Ladislaus Kán
Encyclopedia
Ladislaus Kán (? – before 15 May 1315) , was a Hungarian oligarch
in the Kingdom of Hungary
who ruled de facto independently Transylvania
. He held the office of Voivode of Transylvania (erdélyi vajda) (1297-1314). Taking advantage of the internal discords within the kingdom, he could maintain his rule over Transylvania until his death even by struggling against the several claimants for the throne.
who held the office of Judge of the Royal Court (országbíró). His father died in or after 1278 and he inherited his possessions: Hosszúaszó
(today Valea Lungă in Romania), Szépmező
(today Šona in Romania), Bun (today Boiul Mare in Romania), Mezőszilvás, Septér (today Şopteriu in Romania) and Mezőörményes
(today Urmeniş in Romania).
Ladislaus Kán appeared in the sources in 1297 when he issued a charter; by that time, he had been holding the office of Voivode of Transylvania, i.e., he had been governing that province of the Kingdom of Hungary. At that time, he must have been one of the partisans of King Andrew III of Hungary (1290-1301), because he attended an assembly convocated by the king in Buda
in 1298 and he was a member of the king's Council in 1299. Following the king's death, when several claimants for the throne were struggling with each other between 1301 and 1308, he probably did not intervene in their conflict. Nevertheless, during the period from 1297 until 1313, the kings of Hungary
granted several possessions to him in the eastern parts of the kingdom, e.g., he received Veresegyháza
(today Roşia de Secaş in Romania) before 1313.
Although he did not take part in the internal conflicts of the kingdom, he endeavoured to strengthen his authority, sometimes by using or abusing his office of Voivode of Transylvania. Moreover, he managed to expand his influence over several territories of the Transylvanian Saxons
(who had been exempted from the Voivodes' jurisdiction before) and he usurped the office of the Counts of the Székelys (and therefore, he also gained control over the Székelys). He occupied the silver mine of Altrodna
(today Rodna in Romania); and he extended his properties even beyond Transylvania when he captured several possessions in Arad
, Csanád and Krassó
counties. It can be seen that Ladislaus Kán came into the possession of a considerable part of his properties by force and tyrannical means.
When (in 1306) he was reluctant to recognise the rule of King Charles I of Hungary
, whose claim had been supported by the Popes, Pope Clement V
ordered the archbishop of Kalocsa
to excommunicate Ladislaus and to place his territory under ecclesiastic interdict
. In 1307, the archbishop of Kalocsa held out the prospect of the same ecclesiastic disciplinary actions against Peter, bishop of Transylvania
in case he would not excommunicate Ladislaus Kán who had seized the properties of the prelate of Kalocsa
. Nevertheless, in the summer of 1307, Ladislaus Kán captured King Otto of Hungary
, rival of King Charles I, during his visit in Transylvania, and had him imprisoned in one of his castles. It happened then that the royal crown of Hungary fell into his hands.
When Bishop Peter of Transylvania died (November 27, 1307), Ladislaus Kán
captured the canons
who had assembled to elect the new bishop; moreover, he demanded that one of his sons be elected and occupied the chapter
's possessions. Although, in July 1308, he declared that he would not maintain his son's claim to the bishopric, but he suggested two new candidates to the canons.
In the autumn of 1308, he sent delegates to take part in the assembly held close to Pest, where the prelates and the barons of the kingdom recognised King Charles. He released King Otto in the same year and handed him over to Ugrin Csák
(a most loyal man of King Charles) in Szeged. In the meanwhile, he married off his daughter to the "heretic" (that is, of Orthodox faith
) son of the king of Serbia.
At that time, Cardinal Gentilis de Montefiori arrived to Hungary as the pope's legate and launched his operations both to prevent the marriage of the Voivode's daughter and to recover the crown. It was a sign of his failure that he did declare the excommunication of Ladislaus Kán on December 25, 1309. Because of the pressure on him, the Voivode was constrained to acknowledge King Charles I as his sovereign in a charter of his (issued in Szeged
, on April 8, 1310). Moreover, he pledged to return the crown before July 1 (he fulfilled the promise) and vowed to give back a number of properties and offices he had seized with force, i.e., Ladislaus Kán himself assumed the obligation of giving up the office of the count of Bistritz
(today Bistriţa in Romania) and Hermannstadt
(today Sibiu in Romania) and the dignity of count of the Székelys.
