Gilét (I) from the kindred Smaragd ( hu, Smaragd nembeli (I.) Gilét; died after 1266) was a Hungarian nobleman in the 13th century. The influential Zsámboki family ascended from him.

Background

Gilét (or Gyleth) was born into the ''gens'' (clan) Smaragd, an illustrious noble family of

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...

origin. His father was Smaragd (II), who served as

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) then briefly

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 wi ...

(1206) during the reign of Andrew II. Gilét (I) had two brothers, Smaragd (III), who was

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 archdio ...

and Aynard, ancestor of the clan's Ajnárdfi (Kükei, Atyai and Veér) branch.Engel: ''Genealógia'' (Genus Smaragdus 1., Ajnárdfi ükei, Atyai, Görögmezeibranch)

Career and descendants

It seems Gilét possessed landholdings in

Požega County Požega County ( hr, Požeška županija; hu, Pozsega vármegye) was a historic administrative subdivision ('' županija'') of the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia. Croatia-Slavonia was an autonomous kingdom within the Lands of the Crown of Sai ...

, while his brother Aynard acquired lands in the neighboring

Valkó County Valkó County ( hu, Valkó vármegye, hr, Vukovska županija, sr, Вуковска жупанија) was an administrative unit (county) of the medieval Kingdom of Hungary. It was established in the 13th century, and included most territories ...

. Similarly to his brother, Gilét entered the service of Queen

Maria Laskarina Maria Laskarina (c. 1206 – 16 July or 24 June 1270) was a Greek Queen consort of Hungary by marriage to Béla IV of Hungary. She was the daughter of Theodore I Laskaris and Anna Komnena Angelina. Life She was a younger sister of Irene Lascari ...

, the consort of King

Béla IV of Hungary Béla IV (1206 – 3 May 1270) was King of Hungary and Croatia between 1235 and 1270, and Duke of Styria from 1254 to 1258. As the oldest son of King Andrew II, he was crowned upon the initiative of a group of influential noblemen in his fath ...

. He was styled as count of the tárnoks (i.e. royal treasurers, "''comes udvornicorum''") and – simultaneously – count of the queen's cup-bearers in early 1258. In this capacity, Gilét was entrusted to go through and review the property relations that have become tangled over decades throughout Požega County. Gilét and his brothers requested Béla IV in 1258 in order to confirm their ancestors' donations in favor 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 Zsámbék. Gilét was still alive in 1266, when he is referred to as landowner in Požega County. The marriage of Gilét and his unidentified wife produced three sons: Gilét (II), Nicholas (II) and Emeric. The Zsámboki family ascended from Gilét (II). The powerful lord Nicholas Zsámboki was the grandson of Gilét (I). His another son Nicholas (II) – who was ''

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

Somogy County Somogy ( hu, Somogy megye, ; hr, Šomođska županija; sl, Šomodska županija, german: Komitat Schomodei) is an administrative county (comitatus or ''megye'') in present Hungary, and also in the former Kingdom of Hungary. Somogy County lies ...

from 1319 to 1324 – married Clara, the daughter of

Demetrius Nekcsei Demetrius is the Latinized form of the Ancient Greek male given name ''Dēmḗtrios'' (), meaning “Demetris” - "devoted to goddess Demeter". Alternate forms include Demetrios, Dimitrios, Dimitris, Dmytro, Dimitri, Dimitrie, Dimitar, Dum ...

. Their marriage produced two daughters. The third son Emeric (and his sons) are referred to as Gilétfi de Požega in the 1330s. This family became extinct in the first half of the 15th century.

References

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Smaragd, Gilet 13th-century Hungarian people

Gilet A gilet () or body warmer is a sleeveless jacket resembling a waistcoat or blouse. It may be waist- to knee-length and is typically straight-sided rather than fitted; however, historically, gilets were fitted and embroidered. In 19th-century dre ...