Hahót or Hahót–Buzád (also Hoholt, Hadod or Hahold) was the name of a gens (Latin for "clan"; nemzetség in Hungarian) in the Kingdom of Hungary, several prominent secular dignitaries came from this kindred. The last noble family, which originated from the kindred, became extinct in 1849.
Origins
According to the fourteenth-century chronicle composition, the Hahót kindred descended from the Counts of Orlamünde, arriving to Hungary in the 1160s upon the invitation of Stephen III to help to defeat the rebelled Csák kindred. The first member of the clan was Hahold (Hahót), who suppressed the rebellion with his soldiers. The chronicle says Stephen, who invited the Hahóts, was a son of Béla II, which description fits to Stephen III's uncle, Anti-king Stephen IV. However both historians János Karácsonyi and Elemér Mályusz argued, the Hahóts took part in the defeat of the rebellious Stephen IV in 1163, who took assistance from some clans, includings Csáks, in addition to the Byzantine Empire. Historian Endre Tóth considers the Hahóts' settlement and defeating the Csáks as two separate events, and the latter one only marked the Hahóts' first prominent presence in national politics.
Simon of Kéza's Gesta Hunnorum et Hungarorum referred to the Hahót kindred as "Buzad autem generatio de Mesn originem trahit, nobiles de districtu Wircburg". Karácsonyi identified Wircburg as Marburg in March of Styria (today Maribor, Slovenia), while Mesn was identical with the nearby Messendorf, he claimed. Mályusz identified the two geographical names with Wartburg and Meissen in Thuringia (Margravate of Meissen), noting that none of them were part of the estates of the House of Weimar-Orlamünde, which ruled Meissen from 1046 to 1067. Endre Tóth tried to reconstruct the origin of the kindred based on the spread of the name Hahold in German-speaking areas. Near Freising, the name was relatively frequently used since the 8th century, in addition, it appeared altogether with the name Arnold in the 13th century, which was also used for four generations in the Hahót kindred.
Seats and possessions Following Stephen III's victory, Hahold received land donations and settled down in Zala County near the Austrian border. By the 13th century, his kindred possessed the most extensive estate in the county, along the rivers Kerka and Ledava, and in Prekmurje (today in Slovenia). In the early period, the family seat was Hahót, which was named after the kindred, between rivers Kanizsa and Pölöske. In 1192, Hahold II bought lands in Alsólendva (today Lendava, Slovenia) and in the surrounding areas (Venéce). His brother Buzád I was mentioned as a onetime owner of Újudvar, also in Zala County, by a royal charter of Béla III of Hungary, when he donated the estate to the Fehérvár monastery. Archaeologist László Vándor argued Hahold I was granted his coherent and extensive possession from a crown land after the cessation of the "gyepű" border system. Accordingly, the Hahóts' first lands were part of the so-called "gyepűelve", a mostly uninhabited or sparsely inhabited area beyond the Austrian border, comparable to the modern buffer zones. Vándor considered Újudvar (Nova Curia), where stone buildings, churches, monasteries were excavated, was the centre of this territory until the donation.
By the 1230s, Buzád I's son Arnold I founded the kindred's monastery at Hahót, the namesake seat of his family, dedicated to Margaret of Antioch. Archaeologists argued the Hahóts erected their monastery on a basis of a royal convent founded by Ladislaus I of Hungary. However, in fact, the Hahót monastery was only a common burial place among the Hahót clan, as its branches moved away from each other by then. In 1248, Michael I of the Hahold branch founded a Franciscan friary in Szemenye (today in Muraszemenye), also dedicated to Mary the Virgin. Later the Bánfi de Alsólendva family, descendants of the Hahót kindred through his brother Hahold III, became patron of the monastery. One of the members of the more powerful Buzád branch, Atyusz (or Csák I) erected a Premonstratensian monastery at Rajk around 1270.
It is believed that Arnold II of the Arnold branch possibly have built the castles of Pölöske and Sztrigó (now Štrigova, Croatia) in Zala County during the 1240s, following the decision of Béla IV of Hungary to abandon the royal prerogative to build and own castles in response to the Mongol invasion. After the 1270s the gradually marginalized Arnold branch, resided on the western part of the Hahót basin, lost the ownership of Pölöske and Sztrigó against Ottokar II of Bohemia then the increasing powerful Kőszegi family. Nicholas III also owned Purbach () in Sopron County, but after his rebellion in 1270, Stephen V of Hungary confiscated the castle and donated to his loyal soldier Panyit Miskolc. Until confiscation, Nick was also a property of Panyit Hahót. In Somogy County, the branch possessed Sukoró, Mórichely, Osziágy, Surd and Kákonya. For a time, James also owned Kálmáncsa and Dobsza, formerly queenly estates.
