The ten-lanced nobles ( hu, tízlándzsások), also Szepes lancers, Spiš lancers, or lance-bearers of Szepes (''szepesi lándzsásnemesek'') were group of
conditional noble
A conditional noble or predialistSegeš 2002, p. 286. ( hu, prédiális nemes; la, nobilis praedialis; hr, predijalci) was a landowner in the Kingdom of Hungary who was obliged to render specific services to his lord in return for his landholding ...
men living in the
Szepes region 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 ...
(present-day Spiš in Slovakia). These nobles were previously part of the contingent assigned with border guard duties in the periphery of the conquered territories in the region.
In the thirteenth century, some of these groups were officially integrated into the Hungarian nobility.
They received their privileges from King
Béla IV of Hungary in 1243. They were obliged to equip ten knights or
lancer
A lancer was a type of cavalryman who fought with a lance. Lances were used for mounted warfare in Assyria as early as and subsequently by Persia, India, Egypt, China, Greece, and Rome. The weapon was widely used throughout Eurasia during the M ...
s. They were not subject to the authority of the ''
ispán'' (or head) of
Szepes County
Szepes ( sk, Spiš; la, Scepusium, pl, Spisz, german: link=no, Zips) was an administrative county of the Kingdom of Hungary, called Scepusium before the late 19th century. Its territory today lies in northeastern Slovakia, with a very small are ...
and tax was collected from them only if the "
royal servants" (or noblemen) were also required to pay it.
Initially, they formed about 40 families, but their number decreased to less than 20 families by the 16th century. They lost their special status in 1804.
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Conditional nobility (Kingdom of Hungary)
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