Tercia pars regni
Encyclopedia
The Tercia pars regni or Ducatus (Hungarian
: Dukátus) is the denomination for territories occasionally governed separately by members (dukes) of the Árpád dynasty
within the Kingdom of Hungary
in the 11th-12th centuries. The symbol of the ducal power was a sword, while the royal power was represented by the crown.
Some of them claim that the institution was the adaptation of the practise followed by leaders of nomad
ic tribal federations who entrusted their heirs with the government of some tribes joined recently to the federation. The practise was followed within the tribal federation of the Magyars and later it became the pattern for developing separated governments on territorial basis (e.g., Koppány
's government in Somogy).
Other sources mention that the practise of separating a territory for the heir of the monarch was followed by the rulers of Great Moravia
.
Another view is that the institution was developed when King Andrew I of Hungary assigned the government of one-third of his kingdom to his brother, the future King Béla I in 1048.
The exact borders of the "Tercia parsi regni" have not been determined yet. The counties
entrusted to the members of the ruling dynasty did not form a separate province within the kingdom, but they were organized around two or three centers.
The eastern block of the counties were located around Bihar
, a city that was also the see of a Roman Catholic
diocese
in that time. The north-western parts of the territories were centered around Nyitra . A third possible center of the territories was Krassó, a fortress destroyed later in the first half of the 13th century, located near to the present-day Dupljaja
in Serbia
.
The dukes' principal hunting-grounds lay in the "Holy Forest" (Igyfon) on the territory of the Erdélyi-Szigethegység / Seş Mountains
(today in Romania
) in the 11th century.
to his brother, Béla. At that time, Duke Béla was the heir presumptive
, but later King Andrew I fathered a son, Solomon
. The birth of Solomon gave rise to conflicts between the two brothers that resulted in a civil war. The civil war stopped in 1060 when Béla defeated his brother and ascended the throne.
When Béla died in 1063, his sons Géza
, Ladislaus and Lampert
had to flee from the Kingdom of Hungary, because their cousin, Solomon (who had already been crowned in 1057) returned followed by the troops his brother-in-law, King Henry IV of Germany
provided him. Shortly afterwards, King Bolesław II of Poland
provided military assistance to the three dukes thus they could return to the kingdom. However, the parties wanted to avoid the emerging civil war and therefore they made an agreement on 20 January 1064 in Győr
. Under the agreement, the three brothers, Dukes Géza, Ladislaus and Lampert accepted the rule of their cousin, King Solomon who conceded them their father's former duchy (the "Tercia pars regni").
Following a nine-year-long period of cooperation, conflicts arose among the king and the dukes, and the latter could expand their power over the larger part of the kingdom and the king had to flee to the western borders. In 1074, the eldest duke, Géza was proclaimed king, while King Solomon could maintain his rule only in some western counties of the kingdom. Following his ascension to the throne, King Géza confirmed his brothers, Ladislaus and Lampert in the possession of the "Tercia pars regni". When Géza died on 25 April 1077, his partisans proclaimed Ladislaus king who could enforce King Solomon to accept his rule in 1081. During Ladislaus' reign, the "Tercia pars regni" may have governed by his brother, Duke Lampert, but it has not been proven, yet.
The "Tercia pars regni" revived in 1095-1096, when King Coloman of Hungary made and agreement with his brother, Álmos
, who had been debating Coloman's right to the throne following the death of King Ladislaus I, and conceded the territories in appanage to him. In 1105, Duke Álmos rebelled against his brother and sought for military assistance from the Holy Roman Empire and Poland, but his troops were defeated by the king shortly afterwards. In 1107, Duke Álmos made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and taking advantage of his absence, King Coloman occupied the territories of the "Tercia pars regni".
When Duke Álmos returned from the Holy Land and realised that his territories had been incorporated into the royal domains, he escaped to the court of Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor
. Upon the duke's request, the Emperor laid siege to Bratislava
. However, King Coloman sought the assistance of Duke Bolesław III of Poland, who attacked Bohemia. In November, the emperor made a peace with Coloman, who let his brother come back to his court, but the duchy of Álmos and his ducal power was not to be restored. Shortly afterwards, Coloman set up the bishopric of Nyitra in one of the seats of the "Tercia pars regni".
