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TheVoivode of Transylvania (German:Vojwode von Siebenbürgen;[1]Hungarian:erdélyi vajda;[1][2]Latin:voivoda Transsylvaniae;[1][2]Romanian:voievodul Transilvaniei)[3] was the highest-ranking official inTransylvania within theKingdom of Hungary from the 12th century to the 16th century. Appointed by themonarchs, thevoivodes – themselves also the heads orispáns ofFehér County – were the superiors of theispáns of all the othercounties in the province.
They had wide-ranging administrative, military and judicial powers, but their jurisdiction never covered the whole province. TheSaxon andSzékely communities – organized into their own districts or "seats" from the 13th century – were independent of the voivodes. The kings also exempted some Transylvanian towns and villages from their authority over the centuries. Even so, theVoivodeship of Transylvania "was the largest single administrative entity"[4] in the entire kingdom in the 15th century. Voivodes enjoyed income from the royal estates attached to their office, but the right to "grant lands, collect taxes and tolls, or coin money"[5] was reserved for the monarchs. AlthoughRoland Borsa,Ladislaus Kán and some other voivodes rebelled against the sovereign, most remained faithful royal officials.
Because of the gradual disintegration of the medieval Kingdom of Hungary in the 16th century, the last voivodes of Transylvania, who came from theBáthory family, ceased to be high-ranking officials. Instead they were theheads of state, although underOttoman suzerainty, of anew principality emerging in the eastern territories of the kingdom. Accordingly,Stephen Báthory, the voivode elected by theDiet of the new realm, officially abandoned the title of voivode and adopted that of prince in 1576, upon his election asKing of Poland.
The origin of the office is unclear.[2] The title voivode is ofSlavic origin with a meaning of "commander, lieutenant".[6] Although EmperorConstantine VII Porphyrogennetos wrote of the voivodes[7] or chieftains of theHungarian tribes around 950, he seems to have adopted the term used by aSlavic interpreter.[8] Romanian historians maintain that the title, homonymous with the one used inWallachia andMoldavia, suggests a perpetuation of the local ruling tradition.[9][further explanation needed]
The border position of Transylvania[10] led to the formation of the voivodeship, since the monarchs could not maintain direct control over this remote region.[11] Thus the voivodes were never autonomous, but remained provincial officials of the kings.[8] The voivodes were heads of Fehér County from 1201,[12] which may indicate that their position had its origin in the office of that county'sispán.[13]
Two royal charters issued in 1111 and 1113 mention oneMercurius"princeps Ultrasilvanus", but he may have been only an important landowner in Transylvania without holding any specific office.[10]Leustach Rátót was the first individual whose title voivode was documented. He held the office in the late 12th century, but his voivodeship was mentioned by aroyal charter in 1230. The earliest extant document mentioning a voivode namedLegforus was issued in 1199.[2][6][10] In addition to voivode, royal charters used the titlesbanus,[14]dux andherzog for the same office in the next decades, showing that the terminology remained uncertain until the second half of the 13th century.[6]
The territories under the jurisdiction of the voivodes are known as Voivodeship or Voivodate of Transylvania.[15][16] Voivodes were the chiefs of theispáns of the Transylvanian counties.[13] Although the counties in Transylvania were first attested from the 1170s, earlier references to fortresses at their seats[17] and archaeological finds suggest that a system of counties existed in the 11th century.[18] For instance,Torda County was first mentioned in a charter of 1227, but a royal castle atTorda (Turda) had already been documented in 1097,[19] and three burials coin-dated to the reign ofStephen I of Hungary (1000 or 1001–1038) were unearthed in the same fortress.[20]
