John Csetneki
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John (IV) Csetneki | |
|---|---|
| Ispán of Bereg | |
| Reign | 1474–1482 |
| Predecessor | John Varjasi |
| Successor | George Verebélyi |
| Born | 1450s |
| Died | 1512 |
| Noble family | House of Csetneki |
| Spouse | Hedwig N |
| Issue | Andrew II Dorothea Catherine |
| Father | Andrew I Csetneki |
| Mother | Helena Keresztúri |
John (IV) Csetneki (Hungarian: Csetneki (IV.) János; died 1512) was a Hungarian nobleman in the second half of the 15th century, who served as ispán of Bereg County and castellan of Munkács (present-day Palanok, Ukraine) from 1474 to 1482, under his mistress and guardian, Queen Mother Elizabeth Szilágyi.
John (IV) was born into the prestigious Csetneki family, which originated from the ancient Hungarian gens (clan) Ákos and possessed landholdings mainly in Gömör County. His father was Andrew (I), the castellan of Eger. His mother was Helena Keresztúri, who married Andrew sometime after 1449, after the death of her first husband Ladislaus Nagymihályi in that year.[1] Thus John was born in the first years of the 1450s. John had several siblings: Ladislaus (VI) – progenitor of the last generations of the Csetnekis –, Derek, Nicholas (VI), Paul (I), Michael (II) and Catherine.[2]
Throughout his younger years, his father stayed away from the family home Csetnek (present-day Štítnik, Slovakia) and actively participated in the wars against the Hussites in Upper Hungary as a familiaris of the Diocese of Eger. His mother Helena Keresztúri managed the estate affairs, defending the rights of the family against the claims of their neighbors, including the relative Bebeks.[1] Andrew Csetneki, feeling his death, compiled his last will and testament in 1465. The document testifies to the person's heavy debts. Regarding his minor children, he nominated his lord, Bishop Ladislaus Hédervári, Queen Mother Elizabeth Szilágyi and Ladislaus Balassa as their guardians.[3]
In May 1470, the four surviving sons of the late Andrew – Ladislaus, John, Nicholas and Michael – reconciled with the Bebeks in the castle of Szendrő regarding the unlawful occupation of some lands. The document says the parties wish to restore the status quo in the economic relationship between the two families. Despite that the feud continued in the following years. Both Ladislaus and John filed lawsuits against the Bebeks over the possessions rights of the ore mines at Dobsina (present-day Dobšiná, Slobakia).[4] King Matthias Corvinus permitted Ladislaus, John and Nicholas to open new mines in Dobsina, Martonyi and Szalonna in 1474, on the condition that they were obliged to pay urbura (mining royalties) in the event of the discovery of new precious metals. John leased some mines there to local merchants in 1475. Throughout the years, John defended the Csetnekis' interests over the mines in the region against the legal claims of the Bebeks and Zápolyas.[5] He personally supervised the transportation of mined ore to the fairs in Central Hungary too.[6]
Career
As an adult, John Csetneki entered the service of Elizabeth Szilágyi, who financially supported his education and advancement. In this capacity, he served as ispán of Bereg County and castellan of Munkács from 1474 to 1482; the area belonged to Elizabeth's royal appanage since 1461. John held both titles together with John Móré from 1474 to 1475, and, thereafter, with Ladislaus Fornosi from 1476 onwards.[7] During his eight years of service as ispán and castellan, John received valuable gifts and treasures from his lady Elizabeth Szilágyi, including a silver-plated sword, a silver bowl, and two pearly and wild leather headgear.[8] According to a complaint from 1489, John Csetneki and John Móré made an act of domination, abusing their positions, in 1475.[9] John was admitted as an honorary member to the Order of Saint Paul the First Hermit in Buda in 1478 because of his frequent donations to the monastic order.[10]
Following the death of Matthias Corvinus in 1490, John Csetneki supported the claim of John I Albert for the throne during the War of the Hungarian Succession. Alongside several other families in Upper Hungary, he joined his cause when the future Polish monarch invaded the region in the autumn of 1490. After a peace treaty with his elder brother Vladislaus II, John Albert renounced his claim to Hungary in exchange for the Duchy of Głogów and the suzerainty over half of Silesia on 20 February 1491. In the next month, Vladislaus granted pardon to the partisans of his brother, including John Csetneki,[11] who was able to attend the Diet of Hungary in Buda as an assessor (a representative of the lower nobility) for Gömör County in the spring of 1492.[12]
In the 1490s, John served as the king's loyalist. When the castellan of Murány (present-day Muráň, Slovakia) attacked and plundered his nearby estates in 1499, he was acting on behalf of the king somewhere else.[11] John complained that the clash occurred as an instigation of Palatine Stephen Zápolya. The Csetnekis organized a counterattack against the Bebek family – Zápolya's allies – thereafter.[4] Nevertheless, John had to experience the dissolution of the Csetnek lordship by the end of the 15th century, due to pressure of the powerful Zápolya family, who gradually obtained the possessions of the Bebek family too.[13]
According to Hungarian historian József Fógel, John functioned as a royal councillor in 1503. In that year, he was engaged in commercial activities with the Jewish merchant Mendel family of Buda.[11] As one of the four representatives of Gömör County, he participated in the Diet of Hungary in October 1505.[14][15] Vladislaus II summoned him to Buda to participate in the negotiations with German king Maximilian I to conclude the Habsburg–Jagiellonian mutual-succession treaty in 1506.[16] John was again referred to as among the councilors and jurors of the royal council in 1507.[12][16]