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Nicholas from the kindred Pok (; ''c''. 1245 – after 19 August 1319;
fl. ''Floruit'' ( ; usually abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for 'flourished') denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indic ...
1270–1319) was a Hungarian influential lord in the
Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...
at the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries. He held positions in the royal court in the 1270s. He acquired extensive landholdings and estates in the area between the rivers
Tisza The Tisza, Tysa or Tisa (see below) is one of the major rivers of Central and Eastern Europe. It was once called "the most Hungarian river" because it used to flow entirely within the Kingdom of Hungary. Today, it crosses several national bo ...
and Szamos (Someș). He was among the so-called oligarchs, who ruled ''de facto'' independently their dominion during the era of feudal anarchy. He was also ancestor of the Meggyesi noble family, thus later charters also referred to him as Nicholas Meggyesi.


Family

He was born into the wealthy Pok kindred, which originated from
Győr County Győr county (in Hungarian: ''Győr (vár)megye'') was an administrative county (comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary, situated mostly on the right (south) side of the Danube river. Its territory is now part of Hungary, except seven villages on t ...
. He belonged to the Mórichida branch, which erected a
Premonstratensian The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (), also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines and, in Britain and Ireland, as the White Canons (from the colour of their habit), is a religious order of canons regular in the Catholic Chur ...
monastery in 1251 at Mórichida. The branch was founded by Maurice I, Nicholas' grandfather, who served King Andrew II as his
Master of the stewards The master of the stewards or master of the table (, , and ) was one of the high officials of the royal household in the Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 ...
from 1233 to 1235. His only known son was
Maurice II Maurice may refer to: *Maurice (name), a given name and surname, including a list of people with the name Places * or Mauritius, an island country in the Indian Ocean *Maurice, Iowa, a city *Maurice, Louisiana, a village *Maurice River, a trib ...
, Nicholas' father, who held several positions (most notably
Master of the treasury The master of the treasury or treasurerSegeš 2002, p. 316.Rady 2000, p. 113. (Fallenbüchl 1988, p. 80. or , ,Zsoldos 2011, p. 61. , or , )General Encyclopedia of the Yugoslav Lexicographical Institute, second edition, sixth volume SKA-ŽV. p 3 ...
) in the court of King
Béla IV Béla may refer to: * Béla (crater), an elongated lunar crater * Béla (given name), a common Hungarian male given name See also * Bela (disambiguation) * Belá (disambiguation) * Bělá (disambiguation) Bělá may refer to: Places in the Cze ...
at least until 1269. He married a daughter of Dominic I Rátót (she died before 1267) whom Nicholas was born around 1245. He had three younger brothers, Maurice III, Stephen I and Dominic, who were mentioned only once in 1280 when they were
excommunicated Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to deprive, suspend, or limit membership in a religious community or to restrict certain rights within it, in particular those of being in communion with other members of the con ...
due to "tyrannical behaviour". After Maurice's death, the brothers jointly owned Pok, Tét, Baráti and Mórichida in Győr County, along with other sporadic lands throughout the kingdom. Nicholas appeared first in contemporary records in 1270. According to the sources he married twice; his first wife was Elizabeth, a daughter of Mojs (II) Dárói,
Palatine of Hungary The Palatine of Hungary ( or , , ) was the highest-ranking office in the Kingdom of Hungary from the beginning of the 11th century to 1848. Initially, Palatines were representatives of the monarchs, later (from 1723) the vice-regent (vi ...
between 1270 and 1272. She died before 1280. They had at least three sons: Maurice IV, the ''
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 Győr County from 1337 to 1338, Stephen II, the ''ispán'' of
Máramaros County Máramaros County (; ; ; ; ; ) was an administrative county (comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory is now in north-western Romania and western Ukraine. The capital of the county was Máramarossziget (present-day Sighetu Marmație ...
between 1326 and 1327, and ''magister'' Nicholas II. Maurice's son was Simon Meggyesi,
Ban of Croatia Ban of Croatia () was the title of local rulers or office holders and after 1102, viceroys of Croatia. From the earliest periods of the Croatian state, some provinces were ruled by Ban (title), bans as a ruler's representative (viceroy) and sup ...