Theispáns of the Transylvanian counties ofDoboka,Hunyad,Kolozs,Küküllő and Torda were not listed among the witnesses of royal charters from the beginning of the 13th century, hinting that their direct connection to the monarchs had by that time been interrupted.[13] Thereafter they were employed by the voivode who appointed and dismissed them at will.[13][21][22] Only the heads ofSzolnok County remained directly connected to the monarchs for a longer period,[13] until their office was united with the voivodeship in the 1260s.[23][24][25] Similarly, the voivodes were simultaneously theispáns of the nearbyArad County between 1321 and 1412.[24][26]
The kings exempted some communities from the jurisdiction of the voivodes.[5] TheDiploma Andreanum, a royal charter of 1224, placed the territory of the Saxons betweenBroos (Szászváros, Orăștie) andBarót (Baraolt) under the authority of the Count ofHermannstadt (Nagyszeben, Sibiu), who was appointed by and directly subordinate to the monarchs.[27][28] Likewise, a special royal official, theCount of the Székelys, administered the Székely community[29] from around 1228.[30] In the latter case, the two offices were united by custom in 1462: from then on each voivode was also appointed Count of the Székelys.[29]
Following theMongol invasion of 1241 and 1242, KingBéla IV of Hungary exempted the inhabitants ofBilak (Mărişelu),[31]Gyalu (Gilău),Gyulafehérvár (Alba Iulia),Harina (Herina),Tasnád (Tășnad) andZilah (Zalău).[32] KingCharles I of Hungary granted immunity to the Saxon communities ofBirthälm (Berethalom, Biertan),Kleinschelken (Kisselyk, Şeica Mică),[33] andMediasch (Medgyes, Mediaș) in 1315, but the same monarch annulled other communities' similar privileges in 1324.[34]Altrodenau (Radna, Rodna) andBistritz (Beszterce, Bistrița) received immunity in 1366.[35]
The office of voivode was one of the most important royalhonours in the kingdom.[36] All income from lands attached to the Transylvanian royal castles was collected for the voivodes.[36] They enjoyed the income from fines,[36] but royal revenues from taxes, tolls and mines remained the kings' due.[37]
During most of the 14th century, the voivodes held the castles atBánffyhunyad (Huedin),Boroskrakkó (Cricău),Csicsóújfalu (Ciceu-Mihăieşti),Déva (Deva),Hátszeg (Hațeg),Kőhalom (Rupea),Küküllővár (Cetatea de Baltă),Léta (Lita),Nagy-Talmács (Tălmaciu),Torja (Turia) andÚjvár (Gogan Varolea), together with their lands.[39] Additionally, the voivodes enjoyed the revenues of royal estates in Transylvania.[36] For instance, the estates atBonchida (Bonțida) andVajdahunyad (Hunedoara) were attached to them for decades.[40] However, the monarchs started to grant their castles and estates to noblemen, to thebishops of Transylvania or to the Saxon community after 1387.[40] Consequently, Küküllővár and the lands pertaining to it remained the last piece of the "voivodal domain" in the 1450s.[40]
The inhabitants of the Transylvanian counties were compelled to accommodate the voivodes and their officials.[41] The "guest settlers" – privileged colonists – at Boroskrakkó,[42]Magyarigen (Ighiu)[42] andRomosz (Romos)[33] were the first to be released from this duty in 1206.[43] InAlvinc (Vinţu de Jos) andBorberek (Vurpăr),[31] the obligation itself was not abolished, but limited to two occasions a year.[44] Finally King Charles I exempted all Transylvanian noblemen and their serfs from this irksome duty in 1324.[41]
