Nicholas I Garai | |
|---|---|
| Palatine;Ban of Macsó;Ban of Croatia and Dalmatia | |
 Nicholas I Garai defending Elizabeth and Mary from the Horvats | |
| Palatine of Hungary | |
| Reign | October 1375 – August 1385 |
| Predecessor | Emeric Lackfi |
| Successor | Nicholas Szécsi |
| Born | c. 1325 |
| Died | 25 July 1386 Đakovo (Diakovár),Kingdom of Hungary-Croatia |
| Noble family | House of Garai |
| Spouse(s) | Unknown |
| Issue | Nicholas II John |
| Father | Andrew Garai |
| Mother | N Nevnai |
Nicholas I Garai (Hungarian:Garai I Miklós,Croatian:Nikola I Gorjanski) (c. 1325 – 25 July 1386) was a most influential officeholder under KingLouis I and QueenMary ofHungary. He wasban of Macsó between 1359 and 1375, andpalatine from 1375 until his death. He was alsoispán or head of a number ofcounties over his lifetime.
Son of Andrew Garai and his wife (an unknown daughter ofLadislaus Nevnai), Nicholas Garai was born around 1325.[1] His uncle, Pál Garai (ban of Macsó between 1320 and 1328)[2] was a leading baron under kingsCharles I and Louis I of Hungary.[3] Nicholas's career in politics started under Louis I who appointed him to administer theBanate of Macsó in 1359.[2][3] Asban of Macsó, Nicholas also became the head ofBács,Baranya,Szerém,Valkó andVeszprém counties.[4]
Garai launched, in 1369, a punitive expedition againstVladislav I of Wallachia who had rebelled against King Louis I and defeated a royal army led by Nicholas Lackfi,voivode of Transylvania.[1] The 17th-century historian,Mavro Orbin relates that Garai supportedLazar Hrebeljanović of Serbia andTvrtko I of Bosnia against their opponents,Nikola Altomanović.[5] Around the same time, he arranged a marriage betweenhis namesake son and a daughter of Lazar Hrebeljanović.[1] Garai participated in the first Hungarian expedition against theOttomans in 1375.[1]
Supported by Louis I's wife,Elizabeth of Bosnia, Nicholas Garai was appointed palatine in 1376.[6] At the same time, he also becameispán ofPozsony,Csanád,Keve,Krassó andTemes Counties.[1][7] He acquired more and more offices to his allies and succeeded in pushing aside those who resisted his growing influence.[3] For instance, Stephen Lackfi, the once powerfulvoivode of Transylvania was dismissed by the king while in a pilgrimage in theHoly Land.[3] On the other hand, one of Garai's allies,Demetrius was in 1378 appointedarchbishop of Esztergom andcardinal, although he had most probably been born in a peasant family.[3]
Louis I died on 11 September 1382.[8] His daughter, Mary succeeded him on the throne.[9] At the side of the eleven-year-old monarch, her mother, Elizabeth acted as regent, but the kingdom was in fact administered by Palatine Garai and Cardinal Demetrius.[9] Taking advantage of his preeminent position at the royal court, Garai arranged the imprisonment of his last powerful opponent, Peter Cudar, the governor ofGalicia by accusing him of treachery.[3]
The rule of a female monarch remained unpopular in the kingdom which gave rise to the emergence of at least three concurring parties within the nobility.[10] One party, led byJohn of Palisna, theHospitallerprior ofVrana openly turned against the queen and proposed the crown toCharles III of Naples, the last male member of theroyal house.[9] A second group, led by thejudge royal,Nicholas Szécsi and theLackfis supportedSigismund of Luxembourg, themargrave of Brandenburg who had been engaged to the young queen.[11][12] A third party was formed by thedowager queen and Garai who were planning to give Queen Mary in marriage toLouis of Orleans, a member of theFrench royal family.[11][12]
In accordance with the dowager queen's plans, the betrothal of the young queen and the French duke was announced at the beginning of 1384.[11] In response, Nicholas Szécsi and his partisans decided to renounce their allegiance to the regent in August 1384.[11] Sigismund of Luxembourg left forBohemia, but returned when an army recruited by his brother,Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia invaded the northern parts of the kingdom in the next year.[13] In the meantime,Paul Horvat,bishop of Zagreb (a former supporter of Garai) invited Charles III of Naples to Hungary.[13] He landed inDalmatia in September 1385.[13] His arrival forced Queen Elizabeth to abandon the idea of her daughter's marriage to Louis of Orleans.[13] Accordingly, she dismissed Garai and appointed Nicholas Szécsi palatine.[13]
Sigismund of Luxembourg married Queen Mary in October.[12] However, Charles III of Naples continued his invasion and his partisans convoked aDiet (an assembly of noblemen) in order to elect him king.[13] His opponents soon realized his growing popularity among the noblemen.[13] Sigismund of Luxembourg left the kingdom and Queen Mary renounced of the crown.[13] Charles of Naples was crowned king of Hungary on 31 December 1385.[12]
Nicholas I Garai is most famous because he courageously defended his cousin and sovereign, QueenMary of Hungary, and her mother,Elizabeth of Bosnia, from the Horvat (Horváti) brothers (John andPaul) who were sent to kidnap them. Surrounding the Royal carriage the vastly outnumbered royal escort was overwhelmed, Garai fought them off for a long time. With arrows protruding from his chest, breaking them off so as not to hinder him, dismounting his horse the gallant Miklos delivered sabre blows on the attackers, protecting the Queens by fighting beside the royal carriage. The enemy forces approached from behind, they crawled under the other side of the carriage and grabbing his legs they pulled him to the ground. He was beheaded in the process on 25 July 1386. The enemy showed no mercy as they dragged the Queens out of their royal carriage.
| Ancestors of Nicholas I Garai[14][15] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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He had four[1] children:
Nicholas I Born:c. 1325 Died: 25 July 1386 | ||
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Ban of Macsó 1359–1375 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Palatine of Hungary 1375–1385 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Ban of Croatia and Dalmatia 1385–1386 | Succeeded by |