, thus Nicholas was also an ancestor of the influential Meggyesi family. After Elizabeth's death, he married for the second time to Catherine, daughter of
Andrew Andrew is the English form of the given name, common in many countries. The word is derived from the , ''Andreas'', itself related to ''aner/andros'', "man" (as opposed to "woman"), thus meaning "manly" and, as consequence, "brave", "strong", "c ...
from the Kaplon kindred. She survived her husband and died sometime after 1331. It is a widely accepted academic standpoint that the wife of Palatine Mojs II (Nicholas' mother-in-law) had family relationship with the
Árpád dynasty The Árpád dynasty consisted of the members of the royal House of Árpád (), also known as Árpáds (, ). They were the ruling dynasty of the Principality of Hungary in the 9th and 10th centuries and of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1000 to 130 ...
, the royal house of Hungary through Queen
Elizabeth the Cuman Elizabeth the Cuman (1244–1290) was the Queen consort of Stephen V of Hungary. She was regent of Hungary during the minority of her son from 1272 to 1277. The Cumans were the western tribes of the Cuman-Kipchak confederation. Her people follo ...
thus Nicholas Pok was also part of the Árpáds' distant kinship. Furthermore, Palatine Mojs' other daughter was engaged to
Henry II Kőszegi Henry (II) Kőszegi (, , ; died between March and May 1310) was a Hungarian influential lord at the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries. He was a member of the powerful Kőszegi family. He extended his influence over Slavonia, Upper Slavonia sinc ...
.Engel: ''Genealógia'' (Mojs kinship 1.) Through his granddaughter Anne, Nicholas Pok was also maternal ancestor of the royal house of Báthory de Somlyó, which ruled in
Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...
and
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
in the 16th century.


Life


Political career under the Árpáds

When
Stephen V Stephen V may refer to: *Pope Stephen IV, aka Stephen V, Pope from 816 to 817 *Pope Stephen V (885–891) *Stephen V of Hungary (born before 1239 – 1272), King of Hungary and Croatia, Duke of Styria *Stephen V Báthory (1430–1493), Hungarian co ...
ascended the throne in 1270 after a lengthy wait, Nicholas' career arose. At the preceding decades there were intense throne fights between Béla IV and his son
Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...
Stephen who was later granted the title of Junior king. Although Maurice II Pok had formerly received the Fülek Castle (today:
Fiľakovo Fiľakovo (; , , ) is a town in the Banská Bystrica Region of south-central Slovakia. Historically it was located in Nógrád County (former), Nógrád County, as part of the Nógrád, Novohrad, "Newcastle" region. Geography It is located in the ...
,
Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...
) from Béla IV in 1246 for his bravery in the
Battle of Mohi The Battle of Mohi (11 April 1241) was a pivotal conflict between the Mongol Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary during the Mongol invasion of Europe. The battle took place at Muhi (then Mohi), a town located in present-day Hungary, southwest of ...
during the
Mongol invasion The Mongol invasions and conquests took place during the 13th and 14th centuries, creating history's largest contiguous empire, the Mongol Empire (1206–1368), which by 1260 covered large parts of Eurasia. Historians regard the Mongol devastati ...
, however he later handed over the castle to Duke Stephen in 1262, who had openly rebelled against his father. This resulted that Pok genus was unable to get positions during the late reign of Béla IV. Maurice II became ''ispán'' of
Baranya County Baranya (, ; German language, German:Croatian language, Croatian:'' Baranjska županija'') is a Counties of Hungary, county () in southern Hungary. It is part of the Southern Transdanubia statistical region and the historical Baranya (region), B ...
only in 1266, when father and son confirmed the peace in the Convent of the Blessed Virgin on 'Rabbits' Island. Nicholas was donated five villages – Sárköz (Livada), Avas and Újváros (Orașu Nou), Vámfalu (Vama) and Parlag (Prilog) – by Stephen V in 1270 for possible former military achievements during the 1260s civil war. Through marriage he became resident of
Szatmár County Szatmár County ( ) was an administrative county (Comitatus (Kingdom of Hungary), comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary, situated south of the river Tisza. Most of its territory is now divided between Romania and Hungary, while a very small area ...
by then, after that his life and career tied to
Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...