The last revival of the "Tercia pars regni" occurred in 1162, when King Ladislaus II of Hungary
, who had been proclaimed king under the menaces of the Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Komnenos
against his nephew, King Stephen III
, granted its territories to his brother, Stephen
following his coronation on 25 December 1162. When King Ladislaus II died in three weeks (on 14 January 1163), Duke Stephen was proclaimed king (and, in some months, he was defeated by King Stephen III]]) and therefore the territories of his former duchy were incorporated into the royal domains definitely.
During the 13-14th centuries, members of the royal dynasties received some provinces (e.g., Slavonia
, Transylvania
) of the kingdom in appanage and the "Tercia pars regni" was never re-established.
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
: Dukátus) is the denomination for territories occasionally governed separately by members (dukes) of the Árpád dynasty
Árpád dynasty
The Árpáds or Arpads was the ruling dynasty of the federation of the Hungarian tribes and of the Kingdom of Hungary . The dynasty was named after Grand Prince Árpád who was the head of the tribal federation when the Magyars occupied the Carpathian Basin, circa 895...
within 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...
in the 11th-12th centuries. The symbol of the ducal power was a sword, while the royal power was represented by the crown.
Origins
The origins of separated territorial governments within the Kingdom of Hungary are debated among modern scholars.Some of them claim that the institution was the adaptation of the practise followed by leaders of nomad
Nomad
Nomadic people , commonly known as itinerants in modern-day contexts, are communities of people who move from one place to another, rather than settling permanently in one location. There are an estimated 30-40 million nomads in the world. Many cultures have traditionally been nomadic, but...
ic tribal federations who entrusted their heirs with the government of some tribes joined recently to the federation. The practise was followed within the tribal federation of the Magyars and later it became the pattern for developing separated governments on territorial basis (e.g., Koppány
Koppány
Koppány was a Hungarian nobleman of the tenth century. Brother of the ruling prince of Hungary, Géza of the Árpád dynasty, Koppány ruled as Prince of Somogy in the region south of Lake Balaton...
's government in Somogy).
Other sources mention that the practise of separating a territory for the heir of the monarch was followed by the rulers of Great Moravia
Great Moravia
Great Moravia was a Slavic state that existed in Central Europe and lasted for nearly seventy years in the 9th century whose creators were the ancestors of the Czechs and Slovaks. It was a vassal state of the Germanic Frankish kingdom and paid an annual tribute to it. There is some controversy as...
.
Another view is that the institution was developed when King Andrew I of Hungary assigned the government of one-third of his kingdom to his brother, the future King Béla I in 1048.
Territories
Comitatus (Kingdom of Hungary)
A county is the name of a type of administrative units in the Kingdom of Hungary and in Hungary from the 10th century until the present day....
entrusted to the members of the ruling dynasty did not form a separate province within the kingdom, but they were organized around two or three centers.
The eastern block of the counties were located around Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
, a city that was also the see of a Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
in that time. The north-western parts of the territories were centered around Nyitra . A third possible center of the territories was Krassó, a fortress destroyed later in the first half of the 13th century, located near to the present-day Dupljaja
Dupljaja
Dupljaja is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Bela Crkva municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority and its population numbering 854 people .-History and archaeology:...
in Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
.
The dukes' principal hunting-grounds lay in the "Holy Forest" (Igyfon) on the territory of the Erdélyi-Szigethegység / Seş Mountains
Apuseni Mountains
The Apuseni Mountains is a mountain range in Transylvania, Romania, which belongs to the Western Carpathians, also called Occidentali in Romanian. Their name translates from Romanian as Mountains "of the sunset" i.e. "western". The highest peak is "Cucurbăta Mare" - 1849 metres, also called Bihor...
(today in Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
) in the 11th century.
