THE USAGE OF SEALS OF HUNGARIAN

ARISTOCRATS IN THE 15TH CENTURY

Lecturer: Ádám Novák III. PhD student

LEARNING, INTELLECT AND SOCIAL ROLES: THE CHANGING

CHARACTER OF ARISTOCRACY

Debrecen, 8 October 2014.

Historiography of sphragistical research

Antecedents

Current projects

Seal usage of János Perényi

Uniqueness or Universality?

Polysigillic diplomas as sources

Significance of diplomas

Research difficulties

Polysigillic diplomas between 1439 and 1457 – research project

Observations on seal usage

The years of 1444–45, as seal change date

Differences between juridical and private seals

Representation of family and power on seals

Summary

SCHEME OF THE LECTURE

Basic works of hungarian diplomatics & sigillography

Imre Szentpétery: Magyar oklevéltan. (1930)

Lajos Bernát Kumorovitz: A magyar pecséthasználat története a középkorban (1944)

Art historical catalogues after 1945

Jolán Balogh: A művészet Mátyás király udvarában (1966)

A középkori Magyarország főpapi pecsétjei Ed.: Bodor–Fügedi–Takács (1984)

Művészet Zsigmond király korában, 1387-1437. Ed.:Beke–Marosi–Wehli (1987)

Historical analyses

Iván Bertényi: Az országbírói intézmény pecséthasználata a XIV. században (1972)

Géza Érszegi: Körmend középkori pecsétje és címere (1979)

László Solymosi: A hiteleshelyi pecséthasználat kezdeteihez (1984)

HISTORIOGRAPHIC ANTECEDENTS

Art historical indexes, seal accounts, analyses Megpecsételt történelem: középkori pecsétek Esztergomból. Ed.:

Hegedűs András (2000)

Imre Bodor: Árpád-kori pecsétjeink I.–II. (2001-2002)

Imre Takács: Az Árpád-házi királyok pecsétjei (2012)

Pál Lővei: Sokpecsétes oklevelek a 14–15. századi Magyarországon (2013)

Heraldic studies György Rácz: Az Árpádok sávozott címere egyes főúri pecséteken a XIII -

XIV. században (1992)

Tamás Körmendi: Az Osl, Aba, és Hontpázmány nemzetség címerváltozatai a középkorban (2010-2011)

Analyses on seal usage Norbert C. Tóth: Rozgonyi Simon országbírósága (1409-1414) (2010)

Ádám Novák: Perényi János tárnokmester (†1458) pecséthasználata 2014)

MODERN WORKS

55 issued, identifiable diplomas containing seals

Verifying 11 polysigillic diplomas

A total of 33 imprints can be identified between 1424 - 1458

Four different seals

THE SEAL USAGE OF MASTER OF THE TREASURY JÁNOS PERÉNYI

1424 1446 1451 1458 1436 1439 1440 1456

No. 1. No. 2. No. 3. No. 2. No. 3. No. 3. No. 4.

Lajos Bernát Kumorovitz : „ Thus the trustee seal diplomas enlighten the strife between the authority and the intention of the orders .” – 1944/1993.

Pál Engel : „We mainly find aristocrats and noblemen in most of the documents , […] whom for some reason […] had so great political power that they could take part in the counsels of the dignitaries sometimes or regularly.” – 2001.

Pál Lővei : „As first step of collecting the unrevealed and unpulished nobleman seals and seal rings , […] processing the so-called polysigillic diplomas is evidently given that […] by relativelly small effort it tempts with the greatest results” – 2013.

