Mercurius of Slavonia
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Mercurius | |
|---|---|
| Ban of Slavonia | |
| Reign | 1205–1206 |
| Predecessor | Ipoch Bogátradvány |
| Successor | Csépán Ják |
| Died | after 1206 |
| Noble family | Janur kinship |
| Spouse(s) | Princess Margaret |
| Issue | Janur |
Mercurius (Hungarian: Merkúr; died after 1206) was a Moravian lord in the early 13th century, who settled down in the Kingdom of Hungary. As a confidant of King Andrew II of Hungary, he served as Ban of Slavonia from 1205 to 1206. He became related to the royal Árpád dynasty through his marriage.
Early 19th-century historiographical works incorrectly propounded that Mercurius belonged to the powerful Hungarian clan Gutkeled.[1] Since then, it was proved that he was grandfather of that Mérk (Myrk or Mercurius), Wenceslaus and James of the Csákányi family, about whom the 13th century chronicler Simon of Kéza mentions that they descended "from the dukes of Moravia and have ties of kinship with King Béla IV".[2] According to historian Tibor Neumann, it is possible he is identical with one of the lords called Marquartus, whose name appear in contemporary charters from the Kingdom of Bohemia. However, he was certainly not member of the Přemyslid dynasty, despite Simon's account.[3]