Theodore Tengerdi
Theodore Tengerdi | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Győr | |
| Appointed | 1295 |
| Term ended | 1308 |
| Predecessor | Andrew |
| Successor | Nicholas Kőszegi |
| Other post(s) | Bishop-elect of Vác Vice-chancellor |
| Personal details | |
| Died | May/October 1308 |
| Nationality | Hungarian |
| Parents | Nicholas I Tengerdi |
Theodore Tengerdi (Template:Lang-hu; died May/October 1308) was a Hungarian prelate at the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries, who served as Bishop of Győr from 1295 to 1308. Prior to that, he was provost of Székesfehérvár and vice-chancellor in the royal court, and briefly elected Bishop of Vác.
Early career
Theodore was born into a prominent Transdanubian family, which originated from Tengerd in Fejér County. His father was vice-judge royal Nicholas I, who bought the village and the surrounding lands in 1256.[1] Theodore had two elder brothers, Nicholas II and Ladislaus I, who actively participated in the royal military campaigns against the Kingdom of Bohemia in the early 1270s. Ladislaus had a daughter Anne, who married James Hahót. The brothers' branch died out by the middle of the 14th century. The Rumi and the Botka de Széplak noble families descended from Theodore's uncles.[2]
Theodore was first mentioned by contemporary records in 1274, when Ladislaus IV of Hungary recovered the estate of Sitke and donated Chueföld, which then belonged to Szolgagyőr Castle (present-day ruins in Hlohovec, Slovakia), to the three brothers for the bravery and loyalty of Nicholas and Ladislaus in the previous years. As the youngest one, Theodore entered ecclesiastical service. He bore the title of "magister", demonstrating his potential education and skills in science. Consequently, he perhaps attended a foreign universitas.[3] He elevated into the dignity of provost of Szeben (today Sibiu, Romania) by 1284, serving in this office until 1287. Simultaneously, he also acted as a personal notary of King Ladislaus IV.[4] Theodore was also a confidant of the queen mother, Elizabeth the Cuman and the queen consort Elizabeth of Sicily: the two queens jointly donated Dencs and Sztupán, accessories to the Segesd lordship, to Theodore and Ladislaus in June 1284 (their brother Nicholas died by then).[5]
Ladislaus made Theodore as his vice-chancellor in 1286. In the next year, he was also elected provost of Székesfehérvár, thus he held both offices simultaneously, which have traditionally belonged together in the previous decades.[6] During his appointment, he was granted Iváncsa by the king's spouse, Queen Elizabeth of Sicily.[5] A single charter from 1289 also styled him as Bishop-elect of Vác, but he was unable to take the office for unknown reasons.[7]
Crown guard and bishop
It is possible that Theodore supported Archbishop Lodomer, who entered into an alliance with the rebellious Kőszegi family against the immoral and weak-handed Ladislaus IV and agreed to offer the crown to the king's distant relative Andrew the Venetian, who arrived to Hungary in early 1290. However Andrew was captured and surrendered him to Duke Albert. Ladislaus was assassinated by his favored Cuman subjects on 10 July 1290. Following the assassination, Lodomer managed to free Andrew from his captivity in order to crown king. As provost of Székesfehérvár, Theodore also functioned as guardian of the Holy Crown of Hungary. Upon Andrew's arrival, his unidentified opponents tried to bribe Theodore not to hand over the crown jewels to the soon-to-be-king, but the provost refused them. Archbishop Lodomer crowned Andrew king in Székesfehérvár on 23 July 1290.[8]
Theodore was a staunch supporter of Andrew III throughout his reign. He retained his positions of vice-chancellor and provost of Székesfehérvár too. He was one of the main organizers of the diet, which took place in Óbuda in the first days of September 1290, where Andrew III promised to preserve the rights and privileges of the nobility. As vice-chancellor, Theodore drafted the text of the laws. At his own request, one of the articles stated "the old right of the church of Fehérvár to the position of vice-chancellor to be held", thus officially combined the two dignities, confirming the existing customary law.[4] The Hungarian diplomacy already began a search for a suitable spouse for their new king before his release from captivity and the coronation. After the closure of the diet, Theodore traveled to Kuyavia in the Kingdom of Poland to escort Andrew's fiancée Fenenna, the daughter of Ziemomysł of Kuyavia to Hungary. The wedding took place before the end of 1290.[9]
References
- ^ Győri 2008, p. 25.
- ^ Engel: Genealógia (Tengerdi kinship 1. Rumi branch)
- ^ Győri 2008, p. 26.
- ^ a b Szűcs 2002, p. 451.
- ^ a b Győri 2008, p. 28.
- ^ Zsoldos 2011, p. 113.
- ^ Zsoldos 2011, p. 97.
- ^ Zsoldos 2003, p. 136.
- ^ Zsoldos 2003, p. 163.
Sources
- Engel, Pál (1996). Magyarország világi archontológiája, 1301–1457, I. [Secular Archontology of Hungary, 1301–1457, Volume I] (in Hungarian). História, MTA Történettudományi Intézete. ISBN 963-8312-44-0.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Győri, Éva (2008). "Győri püspökök a XIII. században [The Bishops of Győr in the 13th Century]". Belvedere (in Hungarian). 20 (1–2): 24–43. ISSN 1419-0222.
{{cite journal}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Szűcs, Jenő (2002). Az utolsó Árpádok [The Last Árpáds] (in Hungarian). Osiris Kiadó. ISBN 963-389-271-6.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Zsoldos, Attila (2003). "III. András". In Szovák, Kornél; Szentpéteri, József; Szakács, Margit (eds.). Szent István és III. András [Saint Stephen and Andrew III] (in Hungarian). Kossuth Kiadó. pp. 119–227. ISBN 963-09-4461-8.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Zsoldos, Attila (2011). Magyarország világi archontológiája, 1000–1301 [Secular Archontology of Hungary, 1000–1301] (in Hungarian). História, MTA Történettudományi Intézete. ISBN 978-963-9627-38-3.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help)
