Smaragd (''Smaragdus'') or Zsámbéki was the name of a ''gens'' (Latin for "clan"; ''nemzetség'' in Hungarian) in 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 ...

. The ancestor of the clan was a French knight calling himself at that time "Ainordi (Aynard) de Champagne", who settled down in Hungary around 1186 during the reign 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 ...

and received use of the estate of

Zsámbék Zsámbék (german: Schambeck) is a town in Pest County, Hungary. Location Zsámbék is located 30 km west of Budapest along the M1 motorway in the Gerecse Mountains. Its neighbouring villages are Tök, Perbál, Páty, Herceghalom, Má ...

under a royal grant. Veér, Zoltán
A Veér család eredete
/ref> His descendants, the ''gens'' Smaragd built the Zsámbék Premontre monastery church. The origins of Aynard are somewhat obscure. No-one with that name appears in genealogical data of the Counts of Champagne

and thus it is assumed he was resident as a knight within the entourage of the Count, and so styling himself "de Champagne", which was the practice at that time. The only known knight with such a name in service to the French crown and/or the Count of Champagne at that time was Adehemar (aka Aymar or Aynard). That knight had been the Viscount of Limoges until 1183, when he was outlawed by King Henry II of England for insurrection against the English monarch. Exiled, he then left Anglo-Norman military service and joined the French court around 1184. The future Queen Consort of Hungary, Margaret of France, Queen of England and Hungary, Margaret of France, was also resident there and had been resident at Limoges castle during her early childhood. She knew the knight Aynard well, so he would be a natural choice to escort her to Esztergom to join her new husband Bela III.

Notable members

* Smaragd I, son of Ainordi de Champagne, ''comes'' * Egidius * Smaragd II,

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� ...

(1205–1206),

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 ...

(1206) * Smaragd III,

archbishop of Kalocsa In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdioc ...

(1257–1265), vice-chancellor (1254–1258) * Aynard (fl. 1244–1258) * Gilét (fl. 1258–1266) *

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

(fl. 1275–1310)

References

Sources

* * * János Karácsonyi: ''A magyar nemzetségek a XIV. század közepéig.'' Budapest: Magyar Tudományos Akadémia. 1900–1901. * Gyula Kristó (editor): Korai Magyar Történeti Lexikon - 9-14. század ''(Encyclopedia of the Early Hungarian History - 9-14th centuries)''; Akadémiai Kiadó, 1994, Budapest; . * Elizabeth Hallam ''The Plantagenet Chronicles'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Smaragd (genus)