. However his lord suddenly fell ill and died in August 1272, following Ban Joachim Gutkeled kidnapped Stephen's ten-year-old son and heir, Ladislaus and imprisoned him in the castle of
Koprivnica Koprivnica () is a city in Northern Croatia, located 70 kilometers northeast of Zagreb. It is the capital and the largest city of Koprivnica-Križevci County. In 2011, the city's administrative area of 90.94 km2 had a total populati ...
. During that time two rival baronial groups emerged (supporters of the minor Ladislaus and former partisans of the late Béla IV, who returned to Hungary after Stephen's death), while the royal power was fatally weakened. The rivalry between the two parties characterized the following years. According to historian
Bálint Hóman Bálint Hóman (29 December 1885 – 2 June 1951) was a Hungarian scholar and politician who served as Minister of Religion and Education twice: between 1932 and 1938 and between 1939 and 1942. He died in prison in 1951 for his support of the ...
, twelve "changes of government" took place in the first five regnal years of Ladislaus IV. Nicholas Pok was appointed
Master of the cupbearers The master of the cupbearers or master of the cup-bearers (, , and ) was one of the high officials of the royal household in the Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, ...
in 1273 (19th-century historian Mór Wertner mistakenly identified him as Nicholas Kőszegi), however soon he had to give the position to Lawrence, son of Voivode Lawrence, who belonged to the KőszegiGutkeled baronial group. Following that, when
Ottokar II of Bohemia Ottokar II (; , in Městec Králové, Bohemia – 26 August 1278, in Dürnkrut, Austria, Dürnkrut, Lower Austria), the Iron and Golden King, was a member of the Přemyslid dynasty who reigned as King of Bohemia from 1253 until his death in 1278 ...
invaded Hungary and seized many fortresses, Nicholas participated in the Siege of
Nagyszombat Trnava (, , ; , also known by other alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia, to the northeast of Bratislava, on the Trnávka river. It is the capital of the Trnava Region and the Trnava District. It is the seat of a Roman Catholic a ...
(today
Trnava Trnava (, , ; , also known by other #Names and etymology, alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia, to the northeast of Bratislava, on the Trnávka river. It is the capital of the Trnava Region and the Trnava District. It is the seat o ...
,
Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...
). In 1274, he was reinstalled as Master of the cupbearers, beside that he also served as ''ispán'' of Bereg, Keve, Krassó and possibly Ugocsa Counties. For the participation in the campaign, Ladislaus IV donated him Hegymagas in
Zala County Zala (, ; ; ) is an administrative county (Counties of Hungary, comitatus or ''vármegye'') in south-western Hungary. It is named after the Zala River. It shares borders with Croatia (Koprivnica–Križevci County, Koprivnica–Križevci and Me� ...
. Following the Battle of Föveny, where
Henry I Kőszegi Henry (I) Kőszegi from the kindred Héder (, , ; died 26/29 September 1274), commonly known as Henry the Great, was a Hungarian influential lord in the second half of the 13th century who was the founder and first member of the powerful Kőszegi ...
, leader of the Kőszegi–Gutkeled baronial group was killed, members of the Csák baronial group elevated. From 1274 to 1275, Nicholas functioned as
Master of the stewards The master of the stewards or master of the table (, , and ) was one of the high officials of the royal household in the Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 ...
and ''ispán'' of
Moson County Moson (German language, German: Wieselburg, Slovak language, Slovak: Mošon) was an administrative county (Comitatus (Kingdom of Hungary), comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary, situated mostly on the right (south) side of the Danube river. Its t ...