History
The practise of dynastical divisions of the kingdom's territories commenced in 1048 when King Andrew I of Hungary conceded one-third of the counties of his kingdom in appanageAppanage
An apanage or appanage or is the grant of an estate, titles, offices, or other things of value to the younger male children of a sovereign, who would otherwise have no inheritance under the system of primogeniture...
to his brother, Béla. At that time, Duke Béla was the heir presumptive
Heir Presumptive
An heir presumptive or heiress presumptive is the person provisionally scheduled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir or heiress apparent or of a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question...
, but later King Andrew I fathered a son, Solomon
Solomon of Hungary
Solomon , King of Hungary . He was crowned as a child during his father's lifetime in order to ensure his succession, but his uncle Béla managed to dethrone his father and ascend to the throne...
. The birth of Solomon gave rise to conflicts between the two brothers that resulted in a civil war. The civil war stopped in 1060 when Béla defeated his brother and ascended the throne.
When Béla died in 1063, his sons Géza
Géza I of Hungary
Géza I was King of Hungary from 1074 until his death. During King Solomon's rule he governed, as Duke, one third of the Kingdom of Hungary. Afterwards, Géza rebelled against his cousin's reign and his followers proclaimed him king...
, Ladislaus and Lampert
Lampert of Hungary
Lampert was a member of the Árpád dynasty; Duke of one-third of the Kingdom of Hungary .Lampert was the third son of the future King Béla I of Hungary and his Polish wife...
had to flee from the Kingdom of Hungary, because their cousin, Solomon (who had already been crowned in 1057) returned followed by the troops his brother-in-law, King Henry IV of Germany
Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry IV was King of the Romans from 1056 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1084 until his forced abdication in 1105. He was the third emperor of the Salian dynasty and one of the most powerful and important figures of the 11th century...
provided him. Shortly afterwards, King Bolesław II of Poland
Bolesław II the Generous
Bolesław II the Generous, also known as the Bold and the Cruel , was Duke of Poland and third King of Poland .He was the eldest son of Casimir I the Restorer and Maria Dobroniega, daughter of Grand Duke Vladimir I of Kiev....
provided military assistance to the three dukes thus they could return to the kingdom. However, the parties wanted to avoid the emerging civil war and therefore they made an agreement on 20 January 1064 in Győr
Gyor
-Climate:-Main sights:The ancient core of the city is Káptalan Hill at the confluence of three rivers: the Danube, Rába and Rábca. Püspökvár, the residence of Győr’s bishops can be easily recognised by its incomplete tower. Győr’s oldest buildings are the 13th-century dwelling tower and the...
. Under the agreement, the three brothers, Dukes Géza, Ladislaus and Lampert accepted the rule of their cousin, King Solomon who conceded them their father's former duchy (the "Tercia pars regni").
Following a nine-year-long period of cooperation, conflicts arose among the king and the dukes, and the latter could expand their power over the larger part of the kingdom and the king had to flee to the western borders. In 1074, the eldest duke, Géza was proclaimed king, while King Solomon could maintain his rule only in some western counties of the kingdom. Following his ascension to the throne, King Géza confirmed his brothers, Ladislaus and Lampert in the possession of the "Tercia pars regni". When Géza died on 25 April 1077, his partisans proclaimed Ladislaus king who could enforce King Solomon to accept his rule in 1081. During Ladislaus' reign, the "Tercia pars regni" may have governed by his brother, Duke Lampert, but it has not been proven, yet.
The "Tercia pars regni" revived in 1095-1096, when King Coloman of Hungary made and agreement with his brother, Álmos
Prince Álmos
Álmos was a Hungarian prince, the son of King Géza I of Hungary, brother of King Kálmán. He held several governmental posts in the Kingdom of Hungary....
, who had been debating Coloman's right to the throne following the death of King Ladislaus I, and conceded the territories in appanage to him. In 1105, Duke Álmos rebelled against his brother and sought for military assistance from the Holy Roman Empire and Poland, but his troops were defeated by the king shortly afterwards. In 1107, Duke Álmos made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and taking advantage of his absence, King Coloman occupied the territories of the "Tercia pars regni".
