Kaplon, also Kaplony or Kaplyon (Caplon, Coplyon, Caplan, Coplyan, Kaplyn, Koplon, Koplen, Kopplyan), was the name of a gens (Latin for "clan"; nemzetség in Hungarian) in the Kingdom of Hungary. The founder and ancestor of the genus was Kaplon (or Cupan), the second son of Kond, who was one of the seven chieftains of the Magyars according to Anonymus, author of the Gesta Hungarorum. The clan's original tribal area was the Nyírség, northeastern part of the Great Hungarian Plain.
The distinguished and influential Károlyi family originates from the Genus Kaplon. Among others, the Sztáray, Barlabássy, Bagossy, Csomaközy, Vadai and Vetési families were also from that clan and had spread northward, eastward and southward.
Origin
According to the tradition, the Kaplon genus was one of the ancient Hungarian kindreds, which arrived to the Carpathian Basin during the Hungarian conquest in the late 9th century. The 13th-century chronicler Simon of Kéza in his work Gesta Hunnorum et Hungarorum says that one of the chieftains of the conquest was Kond (or Künd), who settled in the Nyírség region. His sons were named Küsid and Kaplon (Cupian, or Kaplony). Based on the Gesta Hungarorum, several historians identified Küsid with Kurszán (or Kusal) initially, but later doubts arose about this. The Kaplon kindred considered Kaplon, the younger son as their progenitor. His name probably comes from Turkic "kaplan", meaning "tiger". Sometime after the Christianization of Hungary (11th century), most plausibly in the mid-12th century, the kindred erected their Benedictine clan monastery dedicated to St. Martin of Tours at their namesake centre Kaplony in Szatmár County (present-day Căpleni, Romania). The monastery itself is first mentioned by contemporary records only in 1267. Based on a now lost charter from 1195, Sándor Károlyi put the date of the foundation to the year 1080. The kindred spread in the area between the rivers Szamos (Someș) and Kraszna (Crasna).
Historian Péter Németh considered the person of Kaplon as a fabrication by 13th-century chroniclers, since several scholars – e.g. János Karácsonyi, Bálint Hóman, Gyula Kristó – considered that Szatmár County was established after the death of Stephen I. Németh argued that the Hungarians initially conquered the region from east until the left bank of river Szamos. It is possible that ancestors of the Kaplon kindred took part in this process, but not only them exclusively. Péter Németh emphasized the uncertainty that the Kaplons was really the original and ancient occupying kindred at the time of the Hungarian conquest over the region. According to the contemporary records, he argued, the Kaplon clan acquired the surrounding lands over their ancient estate Kaplony only in the second half of the 13th century, for instance, Vetés (Vetiș), Károly (Carei) and Bagos (Boghiș), the namesakes of noble families breaking out of the genus. By the end of the 12th century, the Kaplons possessed overwhelming portions in the Avas forest (today Oaș Mountains). Németh argued the Kaplons arrived to the region at the turn of the 11th and 12th centuries, when the castle district of Szatmár was established.
Former historiography assumed a Transdanubian branch of the kindred, involving Zlaudus, the Bishop of Veszprém as the most illustrious member of it. In fact, however, that kinship belonged to the gens (clan) Ják.
Branches Károly branch Joshua, the first known member of the branch lived sometime between 1150 and 1180. His name is mentioned by the Regestrum Varadinense. Accordingly, he possessed a portion in Vada, northwest of Károly (present-day a borough of the town). His son was Andrew (I), who died before 1219. His widow and his sons – Simon (I) and Michael – were involved in a lawsuit against castle folks of Szatmár, who claimed that the late Andrew unlawfully seized portions of lands in Vada from them. Simon (I) was still alive in 1264, when acquired an unidentified estate in Szatmár County, once belonged to the Kaplon clan. He had three sons: Peter (I), Endes and Andrew (II). Peter was progenitor of the Bagosi, Vetési and Csomaközi noble families through his descendants, while the short-lived Vadai family (became extinct before 1396) originated from Endes. The third brother, Andrew (II) was the ancestor of the illustrious Károlyi family (and its cadet branch, the Lancz de Károly family).Engel: Genealógia (Genus Kaplon 2., Lancz de Károly branch) One of his sons Simon I Károlyi used this surname first, but soon he was followed by his brothers – Nicholas, Michael and Merhard – in this method.
Peter (I) paid a blood price of 25 marks for accidentally killing a nobleman in 1277. Peter and Endes bought a portion in Vada from the clan's Lele branch in 1288. They also bought portions in Csomaköz (today Ciumești, Romania), Ömböly and Rezetelek located near their estate Bere (today Berea, part of Ciumești) in 1298. The three brothers – Peter (I), Endes and Andrew (II) – and their cousin Mike (son of Michael) reserved their right for a portion in Bere, which came into the possession of another family, in 1291. There were conflicts in the possession rights over Csomaköz between the sons of Peter (I) – John (I), Peter (II) "Zonga", Philip, Martin, Simon (II) – and Endes – George "the Black" and Deun (or Dévény) – in the early 14th century. Their agreement in 1306 did not bring lasting reconciliation. A duel almost ensued between George "the Black" (the first Vadai) and Peter (II) "Zonga" (the first Vetési) in 1319. Andrew (II) and his aforementioned nephews inherited the estates – portions in Kolcs (Culciu) and Vetés – of Andrew (III), son of Mike, who died without male descendants before 1312. They were obliged to pay dower to Andrew's mother and widow. The payment took a long time, thus Andrew's widow left Kolcs only in 1322. However, they were unable to receive Olcsva, because the local (in nearby Szamosszeg) official of the rebellious Beke Borsa refused to hand over it. After the fall of the Borsas' rebellion, Andrew (II) and his nephews were granted the estate.