. According to a non-authentic charter, he also held the dignity in 1278. In 1275, Joachim Gutkeled and the Kőszegi sons (
Ivan Ivan () is a Slavic male given name, connected with the variant of the Greek name (English: John) from Hebrew meaning 'God is gracious'. It is associated worldwide with Slavic countries. The earliest person known to bear the name was the B ...
, Henry II, Nicholas I and
Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...
) carried out a successful counter-attack, and Nicholas, among others, lost his positions. Nicholas and his brothers participated in Peter I Csák's raiding expedition against the Diocese of Veszprém (where Peter Kőszegi served as bishop) in March 1276, where their forces destroyed, burned and looted
Veszprém Veszprém (; , , , ) is one of the oldest urban areas in Hungary, and a city with county rights. It lies approximately north of the Lake Balaton. It is the administrative center of the county of the same name. Etymology The city's name derives ...
, the cathedral treasury and its chapel university which was never rebuilt. Several news reports and diplomas say that Nicholas Pok continued to plunder the
Transdanubia Transdanubia ( ; , or ', ) is a traditional region of Hungary. It is also referred to as Hungarian Pannonia, or Pannonian Hungary. Administrative divisions Traditional interpretation The borders of Transdanubia are the Danube River (north and ...
n churches in the following years, while he also invaded
Tapolca Tapolca (; ) is a town in Veszprém County, Hungary, close to Lake Balaton. It is located at around . The town has an outer suburb, Tapolca-Diszel, approximately 5 km to the East. Etymology The origin of ''Tapolca'' is disputed, originat ...
in Zala County around 1278. They attacked and ravaged the church property in Tapolca,
Csököly Csököly () is a village in Somogy county, Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to t ...
and Görgeteg, while also devastated the episcopal village Hegymagas, slaughtering the local population. Bishop Peter Kőszegi excommunicated the Pok brothers in 1280, but there were no any consequences for that. In retaliation, besides the punishment of excommunication, Peter Kőszegi's troops raided the family monastery of the Pok clan in the namesake village near
Győr Győr ( , ; ; names of European cities in different languages: E-H#G, names in other languages) is the main city of northwest Hungary, the capital of Győr-Moson-Sopron County and Western Transdanubia, Western Transdanubia region, and – halfwa ...
. He ordered to transfer its treasury, relics and jewelry to St. Michael's Cathedral of Veszprém. In 1285, he personally led his episcopal army in the siege of the castle of Szigliget, also owned by Nicholas and his brothers. There, he confiscated the seized religious relics and values, including chasubles, books and gems for his diocese. Some historians connect and merge the two events, and consider the treasury of the Pok monastery were transferred to Szigliget Castle sometime after the Mongol invasion. In 1277, for a short time, Nicholas Pok held the positions of
Voivode of Transylvania The Voivode of Transylvania (;Fallenbüchl 1988, p. 77. ;Zsoldos 2011, p. 36. ; ) was the highest-ranking official in Transylvania within the Kingdom of Hungary from the 12th century to the 16th century. Appointed by the King of Hun ...
and ''ispán'' of Szolnok County. In accordance with a false diploma, he held these positions already in 1276. His voivode seal also preserved. According to Tamás Kádár, Nicholas served as voivode until 1278, when he was replaced by Finta Aba. In the next two decades, Nicholas did not hold any political offices. This was the period when the independent domains were strengthened and gradually distanced themselves from the royal power.


