Theodore Tengerdi | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Győr | |
 Seal of Theodore Tengerdi (1303) | |
| 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 |
| Alma mater | University of Bologna |
Theodore Tengerdi (Hungarian:Tengerdi Tivadar; died May/October 1308) was a Hungarianprelate at the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries, who served asBishop of Győr from 1295 to 1308. Prior to that, he was provost ofSzékesfehérvár andvice-chancellor in the royal court, and briefly electedBishop of Vác.
Theodore was born into a prominentTransdanubian family, which originated from Tengerd inFejér County. His father wasvice-judge royalNicholas 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 theKingdom of Bohemia in the early 1270s. Ladislaus had a daughter Anne, who marriedJames 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]
As the youngest one, Theodore entered ecclesiastical service. Consequently, he attended theUniversity of Bologna, a university record preserved his name in February 1269, when his debt (18 pounds) was settled by another Hungarian student Paul in his name.[3] He bore the title of "magister", demonstrating his education and skills in science.[4] Theodore was first mentioned by contemporary records in 1274, whenLadislaus IV of Hungary recovered the estate ofSitke and donated Chueföld, which then belonged to Szolgagyőr Castle (present-day ruins inHlohovec,Slovakia), to the three brothers for the bravery and loyalty of Nicholas and Ladislaus in the previous years. He elevated into the dignity of provost ofSzeben (today Sibiu,Romania) by 1284, serving in this office until 1287. Simultaneously, he also acted as a personal notary of King Ladislaus IV.[5] Theodore was also a confidant of the queen mother,Elizabeth the Cuman and the queen consortElizabeth of Sicily: the two queens jointly donatedDencs andOsztopán, accessories to theSegesd lordship, to Theodore and Ladislaus in June 1284 (their brother Nicholas died by then).[6]
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.[7] By that time, he was already a canon of the collegiate chapter.[8] During his appointment, he was grantedIváncsa by the king's spouse, Queen Elizabeth of Sicily.[6] A single charter from 1289 also styled him as Bishop-elect of Vác, but he was unable to take the office for unknown reasons.[9] Theodore was confirmed as provost byPope Nicholas IV shortly after February 1289, when he instructed the localDominican prior and thecustos of the localFranciscans to investigate the regularity of his election before confirmation.[8]
It is possible that Theodore supported ArchbishopLodomer, who entered into an alliance with the rebelliousKőszegi family against the immoral and weak-handed Ladislaus IV and agreed to offer the crown to the king's distant relativeAndrew the Venetian, who arrived to Hungary in early 1290. However Andrew was captured and surrendered him toDuke Albert. Ladislaus was assassinated by his favoredCuman 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 theHoly 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 inSzékesfehérvár on 23 July 1290.[10]
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 thediet, which took place inÓbuda 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.[5] 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 toKuyavia in theKingdom of Poland to escort Andrew's fiancéeFenenna, the daughter ofZiemomysł of Kuyavia to Hungary. The wedding took place before the end of 1290.[11] Theodore sent a large army (banderium) to Andrew's military campaign against theDuchy of Austria in the summer of 1291.[12] Thereafter the concluded peace treaty prescribed the destruction of the fortresses that Albert of Austria had seized from the Kőszegis, who, in response, rose up in open rebellion against Andrew in spring 1292, acknowledgingCharles Martel of Anjou, asKing of Hungary. The royal troops subdued the rebellion by July, butIvan Kőszegi captured and imprisoned Andrew during his journey toSlavonia in August. Theodore arrived to the province with his army. He saved the royal property, jewels, and treasures from the robbers, and transferred them to the royal court. Alongside other lords and bishops, Theodore negotiated with the notorious Ivan Kőszegi over the liberation of Andrew.[13] He was among those partisans, who sent their relatives – his brother Ladislaus and nephews – as hostages to the Kőszegis,[14] thus Andrew was freed. As a result, they were grantedHalásztelek by Andrew III in January 1293.[12] Theodore and his relatives boughtBékásmegyer for 120 silverdenari from Ladislaus Balog,lector ofBuda chapter. The family also acquired forts and towers in the nearbyMargaret Island.[12]
