Roland I Rátót

Roland (I) from the kindred Rátót ( hu, Rátót nembeli (I.) Roland; died 1277 or 1278) was a Hungarian influential lord, who held several important secular positions for decades. He was also the ancestor of the Paksi family.

Family

Roland I was born around 1215 into the ''gens'' Rátót as the son of Dominic I, who served as Master of the treasury from 1238 to 1240. He was killed in the Battle of Mohi in 1241. The ancestors of the kindred were two Norman knights (Oliver and Rathold) from Caserta, Naples, who settled down in Hungary around 1097 during the reign of Coloman, King of Hungary. Roland's earliest known ancestor was his great-grandfather Leustach I Rátót, Voivode of Transylvania in the second half of the 12th century. Roland had three brothers, Stephen, the forefather of the Pásztói, Tari and Kakas de Kaza noble families. The Putnoki family came from Oliver I. Leustach II was the father of Palatine Roland II Rátót and also the ancestor of the Jolsvai, Serkei and Feledi branches. Their only unidentified sister married Maurice II Pok whom the influential baron Nicholas Pok originated.

Roland had two sons from his unidentified wife: Matthias and Rathold II (fl. 1278–1296). The latter one had no any descendants. Matthias, who soon adopted the Paksi (or Paksy) surname, married one of the daughters of Paul Visontai from the Kompolt branch of the kindred Aba. Their two sons were Roland and Oliver Paksi, who held important positions during the reign of Louis I of Hungary.Engel: ''Genealógia'' (Genus Rátót 2. Paksi branch)

Early career

He was first mentioned by contemporary records in 1241, when he held the dignity of Master of the cupbearers following the Mongol invasion of Hungary and his father's death, who perished in the battlefield at Mohi. Roland was soon replaced by his brother-in-law Maurice II Pok in that position. According to László Markó, Roland might have been in office until the next year. When King Béla IV returned to Hungary in May 1242, after the withdrawal of the Mongols, Roland also escorted his monarch. Thus he spent the previous months in Dalmatia too, where the Hungarian royal court found shelter. From 1242 to 1245 (or from 1241 to 1246, according to non-authentic charters), he served as Master of the stewards, beside that he also governed Nyitra County (1242–1243), then Sopron County (1244–1245).

In 1246, he led Béla's royal campaign against Frederick II, Duke of Austria, who had attacked Hungary and claimed the western counties of Moson, Sopron and Vas County. He defended Sopron and Pozsony Castle. Later Roland's army was defeated by the Austrians in the Battle of the Leitha River on 15 June 1246, however Frederick was killed on the battlefield, resulting in the end of the conflict and interregnum in Austria. Following this, Roland was appointed Judge royal in 1247 and held the dignity possibly until 1248.

First term as Palatine

Roland was appointed Palatine in 1248, serving in that capacity unusually long period of time in that era, until 1260 as loyal to King Béla IV. He was also '' ispán'' of Pozsony County during that time (1248–1260) and ''ispán'' of Sopron County for a short time in 1255 (his seal preserved in that year). Before Roland, the palatines acted as itinerant judges, wandering in the whole realm in the 1230s and early 1240s. However he abandoned this practice and mostly heard cases in Pressburg (now Bratislava in Slovakia). During the Árpádian royals, Roland was the Palatine, who issued the majority of diplomas with accurate dates and locations. Most of his judgments connected to the kingdom's northwestern region. For instance, he issued his charters in Pressburg in 1249, 1251, 1252 (four), 1253 (three) and 1255 (two or three). Furthermore he also resided in Oltva (a settlement in Győr County which no longer exists), Vasvár, Trencsén (today Trenčín, Slovakia), Vaska, Muraszombat (today Murska Sobota, Slovakia), Győr, Mórichida and Regede (today Bad Radkersburg, Austria), when performed his palatinal judicial powers. He was the last Palatine, who judged over the Pannonhalma Archabbey (in 1254 and 1255), the monastery received waiver of privileges sometime later. During his term, the dignity gradually became a political office, overshadowing its former "traditional" functions (e.g. litigation).

During his 12-year-term, Roland acted in at least 44 lawsuits, 28 of them were preserved in their entirety by contemporary charters. Accordingly, he acted as Palatine mostly in Transdanubia and permanently resided in Pressburg, where he was ''ispán''. There Roland was also responsible for the protection of the northwest border (Pozsony and Sopron Counties) against Austria. When Béla IV revised his predecessors' land grants and reclaimed former royal estates, which greatly affected Pozsony County, Roland was entrusted with the implementation. Historian Kornél Szovák claimed Roland Rátót employed the clerical staff of the Pressburg chapel as his literate personnel.

In 1254, Palatine Roland participated in drafting of peace treaty, which was signed in his residence, Pressburg on 1 May. In accordance with the treaty, Ottokar, who had in the meantime become King of Bohemia, ceded the Duchy of Styria to Béla, who also adopted the title Duke. He helped Béla IV in organizing and consolidating the Hungarian administration in Styria, he stayed Bad Radkersburg (Regede) several times in the 1250s. Discontented with the Hungarian rule, the Styrian lords sought assistance from Ottokar of Bohemia. Béla and his allies invaded Moravia, but Ottokar vanquished them in the Battle of Kressenbrunn on 12 June 1260. The defeat forced Béla to renounce Styria in favor of the King of Bohemia in the Peace of Vienna, which was signed on 31 March 1261 following the intermediary activity of Roland Rátót, who negotiated with Ottokar for months in Austria.

Ban of Slavonia

In 1260, Roland was succeeded by Henry Kőszegi. During that time tensions emerged between King Béla IV and his eldest son Stephen. Béla's favoritism towards his younger son, Béla (whom he appointed Duke of Slavonia) and daughter, Anna irritated Stephen. Following the death of Stephen Gutkeled in 1259 or 1260, Roland became Ban of Slavonia, he appeared in contemporary sources in this capacity at first in August 1261. Roland served as the young prince's mentor and mainstay in accordance with King Béla's wish. As Ban, he acquired several lands and possessions to the south of the Drava River.

Although, Roland did not bore the title of Duke of Slavonia unlike his predecessors Denis Türje and Stephen Gutkeled, he had a significant influence over Dalmatian affairs. Roland was styled as ''comes'' (''ispán'' or župan) of Trogir in the period between September 1262 and October 1267 with a brief interruption in 1263. According to Attila Zsoldos, Roland was also ''comes'' of Split (Spalato) between 1265 and 1267, but it is more likely he held the position from 1262 to 1268. After September 1267 (his dismissal as ban, see below), Roland was styled as simply "''Dominus Rolandus egregius comes''" in Dalmatia. Roland donated the fort of Četiglavac to the Diocese of Nin

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