Establishment of the Pok domain

Under these chaotic conditions, Nicholas Pok, among others, also could establish a dominion independently of the king. Nicholas had started to expand his influence over the territories that surrounded his possessions and castles (e.g., Szamosújvár). Presumably he also built the Somlyó Castle. Acquiring landholdings across the river Szamos (Someș), Nicholas became the incontestable lord in Northwest Transylvania for decades (in the basin between the rivers
Tisza The Tisza, Tysa or Tisa (see below) is one of the major rivers of Central and Eastern Europe. It was once called "the most Hungarian river" because it used to flow entirely within the Kingdom of Hungary. Today, it crosses several national bo ...
and Szamos), which later mostly was part of the so-called ''
Partium Partium (from Latin '' partium'', the genitive plural of '' pars'' "part, portion") or ''Részek'' (in Hungarian) was a historical and geographical region in the Kingdom of Hungary during the early modern and modern periods. It consisted of the ...
'' from the 16th century. His territory roughly covered Szatmár, Ugocsa and Máramaros counties. Albeit Nicholas was one of the "oligarchs" in the Kingdom of Hungary plagued by anarchy, civil wars and fragmentation, he has not so much notorious like Matthew Csák, Amadeus Aba or
Ladislaus Kán Ladislaus ( or according to the case) is a masculine given name of Slavic origin. It may refer to: * Ladislaus of Hungary (disambiguation) * Ladislaus I (disambiguation) * Ladislaus II (disambiguation) * Ladislaus III (disambiguation) * La ...
. Otherwise, the Pok clan also had land possessions in Győr, Nógrád, Gömör, Kraszna and
Kolozs Kolozs County was an administrative county ( comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary, of the Eastern Hungarian Kingdom and of the Principality of Transylvania. Its territory is now in north-western Romania (north-western Transylvania). The capita ...
Counties. Nicholas and his brothers possessed contiguous lands, the Somlyó lordship (present-day Șimleu Silvaniei,
Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
) in the region of Szilágyság (Sălaj). Until 1285, they also owned Szigliget Castle in Zala County which was the kindred's only stone castle before 1290. Probably Nicholas seized the fortification arbitrarily without the permission of the king. On 26 September 1280, Mojs II wrote his
last will and testament A will and testament is a legal document that expresses a person's (testator) wishes as to how their property (estate (law), estate) is to be distributed after their death and as to which person (executor) is to manage the property until its fi ...
, bequeathed his Transylvanian properties of ''Zolun'' and Meggyes (today Medieșu Aurit, Romania) to his daughter, the wife of Nicholas. Following this the entire family moved from Transdanubia to Meggyes which became Nicholas' court and the dominion's capital. Nicholas also erected a castle there. In the upcoming decades, his family adopted their surname Meggyesi after the caste, which functioned as the provincial seat of Nicholas's dominion. Meanwhile, Nicholas was widowed and later married Catherine Kaplon, a member of the local nobility, who was much younger than him as she was still alive in 1331. His name was mentioned next time on 7 August 1299, during the reign of Andrew III, when he was ordered as ''ispán'' of Ugocsa County by the king. He held that office until 1303, beside that he was also ''ispán'' of Máramaros County for at least twenty years, between 1299 and 1319. When Andrew III died suddenly in January 1301, a war of succession broke out between Charles Anjou and Wenceslaus Přemysl, whom supported by his father,
Wenceslaus II of Bohemia Wenceslaus II Přemyslid (; ; 27 SeptemberK. Charvátová, ''Václav II. Král český a polský'', Prague 2007, p. 18. 1271 – 21 June 1305) was King of Bohemia (1278–1305), Duke of Cracow (1291–1305), and King of Poland (1296–130 ...
. During that time the pretenders tried to convince the oligarchs to support them. Nicholas' position is unknown in the initial period, he did not take any realm dignity. He devoted himself to Charles only in October 1307, when the
Anjou Anjou may refer to: Geography and titles France *County of Anjou, a historical county in France and predecessor of the Duchy of Anjou **Count of Anjou, title of nobility *Duchy of Anjou, a historical duchy and later a province of France ** Du ...
supporters had already occupied
Buda Buda (, ) is the part of Budapest, the capital city of Hungary, that lies on the western bank of the Danube. Historically, “Buda” referred only to the royal walled city on Castle Hill (), which was constructed by Béla IV between 1247 and ...