The voivodes who preferred to stay in the royal court seldom resided in their province,[21] but were represented by their deputies.[36] The earliest record of avicar of a voivode dates from 1221.[45] Later the title "vice-voivode", first documented in 1278, came into general use.[45][46] In addition to vice-voivodes andispáns of the Transylvanian counties, the voivodes appointed thecastellans of the royal fortresses.[21][47] They tended to choose from among the noblemen serving in their own retinue,[48] which ensured that their followers received a fair share of their revenues.[49][50] Accordingly, when a king dismissed a voivode, his men were also replaced with his successor's men.[49]
Along with thepalatine, thejudge royal and theban, the voivode was one of the Kingdom's highest judges.[51] In this capacity, he was authorized to issue "credible" charters.[51] The earliest preserved charter dates to 1248.[45] The voivodes or their vice-voivodes always heard disputes together with local noblemen who knew local customs.[52][53] Initially, the voivodes and their deputies held their courts atMarosszentimre (Sântimbru), but they heard disputes at their own abodes from the 14th century.[52] Voivodes rarely headed their courts after the 1340s and were rather represented by their deputies.[53]
Although limiting his own jurisdiction, in 1342 voivodeThomas Szécsényi recognized the right of Transylvanian noblemen to judge legal cases of peasants who held parcels of land in their estates, "with the exception of three cases, such as robbery, highway robbery, and violent trespass".[53][54] This concession was confirmed in 1365 by KingLouis I of Hungary.[54] Furthermore, the monarchs grantedjus gladii (the right to the application of capital punishment) to more and more nobles in the course of the same century.[55]
According tocustomary law, noblemen could not be sued outside the province until the 15th century.[52] King Louis I even prohibited all prelates and noblemen who owned lands in Transylvania from bringing legal proceedings of lesser importance concerning these estates to the royal court.[56] Nevertheless, legal actions between Transylvanians and the inhabitants of other parts of the kingdom remained outside the jurisdiction of the voivodes.[41] Litigants could appeal to the royal court against the decision of the voivode from the 14th century, but the voivode often remained involved in the proceedings.[56] Legislation prescribed that appeals against decisions of the voivodes were to be addressed to the judge royal only from 1444.[55][56]
"Then, contempt of the general diet and the noble assembly of the Transylvanians held on the mandate of the king or of the lord voivode of Transylvania is fined by a hundredmarks, amounting to the same number offlorins; and that of a judicial seat, by fifty."
"General assemblies" convoked and presided over by the principal judges of the realm became important judicial institutions in the last decade of the 13th century.[58] General assemblies for the representatives of the Transylvanian counties were presided over by the voivode or the vice-voivode.[59] The first such assembly was held on June 8, 1288. They became important legal institutions from 1322.[60] Thereafter they were held on a regular basis, at least once a year at Keresztes (Cristiş) near Torda.[59][61]
With the authority of the monarch, the voivodes occasionally also invited the representatives of the Saxon and Székely communities to the counties' general meetings.[61] This contributed to the development of legal connections among the future "Three Nations of Transylvania".[61] The threat from thepeasants' revolt of 1437 gave rise to the first joint meeting of the Hungarian noblemen and the representatives of the Saxons and the Székelys, which was convoked without a former royal authorization by the vice-voivode.[62]Romaniancneazes were only once, in 1355, invited to the general assembly.[59] Otherwise, the vice-voivodes organized separate meetings for them.[61]