In sign of their reconciliation, King Charles visited Transylvania in December, 1310, for the first time during his reign. The relations between the king and Ladislaus Kán must have returned to normal lastingly, since one of his property exchanges took place in the presence of the king in 1313. This is the last occurrence of Ladislaus Kán who died probably in the end of 1314 or the beginning of 1315 (this is quite likely, since royal charters follow one another starting from March, 1315, in which King Charles returned the properties having occupied with force by the late Voivode to their rightful owners).
Oligarchy
Oligarchy is a form of power structure in which power effectively rests with an elite class distinguished by royalty, wealth, family ties, commercial, and/or military legitimacy...
in the Kingdom of Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
who ruled de facto independently Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
. He held the office of Voivode of Transylvania (erdélyi vajda) (1297-1314). Taking advantage of the internal discords within the kingdom, he could maintain his rule over Transylvania until his death even by struggling against the several claimants for the throne.
His life
We do not have any information on his early life, but he was one of the sons of Ladislaus (II) KánKán
Kán is the name of a Hungarian noble family which gave bans to Croatia and Slavonia, voivodes to Transylvania, and palatines to Hungary in the 13th and 14th centuries.-History:...
who held the office of Judge of the Royal Court (országbíró). His father died in or after 1278 and he inherited his possessions: Hosszúaszó
Valea Lunga, Alba
Valea Lungă is a commune located in Alba County, Romania. Is composed of six villages: Făget , Glogoveţ , Lodroman , Lunca , Tăuni and Valea Lungă.-References:...
(today Valea Lungă in Romania), Szépmező
Sona
Sona may refer to:* a female name in Armenian* a male name in Bafaw,a tribe from the southwest region of Cameroon* a name in Hindi, in Urdu, and all other Indo-Iranian languages meaning "Gold"...
(today Šona in Romania), Bun (today Boiul Mare in Romania), Mezőszilvás, Septér (today Şopteriu in Romania) and Mezőörményes
Urmenis
Urmeniş is a commune in Bistriţa-Năsăud County, Romania. It is composed of ten villages: Câmp, Coşeriu, Delureni , Fânaţe , Podenii , Scoabe, Şopteriu , Urmeniş, Valea and Valea Mare .-References:...
(today Urmeniş in Romania).
Ladislaus Kán appeared in the sources in 1297 when he issued a charter; by that time, he had been holding the office of Voivode of Transylvania, i.e., he had been governing that province of the Kingdom of Hungary. At that time, he must have been one of the partisans of King Andrew III of Hungary (1290-1301), because he attended an assembly convocated by the king in Buda
Buda
For detailed information see: History of Buda CastleBuda is the western part of the Hungarian capital Budapest on the west bank of the Danube. The name Buda takes its name from the name of Bleda the Hun ruler, whose name is also Buda in Hungarian.Buda comprises about one-third of Budapest's...
in 1298 and he was a member of the king's Council in 1299. Following the king's death, when several claimants for the throne were struggling with each other between 1301 and 1308, he probably did not intervene in their conflict. Nevertheless, during the period from 1297 until 1313, the kings of Hungary
King of Hungary
The King of Hungary was the head of state of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1000 to 1918.The style of title "Apostolic King" was confirmed by Pope Clement XIII in 1758 and used afterwards by all the Kings of Hungary, so after this date the kings are referred to as "Apostolic King of...
granted several possessions to him in the eastern parts of the kingdom, e.g., he received Veresegyháza
Rosia de Secas
Roşia de Secaş is a commune located in Alba County, Romania. It has a population of 1,696 and is composed of three villages: Roşia de Secaş, Tău and Ungurei.-References:...
(today Roşia de Secaş in Romania) before 1313.