in June 1307. Nicholas Pok took part in the Diet of Rákos, where the nobles officially recognized Charles as their king. According to historians
Gyula Kristó Gyula Kristó (11 July 1939 – 24 January 2004) was a Hungarian historian and medievalist, and also a member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Life Gyula Kristó was born in Orosháza Orosháza is a city situated in the westernmost ...
and János Karácsonyi, Nicholas fought in the
Battle of Rozgony The Battle of Rozgony or Battle of Rozhanovce was fought between King Charles Robert of Hungary and the family of Palatine Amade Aba on 15 June 1312, on the Rozgony (today Rozhanovce) field. ''Chronicon Pictum'' described it as the "most cruel ...
on 15 June 1312, where the Aba dominion was annihilated. On 8 July 1312, he was a member of the king's inner council which convened in
Sárospatak Sárospatak (; ; Serbian language, Serbian: Муд Стреам; Slovak language, Slovakian: ''Šarišský Potok, Blatný Potok)'' History The area has been inhabited since ancient times. Sárospatak was granted town status in 1201 by Emeric ...
, a former centrum of the Abas' province. According to a royal charter, Nicholas moved to Buda by 1 August 1313, where, alongside Palatine James Borsa and Treasurer
Dominic II Rátót Dominic (II) from the kindred Rátót (; died 1320) was a Hungarian powerful lord at the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries, who served as Palatine of Hungary from 1315 to 1320. At the beginning of his career, he was a staunch supporter of Andrew ...
(Nicholas' maternal cousin), judged in the name of king over
Judge royal The judge royal, also justiciar,Rady 2000, p. 49. chief justiceSegeš 2002, p. 202. or Lord Chief JusticeFallenbüchl 1988, p. 145. (,Fallenbüchl 1988, p. 72. ,Zsoldos 2011, p. 26. , ), was the second-highest judge, preceded only by the Palati ...
John Csák, who betrayed Charles and became a partisan of his distant relative Matthew III Csák.


Role in Charles' unification war

Transylvania was administered ''de facto'' independently by Ladislaus III Kán since 1295. As a neighbor of his province, his rapid expansionist policy meant a constant threat to Nicholas Pok's province in the north-western part of Transylvania. Ladislaus Kán died either in 1314 or 1315. Following his death, Nicholas Pok was appointed Voivode of Transylvania in July 1315 by Charles, a position which was once already held by himself almost forty years ago. He also became the ''ispán'' of Szolnok County. However the
Kán Kán is the name of a Hungarian noble family which gave bans (governors) to Croatia and Slavonia, voivodes to Transylvania, and palatines to Hungary in the 13th and 14th centuries. History The Kán family were members of the Hermány clan. They ...
kindred had several supporters in the region and the late oligarch's son Ladislaus IV Kán also declared himself voivode thus Nicholas Pok was unable to take up his office. According to Tamás Kádár, Nicholas Pok was appointed to the dignity because of his local interests and social embeddedness, in addition to his sporadic landholdings beyond the King's Pass (also known as Gate of Transylvania, which was considered the border between Hungary proper and Transylvania). Given his extensive estates, Nicholas may have been large number of loyal and reliable familiares, so he could quickly mobilize a serious force in a military campaign against the Kán dominion. In the surrounding lands, Nicholas Pok was the most influential pro-Charles lord, who meant a counter-balance against the Káns' suppression for the local lesser nobles. Upon the order of Charles I, Nicholas crossed the north border of the province at Zilah (today
Zalău Zalău (, unofficial and former official name: (; or , , ) is the seat of Sălaj County, Romania. In 2021, its estimated population was 52,359. History Ancient times Zalău is situated in the area inhabited by "Free Dacians", away from the h ...
,
Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
), because Mojs II Ákos, an ally of the Borsa clan, had rebelled against the monarch. The Kán sons also joined the insurgent movement. Nicholas reached
Kolozsvár Cluj-Napoca ( ; ), or simply Cluj ( , ), is a city in northwestern Romania. It is the second-most populous city in the country and the seat of Cluj County. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest (), Budapest () and Belgrade ( ...