The etymology of the title ("commander") suggests that voivodes had significant military duties.[64] They were the supreme leader of the troops recruited in the counties under their jurisdiction.[64] Although law obliged noblemen to fight in the king's army, Transylvanian nobles fought under the command of the voivode.[65] Furthermore, the voivodes had their own private retinue, formed primarily by armed noblemen.[64] Their right to raise an army under their own flag was confirmed by legislation in 1498.[66]
Military functions are attested, for instance, byPousa, the voivode at the time of the Mongol invasion who fell in battle on March 31, 1241.[67][68] VoivodeLawrence of the Aba clan fought in the royal army in a war againstAustria in 1246.[14] A Mongol army attacking the southern regions of Transylvania was defeated by voivodeErnye of the Ákos clan in 1260.[25] Roland Borsa fought against the invading Mongols in 1285.[69]
Voivode Nicholas Csáki failed to repel anOttoman invasion of Transylvania in 1420.[70][71] In contrast,John Hunyadi, voivode between 1441 and 1446,[72] defeated a major Ottoman army at Gyulafehérvár in 1442.[73] His successor Stephen Báthory likewise won a resounding victory atBreadfield (Hungarian:Kenyérmező,Romanian:Câmpul Pâinii) on October 13, 1479.[74] By contrast,John Zápolya (Szapolyai), the last voivode before thebattle of Mohács on August 29, 1526 did not arrive to the battlefield in time, summoned too late.[75] The battle ended with the Ottomans' annihilation of the royal army.[76] KingLouis II of Hungary was also killed on the battlefield.[77]
The voivodes had power concentrated in their hands, impelling the monarchs to replace them frequently:[11] forty-three voivodes ruled between 1199 and 1288.[78] Monarchs usually refrained from appointing as voivode noblemen who owned Transylvanian estates.[37]Michael of theKacsics clan was the first voivode to receive a land grant in the province, around 1210.[79] However, these originally uninhabited lands along the upper courses of the riverMureș (Maros) were confiscated in 1228.[80]
The era beginning with 1288 was characterized by longer periods in office.[13] Roland Borsa survived 10 years, while his successor, Ladislaus Kán, lasted 20 years.[13] This apparent stability was the consequence of the weakening of central government under the last two kings of theÁrpád dynasty,Ladislaus IV (1272–1290) andAndrew III (1290–1301).[81] Royal power was only restored in the reign of Charles I (1308–1342) who one by one defeated the rebellious noblemen throughout his kingdom.[82]
In Transylvania, he was assisted by Thomas Szécsényi, the voivode between 1321 and 1342.[83] Historian Ioan-Aurel Pop characterizes the following period as including "voidvodal dynasties":[21] five members of theLackfi family (father and four sons) were successively appointed between 1356 and 1376.[84] Likewise, Nicholas Csáki (1415 to 1426) was succeeded by his son Ladislaus.[61] The pair preferred to entrust their vice-voivode Roland Lépes to represent them, instead of visiting the province.[61] From the middle of the 15th century it was not unusual for two or even three noblemen to hold the office at the same time.[85] For instance, John Hunyadi was appointed together withNicholas Újlaki in 1441 by KingWladislas I.[86]
The Mongols comprehensively plundered the eastern territories of the Kingdom of Hungary, including Transylvania, during both their invasion in 1241 and their withdrawal the following year.[87] The consolidation of the province was the main task of Lawrence of the Aba clan, who the office for 10 years from 1242.[88] One of his successors, appointed by King Béla IV, Ernye of the Ákos clan, was dismissed in 1260 by the king's son,Stephen who had just taken over Transylvania with the title ofduke.[14] The duke's action showed emerging tensions between father and son, rather than conflicts between the duke and Ernye.[14][89]
