Benedict from the kindred Péc (; died after 1274) was a Hungarian noble and soldier, who fought against the

Bohemians Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, originally practised by 19th–20th century European and American artists and writers. * Bohemian style, a f ...

in the early 1270s.

Life

Benedict originated from the Zala branch of the extended ''gens'' (clan) Péc, which had large-scale possessions in several counties of

Transdanubia Transdanubia ( ; , or ', ) is a traditional region of Hungary. It is also referred to as Hungarian Pannonia, or Pannonian Hungary. Administrative divisions Traditional interpretation The borders of Transdanubia are the Danube River (north and ...

, in addition to other parts of the

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...

. He was a son of Lucas II (or Lucas "the Great"). His brother was Ladislaus, ancestor of the Kustáni family. It is possible that Lucas IV, ancestor of the Ibrányi family was also their brother.Engel: ''Genealógia'' (Genus Péc 1. Zala branch) According to the narration of the royal charter of

Ladislaus IV of Hungary Ladislaus IV (, , ; 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 the daughter of a chieftain from the pagan Cumans who had settled in Hung ...

(1274), Benedict actively participated in the Bohemian–Hungarian War which took place in the previous year. In the first phase of the war, Benedict successfully spied out the army of King

Ottokar II of Bohemia Ottokar II (; , in Městec Králové, Bohemia – 26 August 1278, in Dürnkrut, Austria, Dürnkrut, Lower Austria), the Iron and Golden King, was a member of the Přemyslid dynasty who reigned as King of Bohemia from 1253 until his death in 1278 ...

. Under the banner of

Ivan Kőszegi Ivan Kőszegi (, ; 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 Palatine of Hungary, Palatin ...

, Benedict defended the Hungarian border in

Sopron County Sopron (German language, German: ''Ödenburg'', Slovak language, Slovak: ''Šopron'') was an administrative county (Comitatus (Kingdom of Hungary), comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory is now divided between Austria and Hungary. Th ...

. Benedict fought in the rearguard near

Győr Győr ( , ; ; 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 region, and – halfwa ...

in August, led by his cousin

Denis Péc Denis from the kindred Péc (; died between 1285 and 1288) was a Hungarian baron and soldier in the 13th century. Initially, he was a confidant of ''junior king, rex iunior'' Stephen V of Hungary, Stephen, but later joined the partisans of the eld ...

. Thereafter, again in Kőszegi's army, he fought in

Pereszteg Pereszteg (German: ''Pernstegen, Bernstegen'', Perestagen) is a village in Győr-Moson-Sopron county, Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slo ...

and Lós, harassing the invading Bohemian army with

hit-and-run tactics Hit-and-run tactics are a Military tactics, tactical doctrine of using short surprise attacks, withdrawing before the enemy can respond in force, and constantly maneuvering to avoid full engagement with the enemy. The purpose is not to decisive ...

. During the skirmish, he defeated and captured a lieutenant of the army of

Bruno von Schauenburg Bruno von Schauenburg (also known as Bruno Olomucensis; 1205 – 1 or 17 February 1281 in Kroměříž) was a nobleman and Catholic priest of German descent, bishop of Olomouc in 1245–1281. He was one of the main advisors and diplomats of th ...

, Bishop of Olomouc. Following that Benedict joined to the troops of Denis Péc, who defeated a Moravian army at the walls of Detrekő Castle (today ruins near

Plavecké Podhradie Plavecké Podhradie () is a village and municipality in western Slovakia in the Malacky District in the Bratislava region. History In historical records the village was first mentioned in 1247 AD. Geography The village lies at an al ...

, Slovakia) in October 1273. For his military service, Benedict was granted the land of Vindornyaszőlős in

Zala County Zala (, ; ; ) is an administrative county (Counties of Hungary, comitatus or ''vármegye'') in south-western Hungary. It is named after the Zala River. It shares borders with Croatia (Koprivnica–Križevci County, Koprivnica–Križevci and Me� ...

by King Ladislaus in 1274. His descendants adopted the surname "Szőlősi" after the village. Benedict had a son James, who had a son Lucas, the last male member of the family (fl. 1336–1353) and a daughter Chuna, who married Stephen Bokodi from the ''gens'' (clan) Héder.

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pec, Benedict 13th-century Hungarian nobility

Benedict Benedict may refer to: People Names *Benedict (given name), including a list of people with the given name *Benedict (surname), including a list of people with the surname Religious figures * Pope Benedict I (died 579) *Pope Benedict II (635– ...

Medieval Hungarian soldiers 13th-century Hungarian military personnel