Apaj (I) from the kindred Gutkeled (; died after 1239) was a Hungarian baron in the first third of the 13th century, who served as

Ban of Slavonia Ban of Slavonia (; ; ) sometimes also Ban of "Whole Slavonia" (; ; ), was the title of the governor of a territory part of the medieval Kingdom of Hungary and Croatia in union with Hungary, Kingdom of Croatia. From 1102, the title Ban (title), ...

from 1237 to 1239, during the reign of

Béla IV of Hungary Béla IV (1206 – 3 May 1270) was King of Hungary and King of Croatia, Croatia between 1235 and 1270, and Duke of Styria from 1254 to 1258. As the oldest son of Andrew II of Hungary, King Andrew II, he was crowned upon the initiative of a group ...

Family

Apaj was born into the Sárvármonostor branch of the powerful ''gens'' (clan) Gutkeled. His parentage is unknown. His brothers were Nicholas (I) and Csépán, ancestors of the Bocskai and Bacskai noble families, respectively. One of his cousins was Dragun, progenitor of the Majád branch. Apaj and his unidentified wife had a son Apaj (II). His branch became extinct in the 1340s.Engel: ''Genealógia'' (Genus Gutkeled 5. Sárvármonostor branch)

Career

Apaj was a confidant of prince

Coloman Coloman, ( (also Slovak, Czech, Croatian), , ; ) The Germanic origin name Coloman used by Germans since the 9th century. * Coloman, King of Hungary * Coloman of Galicia-Lodomeria Coloman of Galicia (; ; 1208 – 1241) was the rulerfrom 1214 pr ...

, who was

Duke of Slavonia The Duke of Slavonia (; ), also meaning the Duke of Dalmatia and Croatia (; ) was a title of Nobility in the Kingdom of Hungary, nobility granted several times in the 12th and 14th centuries, mainly to relatives of King of Hungary, Hungarian monarch ...

from 1226. He functioned as ''

ispán The ispánRady 2000, p. 19.''Stephen Werbőczy: The Customary Law of the Renowned Kingdom of Hungary in Three Parts (1517)'', p. 450. or countEngel 2001, p. 40.Curta 2006, p. 355. (, , and ),Kirschbaum 2007, p. 315. deriving from title of župan, ...

'' of

Somogy County Somogy (, ; ; , ) is an administrative county (Counties of Hungary, comitatus or ''vármegye'') in present Hungary, and also in the former Kingdom of Hungary. Somogy County lies in south-western Hungary, on the border with Croatia's Koprivnica- ...

between 1229 and 1234, which then belonged to the duke's province. As a prominent member of Coloman's entourage, he swore to the Oath of Bereg in 1233. Apaj possessed landholdings in Križevci County (Körös) in the area between

Legrad Legrad () is a village and a municipality in northern Croatia, located north of Koprivnica and east of Ludbreg in the Koprivnica–Križevci County. In the 2011 census, there were a total of 2,241 inhabitants in the municipality, in the followi ...

and Rasinja (present-day in

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

). In the latter place he built a castle later called Apajvára (lit. "Apaj's Castle). Apajkeresztúr, the Hungarian name of the village Rasinja still preserves the name of the original owner. The castle is first mentioned by contemporary sources in 1236. According to Croatian historian

Baltazar Adam Krčelić Baltazar Adam Krčelić (5 February 1715 – 29 March 1778) was a Croatian historian, theologian and lawyer. After Vitezović, he was the most prominent figure in the Croatian cultural life of the time. Biography He was born in Šenkovec near Za ...

, Apaj handed over the fort to the

Knights Templar The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, mainly known as the Knights Templar, was a Military order (religious society), military order of the Catholic Church, Catholic faith, and one of the most important military ord ...

in exchange for his spiritual salvation. Following Béla's ascension to the Hungarian throne, Apaj was appointed Ban of Slavonia sometime between 1235 and 1237. His deputy was vice-ban Jaksa Isaan, who is mentioned in this capacity throughout from 1238 to 1242. Apaj held his office at least until 1239, when he was succeeded by his brother Nicholas Gutkeled. It is likely that his death can be placed around this time, 1239 or 1240. His surviving seal from 1239 is one of the earliest rare examples in Hungary which depicts a mounted knight. His lands were inherited by his only son Apaj (II), who was also referred to as

patron Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, art patronage refers to the support that princes, popes, and other wealthy and influential people ...

of the Sárvár family monastery in 1270. Apaj's great-grandson, Stephen was the last male member of Apaj's branch.

References

Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gutkeled, Apaj 13th-century Hungarian people Bans of Slavonia Apaj