The first years of the reign of the minor Ladislaus IV were characterized by armed conflicts between parties of the leading noble families.[90] Although Roland Borsa, voivode in 1282 and between 1284 and 1294, was initially among the nobles assisting the king in consolidating royal power,[90] he himself became the source of new conflicts. First he prevented the canons of theGyulafehérvár Chapter from collecting their income in 1289. Next he unlawfully compelled noblemen and Saxon landowners in Transylvania to accommodate him and his retinue.[13] Later Borsa fought thebishop of Várad (Oradea) and even resisted King Andrew III who besieged him in the fortress ofAdorján (Adrian) atSzalárd (Sălard)[31] for three months in 1294.[81][91]
Borsa's successorLadislaus Kán went even further by usurpingroyal prerogative during his voivodeship between 1294 and 1315.[92] He arbitrarily assumed the titles of count of Bistritz, Hermannstadt and the Székelys to expand his authority over Saxon and Székely communities exempted from voivodal authority.[93] He set up a tax-collecting body, seemingly covering the entire province.[94] He capturedOtto of Bavaria, a claimant to the Hungarian throne and seized theHoly Crown of Hungary from him in the first half of 1307.[95][96] He handed the royal diadem to King Charles I in 1310, but continued to rule Transylvaniade facto independently until his death in 1315.[97] Hisson of the same name declared himself voivode, a title even used by the monarch when referring to him in a charter of August 12, 1315.[98] Dózsa Debreceni, the voivode King Charles I appointed in 1318, defeated some rebellious minor lords, but royal authority in Transylvania was only restored by Thomas Szécsényi in the 1320s.[99]
The next rebellion against royal power in Transylvania broke out in 1467.[100] Irritated by a new tax that KingMatthias Corvinus had just introduced, representatives of the Three Nations concluded an alliance against the monarch and declared the three incumbent voivodes (the brothers CountsJohn and Sigismund Szentgyörgyi and Berthold Ellerbach) their leaders. The king put down the revolt in a week, but did not sentence the three voivodes, because their active role in the revolt was never proven.[101]
The barons did not find a compromise candidate to succeed King Louis II who perished in thebattle of Mohács in 1526.[102] First the voivode, John Szapolyai was proclaimed king by a group of nobles, but the opposing party also elected its own king,Ferdinand I, a scion of theHabsburg family, by the end of the year.[103]
King John I accepted Ottoman suzerainty in 1529,[103] but in theTreaty of Nagyvárad of 1538 he conceded the right of theHabsburgs to succeed him after his death.[104] At that point his voivodes, Stephen Majláth and Emeric Balassa, decided to separate Transylvania from the kingdom in order to save the province from an Ottoman invasion. Although other leading Transylvanian noblemen soon joined them, King John I overcame their rebellion in some weeks.[105]
Following John's death, Ottoman troops occupied the central parts of the Kingdom of Hungary in 1541.[106] SultanSuleiman I permitted the king's widow,Queen Isabella, to retain the territories east of the riverTisza (Tisa), including Transylvania, in the name of her infant son,John Sigismund.[106][107]George Martinuzzi, bishop of Várad, soon started to reorganize the government in the name of the dowager queen and her son. The Ottomans assisted the bishop by capturing his opponent, Stephen Majláth,[106] although the sultan had earlier confirmed the latter's position as voivode.[108] An assembly of the Three Nations elected George Martinuzzi as governor on behalf of the infant king in 1542.[106]