On the contrary: not yet listed

SIGNIFICANCE OF POLYSIGILLIC DIPLOMAS

Seal index made in 1888, on the collection of MNL DL

Collection growth

Diploma devastation (Eg.: Héderváry Family archive)

Seal devastation (Eg.: seals of Miklós Újlaki between 1434-1458: 4 survived out of 12)

Catalogues: Art historical, not historical view

Corpus Sigillorum Hungariae Mediaevalis I.: depending only on hungarian material

MNL OL DF database: black & white, weak quality pictures

RESEARCH DIFFICULTIES

65 documents all together, under 62 signs

32 privilegial

23 pattent

10 letter

Processed:

MNL OL DL, HHSTA, VÉFL, EPL, and the material in Eperjes, Kassa, Pozsony, Nagyszeben, Sopron

Description of 49 documents, 35 already indexed

There are seals of 61 people (17 ecclesiastical), 3 cities, and the seal of the council.

169 seals all together

97 different imprints

Under process:

Ljubljana, Varsó, Körmöcbánya, Bártfa, Lőcse city material

ABOUT THE RESEARCH PROJECT

FUNCTION CHANGE = SEAL CHANGE I.

János Hunyadi Woiwode Transylvanian

1441–1446

János Hunyadi Governor

1446–1453

János Hunyadi Chief Captain

1453–1456

By the help of the database gained, I could look into some projections

of secular seal usage in the late fifteenth century. Aristocracy took the

ruler as sample in every way. Thus just like the king, they changed

their seals when they got hold of a new title. János Hunyadi also used

different seals as Woiwode Transylvanian, as Governor, then as Chief

Captain. Choosing him as prime dignitary led to the first change. King

László the Fifth gave him a new coat of arms after putting the

governership down, so changing the seal was again obvious.

FUNCTION CHANGE = SEAL CHANGE II.

László Pálóci Steward 1440–1446

(S.LADISLAUS.DE.PALOCI)

László Pálóci Lord Chief of Justice 1446–1458

(*SIGILLUM*….*LADISLAUS*DE*PALOC.*)

In the seal field of László Pálóci Steward is his family’s coat of arms.

After naming him Lord Chief of Justice in fourteen-fourtysix, the

name of his function appear on the circumscription as Judex Curie

Regie

The dignitaries change their seals at the turn of 1444/45 without any change in their function

THE TURN OF 1444/45 AS SEAL CHANGE DATE I.

László Garai Banus Machoviensis

1439–1444 (L.M.B.)

László Garai Banus Machoviensis

1445–1447 (S.L.D.G.B.M.)

There were only a few dignitary leaders, who could keep their duties

in the meantime and after the civil war as well. One of them was the

Banus Machoiensis László Garai, who was expelled though by King

Ulászló, but he continued labelling himself the same way. He was

counted as Ban once again, after the death of Ulászló. However he

changed his seal at the turn of the years fourteen-fourtyfour-fourtyfive.

THE TURN OF 1444/45 AS SEAL CHANGE DATE II.

Miklós Újlaki Woiwode Transylvanian 1441–1444

(+S.NICOLAUS.DE.UVLA….)

Miklós Újlaki Woiwode Transylvanian 1445–1458

(NICOLAUS.DE.UVLAK)

So did his fellow Banus Miklós Újlaki, who held the function of the Woiwode Transylvanian. He complemented the catchet he inherited, with an angel holding a shield. This heraldic trick was accustomed in Hungary by him. Presumably a radical switch in politics could have been behind his seal change. But proving this needs further investigation. Still it’s clear that the two dignitaries ’s seal renewal syncronises with the method mentioned above, regarding János Perényi .

SEPARATION OF JURIDICAL AND PRIVATE SEALS I.

„Private seal” on polysigillic diploma (1456)

(*SIGILLUM*….*LADISLAUS*DE*PALOC.*)

„Juridical seal” on judgement letter (1449)

(S.COMITIS.LADISLAI.DE PALOCH.IUDICIS.CURIE)

REGIE

Seal used in juridical sense of authority does NOT appear on polysigillic diplomas – Pálóci László Lord Chief of Justice

I haven’t come across with seals that were used by the dignitaries on

judgement letters or mandates, during my research on polisigillic

diplomas. Thus we can separate „juridical” or „official” and „private”

seals in the cases of Palatine László Garai and Lord Chief Justice

László Pálóci likewise. Their „official” seals were considerably

ornated and increased in size.