Although he did not take part in the internal conflicts of the kingdom, he endeavoured to strengthen his authority, sometimes by using or abusing his office of Voivode of Transylvania. Moreover, he managed to expand his influence over several territories of the Transylvanian Saxons
Transylvanian Saxons
The Transylvanian Saxons are a people of German ethnicity who settled in Transylvania from the 12th century onwards.The colonization of Transylvania by Germans was begun by King Géza II of Hungary . For decades, the main task of the German settlers was to defend the southeastern border of the...
(who had been exempted from the Voivodes' jurisdiction before) and he usurped the office of the Counts of the Székelys (and therefore, he also gained control over the Székelys). He occupied the silver mine of Altrodna
Rodna
Rodna is a commune in Bistriţa-Năsăud County, Transylvania, Romania. It is composed of two villages, Rodna and Valea Vinului.During the Late Middle Ages, the Transylvanian Saxon-inhabited commune was sacked by the Mongols during their invasion of the Kingdom of Hungary....
(today Rodna in Romania); and he extended his properties even beyond Transylvania when he captured several possessions in Arad
Arad (Hungarian county)
Arad is a historic administrative county of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory is presently in western Romania and south-eastern Hungary. The capital of the county was Arad.- Geography :...
, Csanád and Krassó
Krassó-Szörény
Krassó-Szörény was the name of an administrative county of the historic Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory is presently mostly located in south-western Romania, with one small part which is located in Serbia. The capital of the county was Lugoj...
counties. It can be seen that Ladislaus Kán came into the possession of a considerable part of his properties by force and tyrannical means.
When (in 1306) he was reluctant to recognise the rule of King Charles I of Hungary
Charles I of Hungary
Charles I , also known as Charles Robert , was the first King of Hungary and Croatia of the House of Anjou. He was also descended from the old Hungarian Árpád dynasty. His claim to the throne of Hungary was contested by several pretenders...
, whose claim had been supported by the Popes, Pope Clement V
Pope Clement V
Pope Clement V, born Raymond Bertrand de Got was Pope from 1305 to his death...
ordered the archbishop of Kalocsa
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kalocsa-Kecskemét
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kalocsa–Kecskemét is an Archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in Hungary. Since 1993, its official name is Archdiocese of Kalocsa-Kecskemét. The diocese is the metropolitan of the Diocese of Pécs and the Diocese of Szeged-Csanád. The patron...
to excommunicate Ladislaus and to place his territory under ecclesiastic interdict
Interdict (Roman Catholic Church)
In Roman Catholic canon law, an interdict is an ecclesiastical censure that excludes from certain rites of the Church individuals or groups, who nonetheless do not cease to be members of the Church.-Distinctions in canon law:...
. In 1307, the archbishop of Kalocsa held out the prospect of the same ecclesiastic disciplinary actions against Peter, bishop of Transylvania
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Alba Iulia
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Alba Iulia is an archdiocese in Transylvania, Romania. It was established as the Diocese of Transylvania in 1009 by Stephen I of Hungary and was renamed as the Diocese of Alba Iulia on 22 March 1932...
in case he would not excommunicate Ladislaus Kán who had seized the properties of the prelate of Kalocsa
Kalocsa
Kalocsa is a town in Bács-Kiskun county, Hungary. It lies 88 miles south of Budapest. It is situated in a marshy but highly productive district, near the left bank of the Danube River. Historically it had greater political and economic importance than at present.Kalocsa is the Episcopal see...
. Nevertheless, in the summer of 1307, Ladislaus Kán captured King Otto of Hungary
Otto III, Duke of Bavaria
Otto III of Bavaria , member of the Wittelsbach dynasty, was Duke of Lower Bavaria from 1290 to 1312 and disputably King of Hungary and Croatia between 1305 and 1307 as Béla V.-Family:...
, rival of King Charles I, during his visit in Transylvania, and had him imprisoned in one of his castles. It happened then that the royal crown of Hungary fell into his hands.
When Bishop Peter of Transylvania died (November 27, 1307), Ladislaus Kán
Kán
Kán is the name of a Hungarian noble family which gave bans to Croatia and Slavonia, voivodes to Transylvania, and palatines to Hungary in the 13th and 14th centuries.-History:...
captured the canons
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
who had assembled to elect the new bishop; moreover, he demanded that one of his sons be elected and occupied the chapter
Chapter (religion)
Chapter designates certain corporate ecclesiastical bodies in the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Nordic Lutheran churches....