Meanwhile the relationship remained tense between the family members regarding Csomaköz. Andrew (II) sued his nephew Peter (II), who was sentenced to death, in 1320, but the sentence was not carried out. He again launched a lawsuit against the sons of the late Peter (I) together with his sons Simon and Michael (the first Károlyis) and George Vadai in 1322. The family members entered into an agreement of land division in 1325. Andrew (II) and his four sons were granted Olcsva (thus the first Károlyis was also referred to as Olcsvais in early times) with the surrounding land Mikecsalános. The sons and grandsons of Peter (I) received half of Vetés, portions in Kolcs and Pete (Petea), while the Vadais (the sons of Endes) acquired the other half part of the same villages. Peter's five sons further divided their inherited possessions among themselves in 1325 and 1341, which led to the formation of the various aforementioned noble families named after their centre settlements.
Family treeEngel: Genealógia (Genus Kaplon 1., Károlyi branch)
Joshua Andrew I (d. before 1219) ∞ unidentified (fl. 1219) Simon I ("Devil"; fl. 1219–1264) Peter I (fl. 1277–1298) ∞ Anne Turul John I (fl. 1306) Simon III ("Great"; fl. 1325–1357) Bagosi (Bagossy) familyEngel: Genealógia (Genus Kaplon 3., Bagosi branch) John II ("Waisted"; fl. 1325–1342) Peter II ("Zonga"; fl. 1306–1342) Vetési familyEngel: Genealógia (Genus Kaplon 4., Vetési branch) Philip (fl. 1306) Martin (fl. 1306–1355) ∞ Anne Vásári Csomaközi familyEngel: Genealógia (Genus Kaplon 5., Csomaközi branch) Simon II (fl. 1306) Endes (fl. 1288–1298) Vadai family Andrew II ("Devil"; fl. 1291–1325) Károlyi family Michael (fl. 1219) Mike (fl. 1291) ∞ unidentified (fl. 1312) Andrew III (d. before 1312) ∞ unidentified (fl. 1312–1322)
Lele branch This minor branch centered around Lele in the northernmost part of Szilágy County (present-day Lelei, part of commune Hodod in Romania). It is plausible it was strongly related to the Károly branch, who wanted to enforce their right of pre-emption in any case in the case of a contract concerning the Lele estates. Elijah (himself a son of George) and his son Peter sold their portion in Vada in 1288. The other son John also sold his portion in Bere in 1291. Together with his son Thomas, John sold significant portions in Lele to Martin Mátéházi, the castellan of Déva in 1337, who already sized another portions in 1334. The Károly branch protested against these sales in 1334 and 1345 too. The Kaplyan (or Kaplyon) de Lele noble family descended from Benedict.
Family treeEngel: Genealógia (Genus Kaplon 6., Kaplyan (Lelei) branch)
George Elijah (fl. 1288) Peter (fl. 1288) John (fl. 1291–1337) Thomas (fl. 1337) Benedict ("Kaplyan"; fl. 1388–1416) Kaplyan de Lele family
Nagymihály branch The first known member of this branch was Jakó (I), who was plausibly ispán of Zólyom County from 1243 to 1245, and in 1263. He married Catherine, a great-granddaughter of Apa, who was a ban of Slavonia in the mid-12th century. Through this marriage, Jakó's branch acquired several landholdings in Ung and Zemplén counties, since Peter, Catherine's father had no male descendants. In 1244, Peter bequeathed his estate Reviscse (present-day Blatné Revištia, Slovakia) to Jakó's wife. In 1248, Peter handed over the dower to his wife Agnes, which contained the estates Mihály and Tapolya (present-day Michalovce, Slovakia) with their accessories along the river Laborec (Laborc) and the forests near Zalacska (today Zalužice, Slovakia). In the next year, Agnes donated these estates to their daughters and grandsons, establishing the Nagymihály lordship, an important fortune of the Kaplon clan. Peter and Agnes donated another villages – Vinna (Vinné), Zalacska and Tarna (Trnava pri Laborci) – surrounding the aforementioned estates to their daughters still in that year. Béla IV confirmed the donations. Peter's another daughter, Petronilla compiled her last will and testament in 1258, in which she bequeathed the right of patronage over the Benedictine monastery of Kána to the sons of Jakó, Andrew (I) and Jakó (II). Due to these donations, both of them became prominent lords by the 1270s, Jakó (II) even served as Master of the cupbearers from 1279 to 1280.
Andrew (I) and Jakó (II) functioned as ispán of Ung and Zemplén counties in 1273, respectively. In that year, the brothers were granted the estates Sztára (today Staré) and Perecse (today a borough of Michalovce, Slovakia) in Ung County for their loyalty by Ladislaus IV. Jakó and Andrew began to establish Nagymihály lordship, an important centre of their estates, which laid in the borderland of Zemplén and Ung counties in the area between the rivers Laborec (Laborc) and Szeretva (or Cserna). Sometime in the last third of the 13th century, they built the castle of Nagymihály, a fortified stronghold in the region (present-day ruins, belongs to Vinné). It is possible that they also erected the nearby Barkó Castle (today ruins above Brekov, Slovakia) in the same period. In 1279, Ladislaus IV donated them the fort of Jeszenő (today Jasenov, Slovakia) with the surrounding forest as a "lost heritage". The Kaplons' centre, Nagymihály was granted right to hold fair. They swore loyalty to the new monarch Andrew III in 1290. They bought the land Tiba (today Tibava, Slovakia) in Ung County. The brothers erected a small castle there ("Tibavára", today ruins near Podhoroď, Slovakia) around 1300.