The office of voivode was vacant[1] until September 1549, when Ferdinand (who had not given up the idea of reuniting the territories of the entire kingdom) appointed Martinuzzi to this post.[109] However, Isabella and his son only left their realm in 1551.[110] Thereafter, Transylvania was again under the rule of voivodes appointed by the monarch, ending withIstván Dobó.[1] He administered the province until 1556, when Isabella and John Sigismund returned.[111]
John Sigismund ceased to style himself king of Hungary after theTreaty of Speyer of 1570, under which he adopted the title of "Prince of Transylvania and Lord ofparts of the Kingdom of Hungary".[112][113] His successorStephen Báthory (who was elected ruler by the assembly of the Three Nations) revived the title of voivode, initially for himself.[114] He adopted the title of "prince of Transylvania" when he was electedking of Poland in 1576.[115] At the same time, he conferred the title voivode on his brotherChristopher in 1576.[115] Christopher Báthory was followed in 1581 by his minor son Sigismund who continued to style himself voivode until the death of his uncle, Stephen Báthory in 1586.[116] Sigismund Báthory's title of prince was acknowledged in 1595 byEmperor Rudolph (also king of Hungary).[116]
| Term | Incumbent | Monarch | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| c. 1111–c. 1113 | Mercurius | Coloman | "princeps Ultrasilvanus", but maybe only a distinguished nobleman | [2][10][117][118] |
| 1176–c. 1196 | Leustach of the Rátót clan | Béla III | first voivode attested by a royal charter (from 1230); leader of Hungarian reinforcements sent to theByzantine Empire against theSeljuks in theBattle of Myriokephalon of 1176 | [2][6][118][119][120] |
| 1199–1200 | Legforus | Emeric | his voivode title is documented by the earliest royal charter (from 1199) | [2][6][118][119] |
| 1200 | Eth of the Geregye clan | Emeric | alsoispán ofFehér County | [118][119][121] |
| Term | Incumbent | Monarch | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| c. 1315 | Ladislaus (IV) of the Kán clan | self declared voivode, son of Ladislaus (III) Kán (1295–1314) | [98] | |
| 1315–1316 | Nicholas Meggyesi | Charles I | second rule; unable to take up his office; alsoispán ofSzolnok County (1315–1316) | [128][132][133] |
| 1318–1321 | Dózsa Debreceni | Charles I | alsoispán ofSzolnok County (1318–1321) | [40][128][133] |
| 1321–1342 | Thomas Szécsényi | Charles I | alsoispán ofSzolnok County (1321–1342),ispán ofArad County (1330–1342), andispán ofCsongrád County (1330) | [40][128][133] |
| 1342–1344 | Nicholas Sirokai | Louis I | alsoispán ofArad andSzolnok Counties (1342–1344) | [128][133][134] |
| 1344–1350 | Stephen Lackfi | Louis I | alsoispán ofArad andSzolnok Counties (1344–1350) | [128][133][134] |
| 1350–1351 | Thomas Gönyűi or Csór | Louis I | appointed byStephen, duke of Transylvania, the monarch's brother; alsoispán ofArad andSzolnok Counties (1350–1351) | [128][133][134] |
| 1351–1356 | Nicholas Kont of Orahovica | Louis I | alsoispán ofArad andSzolnok Counties (1351–1356) | [128][133][134] |
| 1356–1359 | Andrew Lackfi | Louis I | brother of Stephen Lackfi (1344–1350); alsoispán ofArad andSzolnok Counties (1356–1359) | [128][134][135] |
| 1359–1367 | Denis Lackfi | Louis I | son of Stephen Lackfi (1344–1350); alsoispán ofArad andSzolnok Counties (1359–1367) | [128][134][135][136] |
| 1367–1368 | Nicholas Lackfi, Jr. | Louis I | son of Stephen Lackfi (1344–1350); alsoispán ofArad andSzolnok Counties (1367–1368) | [128][134][135][136] |
| 1369–1372 | Emeric Lackfi | Louis I | son of Stephen Lackfi (1344–1350); alsoispán ofArad andSzolnok Counties (1369–1372) | [128][134][135][136] |
| 1372–1376 | Stephen Lackfi of Csáktornya | Louis I | first rule; son of Stephen Lackfi (1344–1350); alsoispán ofSzolnok County (1372–1376) | [128][135][136][137] |
| 1376–1385 | Ladislaus Losonci, Sr. | Louis I,Mary | first rule; alsoispán ofSzolnok County (1376–1385) | [128][133][137][138] |