's possessions. Although, in July 1308, he declared that he would not maintain his son's claim to the bishopric, but he suggested two new candidates to the canons.
In the autumn of 1308, he sent delegates to take part in the assembly held close to Pest, where the prelates and the barons of the kingdom recognised King Charles. He released King Otto in the same year and handed him over to Ugrin Csák
Ugrin Csák
Ugrin Csák was a prominent Hungarian nobleman and oligarch in the early 14th century.-Ugrin Csák as an oligarch:...
(a most loyal man of King Charles) in Szeged. In the meanwhile, he married off his daughter to the "heretic" (that is, of Orthodox faith
Greek Orthodox Church
The Greek Orthodox Church is the body of several churches within the larger communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity sharing a common cultural tradition whose liturgy is also traditionally conducted in Koine Greek, the original language of the New Testament...
) son of the king of Serbia.
At that time, Cardinal Gentilis de Montefiori arrived to Hungary as the pope's legate and launched his operations both to prevent the marriage of the Voivode's daughter and to recover the crown. It was a sign of his failure that he did declare the excommunication of Ladislaus Kán on December 25, 1309. Because of the pressure on him, the Voivode was constrained to acknowledge King Charles I as his sovereign in a charter of his (issued in Szeged
Szeged
' is the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county town of Csongrád county. The University of Szeged is one of the most distinguished universities in Hungary....
, on April 8, 1310). Moreover, he pledged to return the crown before July 1 (he fulfilled the promise) and vowed to give back a number of properties and offices he had seized with force, i.e., Ladislaus Kán himself assumed the obligation of giving up the office of the count of Bistritz
Bistrita
Bistrița is the capital city of Bistriţa-Năsăud County, Transylvania, Romania. It is situated on the Bistriţa River. The city has a population of approximately 80,000 inhabitants, and it administers six villages: Ghinda, Sărata, Sigmir, Slătiniţa, Unirea and Viişoara.-History:The earliest sign of...
(today Bistriţa in Romania) and Hermannstadt
Sibiu
Sibiu is a city in Transylvania, Romania with a population of 154,548. Located some 282 km north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles the Cibin River, a tributary of the river Olt...
(today Sibiu in Romania) and the dignity of count of the Székelys.
In sign of their reconciliation, King Charles visited Transylvania in December, 1310, for the first time during his reign. The relations between the king and Ladislaus Kán must have returned to normal lastingly, since one of his property exchanges took place in the presence of the king in 1313. This is the last occurrence of Ladislaus Kán who died probably in the end of 1314 or the beginning of 1315 (this is quite likely, since royal charters follow one another starting from March, 1315, in which King Charles returned the properties having occupied with force by the late Voivode to their rightful owners).
Sources
- Engel, Pál: Magyarország világi archontológiája (1301-1457) (The Temporal Archontology of Hungary (1301-1457)); História - MTA Történettudományi Intézete, 1996, Budapest; ISBN 963 8312 43 2.
- Kristó, Gyula: Tanulmányok az Árpád-korról (Studies on the Árpáds' Era); Magvető Könyvkiadó, 1983, Budapest; ISBN 963 271 890 9.
- Kristó, Gyula: Early Transylvania (895-1324); Lucidus Kiadó, 2003, Budapest; ISBN = 963 9465 12 7.
- Markó, László: A magyar állam főméltóságai Szent Istvántól napjainkig - Életrajzi Lexikon (The High Officers of the Hungarian State from Saint Stephen to the Present Days - A Biographical Encyclopedia); Magyar Könyvklub, 2000, Budapest; ISBN 963 547 085 1.
- Sălăgean, Tudor: Un voievod al Transilvaniei: Ladislau Kán: 1294-1315 (A voivode of Transylvania: Ladislaus Kán: 1294-1315); Argonaut, 2007, Cluj-Napoca; ISBN 978 973 109 070 2.