SEPARATION OF JURIDICAL AND PRIVATE SEALS II.

László Garai Palatine

„Juridical seal” on palatineic judgement letter (1449)

László Garai Palatine

„Private seal” on polysigillic diploma (1456)

S(IGILLUM) LADISLAI DE GARA REGNI HUNGARIE PALATINI

Grounding upon the seal usage of both small and large chanceries we

can presume that the official seal of the dignitaries was kept by their

vicarius, and they themselves kept the „private” seals. This could help

developping the itinerarium of some of the Great Officers’.

Not just in the cases of Royal Judges: Banus Machoviensis

SEPARATION OF JURIDICAL AND PRIVATE SEALS III.

Miklós Újlaki Banus Machoviensis

„Juridical seal” on Banus judgement letter (1453)

Miklós Újlaki Banus Machoviensis

„Private seal” on polysigillic diploma (1454)

(NICOLAUS.DE.UVLAK)

However, it was a case only amongst high magistrates. Miklós Újlaki

was the one, who produced a massive amount of diplomas in the

period and fifty-six seal imprints can be identified out of those. It is

distinct from the data that he never used the seal on the left with four

lobes on polisigillic diplomas. One can only bump into them at the

back of mandates and banic judgement letters.

REPRESENTATION OF POWER – THE USAGE OF RED WAX

György Brankovics Serbian despot

1439

János Hunyadi count of Beszterce

1454

János Kórógyi comes de Castellis

1454

Matkó Tallóci comes Cetine regnorumque

1443

One of the less researched areas, the representation of

power can also be observed via seals. The granting of

count titles show the differentiation of nobility. By the

apellation, the usage of red wax was granted. Despite the

fact that the serbian despot, György Brankovics was only

one amongst the greater land owners, he managed to put

himself before his fellow-nobleman by the adoption of red

wax. As former governor, Chief Captain and the greatest

land-holder in the country, János Hunyadi have also

obtained the honor of becoming a count from King László

the Fifth, as well as the right to operate with red wax.

Matkó Tallóci and György Kórógyi was also able to use it

after the title was granted.

Dezső Garai (banus branch) differentiates himself via his seals from Miklós Garai and László Garai (palatineic branch) –

The snake looks to the left

FAMILY REPRESENTATION – SEPARATION OF BRANCHES

Dezső Garai Banus Machoviensis (1408)

Miklós Garai Palatine (1408)

Separation of different branches of the family was quite hard due to

the usage of a mutual hatchment. Dezső Garai from the ”Banic” part

of the family wanted to individualize himself from the ”Palatineic”

side, Miklós Garai. That is why the crown headed snake always turns

to the left on his seals. We know very few of his funeral ceremony or

his building operations, so we can only see his representational efforts

through his seal usage.

75 issued diploma, 41 identifiable seals

At least 15 seals on polysigillic diplomas Between 1439 and 1457, 56 of his seals are identifiable, 6 different imprints

4 private seals

SEALS OF MIKLÓS ÚJLAKI 1439-1457 I.

1439 1458 1445 1457

No. 1. No. 2.

No. 3.

No. 4.

2 „juridical” seals (ispán and banus machoviensis)

SEALS OF MIKLÓS ÚJLAKI 1439-1457 II.

Somogyvár

1444 may-july

Congregatio – for Somogy and Verőce counties

Osijek

1453–1454 court of Banus

Sigillographic tasks

Without collecting and indexing the seals of the era, comprehensive analysis cannot be done – polysigillic diplomas facilitate the research

Collecting polysigillic diplomas

Political-, Art-, and social historical data (prozopography)

Conclusions on seal usage

Seal usage of Perényi, Master of the Treasury:

NOT UNIQUE – ANALOGIES EXIST

Clear order cannot, but tendencies can be drawn

Representation

Seals can be outstanding research sources of family self-consciousness and of the differentiation of nobility

SUMMARY

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!