(today Cluj-Napoca, Romania) in the middle of November 1315, however the following campaigns have failed against Mojs Ákos in Kolozs County. Because of uncertain chronology, there are several contradictory interpretations among the historians to outline the course of events. Historian
Pál Engel Pál Engel (27 February 1938 – 21 August 2001) was a Hungarian medievalist historian and archivist, and member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. He served as General Director of the Library of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences between 1996 ...
, who first attempted to reconstruct the order of events in his 1988 study, argued the peace between Charles and the Borsas has collapsed by the first half of 1316. Accordingly, James Borsa made an alliance against Charles with Ladislaus Kán's sons and other lords, including Mojs. Engel, who connected their conspiracy with
Stefan Milutin Stefan Uroš II Milutin ( sr-Cyrl, Стефан Урош II Милутин, Stefan Uroš II Milutin; 1253 – 29 October 1321), known as Saint King, was the King of Serbia between 1282–1321, a member of the Nemanjić dynasty. He was one ...
's campaign against Hungary, argued, they broke the rebellion around the end of 1316. As a part of this, Mojs was victorious over Nicholas Pok and expelled him from Transylvania. In contrast, historian
Gyula Kristó Gyula Kristó (11 July 1939 – 24 January 2004) was a Hungarian historian and medievalist, and also a member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Life Gyula Kristó was born in Orosháza Orosháza is a city situated in the westernmost ...
argued in his 2003 publication that the skirmish between Mojs Ákos and Nicholas Pok took place already at the end of 1315. He highlighted that Nicholas last appeared as voivode in contemporary documents in April 1316. Accordingly, Nicholas Pok, who prepared a war against the Káns, arrived on a bypass road across the Meszes Gate (today in
Meseș Mountains The Meseș Mountains (, ) are a mountain range in Transylvania, Romania, which belongs to the Apuseni Mountains. The highest peak is , at . The mountains are located in Sălaj and Cluj counties, south of Zalău and northwest of Cluj-Napoca. The ...
) from Lippa (today Lipova, Romania) to Transylvania because of Mojs' sudden rebellion, which interrupted and delayed the showdown against the Káns, as Kristó considered. Historian Attila Bárány supported Kristó's theory. Kádár argued Nicholas chose Meszes Gate, because he tried to mobilize his spacious kinship and the royal nobility of the northeastern part of the country in the first instance. However historian Attila Zsoldos, who also examined the contents of Nicholas Pok's charters, in addition to the dates and locations, challenged Kristó's interpretation in 2016. He argued, if, as Kristó considered, Nicholas Pok arrived to prepare a war to Transylvania immediately after his appointment, he would not have dealt with insignificant estate affairs in his diplomas as he did. Zsoldos considered, the 1318 charter, which narrated the Voivode's appointment and the following events, twisted the years and Mojs was declared the king's enemy retroactively. He argued the Meszes Gate was chosen as a safer route than the Káns' freshly occupied territory. Thus Zsoldos supported Engel's chronology and dated Mojs' rebellion to Autumn or Winter 1316. After the defeat Nicholas had to leave Transylvania and was deposed by Charles I in the second half of 1316, or in early 1317 at the latest. Following at least one-year vacancy he was replaced by the skilled military leader Dózsa Debreceni who successfully fought against the Kán clan and Mojs Ákos and later also became Palatine of Hungary. Nicholas retired from the national politics and moved to his estate in North-Transtisza. He and his sons resided in Meggyes in February 1319. He was last mentioned alive in a diploma issued by Judge royal Lampert Hermán on 19 August 1319.


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* * * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pok, Nicholas Voivodes of Transylvania Oligarchs of the Kingdom of Hungary Pok (genus) 13th-century Hungarian nobility 14th-century Hungarian people Masters of the cupbearers Masters of the stewards