) is to manage the property until its final distributio ...
before the representatives of the collegiate chapter of Buda. He bequeathed his estates Jenő and Csobolyó to his daughter Elizabeth and son-in-law John Cente.
References
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kokenyesradnot, Mikod
1298 deaths
13th-century Hungarian people
Medieval Hungarian soldiers
Bans of Severin
Founders of Christian monasteries
Mikod