When Duke Álmos returned from the Holy Land and realised that his territories had been incorporated into the royal domains, he escaped to the court of Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry V was King of Germany and Holy Roman Emperor , the fourth and last ruler of the Salian dynasty. Henry's reign coincided with the final phase of the great Investiture Controversy, which had pitted pope against emperor...
. Upon the duke's request, the Emperor laid siege to Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
. However, King Coloman sought the assistance of Duke Bolesław III of Poland, who attacked Bohemia. In November, the emperor made a peace with Coloman, who let his brother come back to his court, but the duchy of Álmos and his ducal power was not to be restored. Shortly afterwards, Coloman set up the bishopric of Nyitra in one of the seats of the "Tercia pars regni".
The last revival of the "Tercia pars regni" occurred in 1162, when King Ladislaus II of Hungary
Ladislaus II of Hungary
Ladislaus II , King of Hungary. As a younger son, he was able to ascend to the throne only with the assistance of the Byzantine Empire against his nephew, King Stephen III after his brother's death...
, who had been proclaimed king under the menaces of the Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Komnenos
Manuel I Komnenos
Manuel I Komnenos was a Byzantine Emperor of the 12th century who reigned over a crucial turning point in the history of Byzantium and the Mediterranean....
against his nephew, King Stephen III
Stephen III of Hungary
Stephen III , King of Hungary King of Croatia and Dalmatia . He ascended the throne as a child and he had to stand up against his uncles who usurped the crown supported by the Byzantine Empire...
, granted its territories to his brother, Stephen
Stephen IV of Hungary
Stephen IV , King of Hungary . In his youth, he rebelled against his brother, King Géza II of Hungary and had to flee to the Court of the Byzantine Emperor, Manuel I Komnenos...
following his coronation on 25 December 1162. When King Ladislaus II died in three weeks (on 14 January 1163), Duke Stephen was proclaimed king (and, in some months, he was defeated by King Stephen III]]) and therefore the territories of his former duchy were incorporated into the royal domains definitely.
During the 13-14th centuries, members of the royal dynasties received some provinces (e.g., Slavonia
Slavonia
Slavonia is a geographical and historical region in eastern Croatia...
, 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...
) of the kingdom in appanage and the "Tercia pars regni" was never re-established.
Dukes
The list of the members of the Árpád dynasty who were dukes of the "Tercia pars regni" follows:- Béla the Champion / the Bison (1048–1060)
- GézaGéza I of HungaryGéza I was King of Hungary from 1074 until his death. During King Solomon's rule he governed, as Duke, one third of the Kingdom of Hungary. Afterwards, Géza rebelled against his cousin's reign and his followers proclaimed him king...
(1064–1074) - Saint Ladislaus (1064–1077)
- LampertLampert of HungaryLampert was a member of the Árpád dynasty; Duke of one-third of the Kingdom of Hungary .Lampert was the third son of the future King Béla I of Hungary and his Polish wife...
(1064- cca. 1095) - ÁlmosPrince ÁlmosÁlmos was a Hungarian prince, the son of King Géza I of Hungary, brother of King Kálmán. He held several governmental posts in the Kingdom of Hungary....
(1095/1096-1107) - StephenStephen IV of HungaryStephen IV , King of Hungary . In his youth, he rebelled against his brother, King Géza II of Hungary and had to flee to the Court of the Byzantine Emperor, Manuel I Komnenos...
(1162–1163)
Sources
- Kristó, Gyula (editor): Korai Magyar Történeti Lexikon (9-14. század) (Encyclopedia of the Early Hungarian History - 9-14th centuries), Akadémiai Kiadó, 1994, Budapest, ISBN 963 05 6722 9
- Kristó, Gyula - Makk, Ferenc: Az Árpád-ház uralkodói (The rulers of the Árpád dynasty), IPC Könyvek, 1996, ISBN 963 7930 973