Theodore Tengerdi was elected Bishop of Győr around April 1295.[15] Therefore he was replaced as provost of Székesfehérvár byGregory Bicskei still in that month, but, despite the aforementioned law, which legitimized a custom right, he retained the office of vice-chancellor until 1297, when Bicskei succeeded him in those dignity too.[16] On behalf of his king, Theodore was present at the coronation ofWenceslaus II of Bohemia inPrague on 2 June 1297. Among many prelates, he also attended the foundation of the monastery of Königsaal (Zbraslav) after the ceremony.[17] In February 1298, Theodore was present inVienna whenElizabeth, Andrew's daughter was betrothed toWenceslaus, the son of the Bohemian king.[18] Theodore attended the diet inPest in the summer of 1298, which authorized Andrew to destroy forts built without permission and ordered the punishment of those who had seized landed property with force.[12] The Diocese of Győr, which laid in the borderlands between the expansionary Kőszegi andCsák domains, was threatened constantly by looting and plundering raids. Ivan Kőszegi pillaged and unlawfully seized the bishopric's several lands in Western Transdanubia. In response, Theodoreexcommunicated the treacherous and greedy lord, but without any consequences and results.[19] During his episcopate, Theodore donated privileges to the fishermen and millers of the nearby Révfalu (today a borough ofGyőr).[19]
Andrew III died in 1301. With his death, theHouse of Árpád, the first royal dynasty of Hungary, ended. A period of Interregnum and civil war between various claimants to the throne –Charles of Anjou,Wenceslaus of Bohemia, andOtto of Bavaria – followed Andrew's death and lasted for seven years. It is plausible that Theodore initially supported the claim of Wenceslaus, alongside the majority of the Hungarian prelates. However the arrivingpapal legateNiccolo Boccasini convinced most of the bishops to accept Charles's reign.[19] Upon the invitation ofPope Boniface VIII, Theodore was a member of that Hungarian clerical delegation, which visited theRoman Curia and met the pope and Charles' grandmotherMary, Queen of Naples. Pope Boniface, who regarded Hungary as a fief of theHoly See declared Charles the lawful king of Hungary on 31 May 1303.[14][20] The Hungarian prelates, led byStephen, Archbishop of Kalocsa traveled further to the Neapolitan court, while Theodore returned to Hungary. He already resided inSzombathely on 24 June 1303.[21]
To strengthen his son's position, Wenceslaus II of Bohemia came to Hungary at the head of a large army in May 1304. However, his negotiations with the local lords convinced him that his son's position in Hungary had dramatically weakened. Accordingly, he decided to take his son back to Bohemia and even took the Holy Crown of Hungary with himself to Prague. According to the narration of theSteirische Reimchronik ("Styrian Rhyming Chronicle"), perceiving the intrigue, Theodore Tengerdi and his small accompaniment caught up to the royal escort before crossing the border. There, the bishop asked and begged King Wenceslaus not to take the Holy Crown and the royal insignia out of the Kingdom of Hungary, but the Bohemian king replied angrily the crown is not entitled to anyone more than the rightful king who is his son, and the Holy Crown must be kept where the king resides.[22] Theodore and hisbanderium participated in the invasion of Bohemia in the autumn of 1304.[23] Theodore Tengerdi died sometimes between May and October 1308, when he was succeeded by Ivan Kőszegi'sillegitimate sonNicholas, who was Theodore's deputy as provost of the collegiate chapter of St. Adalbert church in Győr prior to that.[24]
Theodore House of Tengerdi Born: ? Died: May/October 1308 | ||
| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Benedict (?) | Provost of Szeben 1284–1287 | Succeeded by John |
| Preceded by | Provost of Székesfehérvár 1287–1295 | Succeeded by Gregory Bicskei (elected) |
| Preceded by | Bishop of Vác (elected) 1289 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Bishop of Győr 1295–1308 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Vice-chancellor 1286–1297 | Succeeded by |