| 1385–1386 | Stephen Lackfi of Csáktornya | Charles II | second rule; alsoispán ofSzolnok County (1385–1386) | [133][137] |
| 1386–1392 | Ladislaus Losonci, Sr. | Sigismund,Mary | second rule; alsoispán ofSzolnok County (1386–1392) | [133][137][138] |
| 1392–1393 | Emeric Bebek | Sigismund,Mary | alsoispán ofSzolnok County (1392–1393) | [128][133][137] |
| 1393–1395 | Frank Szécsényi | Sigismund,Mary | alsoispán ofArad,Csongrád, andSzolnok Counties (1393–1395) | [128][133][137] |
| 1395–1401 | Stibor of Stiboricz | Sigismund | first rule; alsoispán ofArad andSzolnok Counties (1395–1401) | [128][133][137] |
| Term | Incumbent | Monarch | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1401 | Simon Szécsényi | Sigismund | alsoispán ofSzolnok County (1401) | [133][137] |
| 1402–1403 | Nicholas Csáki | Sigismund | first rule; alsoispán ofBékés,Bihar,Csanád,Csongrád,Keve,Krassó,Szolnok,Temes, andZaránd Counties (1402–1403); a leader of the party supporting KingLadislaus of Naples's claim to the Hungarian throne in 1403 | [128][133][137][139] |
| Nicholas Marcali | alsoispán ofBékés,Csanád,Csongrád,Keve,Krassó,Szolnok,Temes, andZaránd Counties (1402–1403); joined the party supporting KingLadislaus of Naples's claim to the Hungarian throne in 1403 | [128][133][137][140] | ||
| 1403–1409 | John Tamási | Sigismund | alsoispáns ofSzolnok County (1403–1409) | [128][133][141] |
| James Lack of Szántó | ||||
| 1409–1414 | Stibor of Stiboricz | Sigismund | second rule; alsoispán ofSzolnok County (1409–1414),Nyitra andTrencsén, Lord of allVáh | [128][133][141] |
| 1415–1426 | Nicholas Csáki | Sigismund | second rule; alsoispán ofBékés,Bihar, andSzolnok Counties (1415–1426) | [128][133][141] |
| 1426–1437 | Ladislaus Csáki | Sigismund | second rule; together with Peter Cseh of Léva (1436–1437); alsoispán ofKözép-Szolnok County (1426–1437),ispán ofSzatmár County (1430–1437), andispán ofBihar County (1433–1437); routed by therebelling peasants atDés (Dej); | [133][139][142][143] |
| 1436–1438 | Peter Cseh of Léva | Sigismund,Albert | together with Ladislaus Csáki (1426–1437) | [142][143][144] |
| 1438–1441 | Desiderius Losonci | Albert,Ladislaus V | left Ladislaus V's party and becameWladislas I's partisan in 1441 | [138][142][143][144] |
| 1440–1441 | Ladislaus Jakcs | Wladislas I | [142][144] | |
| Michael Jakcs | ||||
| 1441–1458 | Nicholas Újlaki | Wladislas I,Ladislaus V | first rule; together withJohn Hunyadi (1441–1446), with Emeric Bebek (1446–1448), and with John Rozgonyi (1449–1458); alsoban of Macsó and commander ofNándorfehérvár (Beograd,Serbia) (1441–1458),count of the Székelys (1441–1446),ispán ofCsanád,Csongrád,Máramaros, andTemes Counties (1441–1446),ispán ofArad County (1444–1446),ban of Severin (1445–1446), andban of Slavonia (1457) | [85][144] |
| 1441–1446 | John Hunyadi | Wladislas I | together withNicholas Újlaki (1441–1458); also commander ofNándorfehérvár (Beograd,Serbia) (1441–1446),count of the Székelys (1441–1446),ispán ofCsanád,Csongrád, andTemes Counties (1441–1446),ispán ofArad andBihar Counties (1443–1446),ispán ofKözép-Szolnok,Kraszna,Szabolcs,Szatmár, andUgocsa Counties (1444–1446),ispán ofBereg andMáramaros Counties (1445–1446), and regent-governor of theKingdom of Hungary (1446) | [85][144] |
| 1446–1448 | Emeric Bebek | elected by theDiet of Hungary | together withNicholas Újlaki (1441–1458); alsoispán ofAbaúj County (1446–1448) and judge of theJász people (1446–1448); died fighting against theOttomans in the secondbattle of Kosovo | [85][144][145] |
| 1449–1458 | John Rozgonyi | first rule; together withNicholas Újlaki (1441–1458); alsoispán ofSopron andVas Counties (1449–1454),count of the Székelys (1457–1458) | [85][144] | |
| 1459–1461 | Ladislaus Kanizsai | Matthias | together with John and Sebastian Rozgonyi (1459–1460), and with his brother, Nicholas Kanizsai (1461) | [146] |
| 1459–1460 | John Rozgonyi | Matthias | together with Ladislaus Kanizsai (1459–1461), and with Sebastian Rozgonyi (1459–1460) | [147] |
| 1459–1460 | Sebastian Rozgonyi | Matthias | together with Ladislaus Kanizsai (1459–1461), and with John Rozgonyi (1459–1460) | [148] |
| 1461 | Nicholas Kanizsai | Matthias | together with his brother, Ladislaus Kanizsai (1459–1461) | [146] |
| 1462–1465 | Nicholas Újlaki | Matthias | second rule | [149] |
| John Pongrác of Dengeleg | Matthias | first rule | [120] | |
| 1465–1467 | Bertold Ellerbach of Monyorókerék | Matthias | dismissed after rebellious Transylvanian nobles elected them to their leaders | [150] |
| Count Sigismund Szentgyörgyi | brothers of Count Peter Szentgyörgyi (1498–1510); dismissed after rebellious Transylvanian nobles elected them to their leaders | [151] | ||
| Count John Szentgyörgyi | [151] | |||
| 1468–1474 | Nicholas Csupor of Monoszló | Matthias | together with John Pongrác of Dengeleg (1468–1472) | [139] |
| 1468–1472 | John Pongrác of Dengeleg | Matthias | second rule; together with Nicholas Csupor of Monoszló (1468–1474) | [120] |
| 1472–1475 | Blaise Magyar | Matthias | leader of Hungarian reinforcements sent toStephen the Great,prince of Moldavia in theBattle of Vaslui of 1475 | [143][152] |
| 1475–1476 | John Pongrác of Dengeleg | Matthias | third rule | [143] |
| 1478–1479 | Peter Geréb of Vingárt | Matthias | [143] | |
| 1479–1493 | Stephen (V) Báthory of Ecsed | Matthias,Wladislas II | [143] | |
| 1493–1498 | Bartholomew Drágfi of Béltek | Wladislas II | together with Ladislaus Losonci, Jr. (1493–1494); suppressed a rebellion of the Székelys | [143][153] |
| 1493–1495 | Ladislaus Losonci, Jr. | Wladislas II | together with Bartholomew Drágfi of Béltek (1493–1498) | [138][143] |
| 1498–1510 | Count Peter Szentgyörgyi | Wladislas II | brother ofCounts Sigismund and John Szentgyörgyi (1465–1467) | [143][154] |
"Voivode of Transylvania, István Báthory! (...) Transylvania has long been under my protection, (...) and the country is my own (...). Therefore, out of my power, in accordance with your fealty to me I make Transylvania over to you."
| Term | Incumbent | Monarch | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1510–1526 | John Zápolya (Szapolyai) | Wladislas II,Louis II | becameking of Hungary | [1][143][144] |
| 1527–1529 | Péter Perényi | John Zápolya | left John Zápolya's party and became a partisan ofFerdinand I | [1][143][155] |
| 1530–1534 | Stephen (VIII) Báthory of Somlyó | Ferdinand I | [1][143] | |
| 1530 | Bálint Török | [143] | ||
| 1530–1534 | Jerome Laski | John Zápolya | conspired against the king, who imprisoned him | [1][143][156] |
| 1533–1534 | Emeric Czibak | [143] | ||
| 1534–1540 | Stephen Majláth of Szunyogszeg | John Zápolya | together with Emeric Balassa of Gyarmat (1538–1540); planned to secede Transylvania from the Kingdom of Hungary, but was captured by theOttomans | [1][106][157] |
| 1538–1540 | Emeric Balassa of Gyarmat | John Zápolya | together with Stephen Majláth of Szunyogszeg (1534–1540); fled when the Ottomans invaded Transylvania | [1][106][157] |
| 1551 | George Martinuzzi | Ferdinand I | also elected governor of Transylvania on behalf of the minorJohn Sigismund, the elected king (1543–1551) | [1][106] |
| 1552–1553 | Andrew Báthory of Ecsed | Ferdinand I | resigned | [1][143][158] |
| 1553–1556 | Stephen Dobó | Ferdinand I | last voivodes appointed by aking of Hungary | [1][143] |
| Francis Kendi | ||||
| 1571–1576 | Stephen Báthory | elected by theThree Nations and confirmed by theOttoman SultanSelim II; declared himselfprince of Transylvania after his election asking of Poland in 1576 | [1][143][159] | |
| 1576–1581 | Christopher Báthory | Stephen Báthory | [1][115] | |
| 1581–1586 | Sigismund Báthory | Stephen Báthory | last voivode; his title of prince of Transylvania confirmed in 1595 byEmperor Rudolph | [160][161] |