By 1251, sons of Blessed Buzád (Buzád branch) built their own timber fortifications – Buzádtornya, Csáktornya, Terestyéntornya and Lankrédtornya (lit. Buzád's Tower, Csák's Tower, Tristan's Tower and Lancelot's Tower, respectively). Among them only Csáktornya (today Čakovec, Croatia) survived the following centuries, although the members of the family lost control over the area, having been the first known feudal lords of Međimurje.
Ottokar's army captured all castles in the early 1270s, causing the Buzád branch's move into Center Zala. The eldest son Buzád III also inherited Buzádsziget and Szabar from his father who entered the Dominican Order. His son Atyusz resided in Szabar and thus became ancestor of the Szabari family. Csák I's branch settled down in Csány after Ottokar's invasion – their descendants, the Csányi family originated from there. After a praefectio in filium by his father Nicholas V in 1365, Clara, a descendant of Buzád IV (son of Csák I) granted the village of Buzádsziget, while its fort was already demolished by then. Following that Clara mortgaged the estate to her husband John Koltai and his brother George. Tristan's branch became extinct after a generation. Herbord, son of Lancelot, owned Falkos and Söjtör, his descendants were frequently named after both villages. The Lancelot branch also owned Szombathely, Podturen, Belica among others once a long time ago. After his victorious unification war, Charles I of Hungary donated the liberated and formerly Hahót-owned estates to the emerging Lackfi family. Descendants of the Buzád branch (the Szabaris, Csányis and Söjtöris through the lineage of Buzád III, Csák I and Lancelot, respectively) unsuccessfully attempted to regain their former possessions on the occasion of a lawsuit lasted from 1351 until 1376.
Hahold IV of the Hahold branch called himself "Lord of Alsólendva" (today Lendava, Slovenia) in 1272, proving that he owned and possibly built the castle himself by then. The Kőszegis captured their castle around 1314, but Nicholas VII regained that in 1323. The Hahold branch owned villages and estates mostly the territory of today Slovenia. Nicholas VII received numerous land donations surrounding Alsólendva Castle, which became the domain of the Bánfi de Alsólendva family.
Notable members Hahold I
Ancestor and founder of the clan, a mercenary knight from Thuringia (possibly related to the Counts of Orlamünde), who was invited by King Stephen III against his uncle, Stephen IV, who contested his realm in 1163. Hahold's army defeated the Csák forces, who fought for the rebellious anti-king. After the internal war, he received land donations (e.g. Hahót, Pölöske) and settled down in Zala County. According to 18th-century archivist János Schenk, Hahold was granted the village of Lenti (Nempti) in 1172.
Buzád I (died 1192) Son of Hahold I. Being ancestor of the Arnold and Buzád branches, he died by 1192.
Hahold II (fl. 1192) Son of Hahold I. Being ancestor of the Hahold branch, he was mentioned as "religiosus miles" by the Chapter of Veszprém on the occasion of two property lawsuits, judged by Mog, Palatine of Hungary in 1192. This is the first source when a Palatine judged not only due special orders of the King, indicating that an independent palatinal judicial bench was established on a permanent basis.
Arnold branch Arnold I (d. before 1234) Son of Buzád I. The family monastery of the kindred, dedicated to Saint Margaret, was erected at Hahót, Zala County by Arnold I in the first half of the 13th century. He died by 1234.
Panyit (fl. 1230–72)
Son of Arnold I. He was infamous for his violent actions and plunderings against neighboring estates in the 1250s and 60s. In order to avoid accountability, he took an oath of allegiance to Duke Stephen in 1264.
Arnold II (fl. 1233–44)
Son of Arnold I. He served as Palatine of Hungary in 1242.
Keled I (fl. 1234–35)
Son of Arnold I. He simultaneously served as Vice-ban of Slavonia and ispán of Zagreb County in 1234. Through his son, Keled II, he was also ancestor of the Hahóti noble family.
James (fl. 1267–1301)
Son of Panyit. He was loyal to Queen Dowager Elizabeth the Cuman, and served as her Master of the stewards in 1280.
Nicholas III (fl. 1270–91)
Son of Arnold II. He rebelled against the rule of Stephen V of Hungary in November 1270 by recruiting Styrian knights, which caused the 1271 war between Hungary and Bohemia. Nicholas' rebellion was a dress rehearsal for the era of feudal anarchy lasted until the 1320s.
Arnold III (fl. 1266–92)
Son of Arnold II. He captured Andrew the Venetian and handed over him to Albert I, Duke of Austria in early 1290. Arnold was killed in the Siege of Pölöske in 1292.
Buzád branch Buzád II (fl. 1209–41)
Son of Buzád I. Also referred to as Ban Buzád the Great, he was a loyal partisan of Duke Béla since the 1220s. He served as the first known Ban of Severin from around 1226 to 1232. Following that he gave up his position in society and entered the Dominican Order. He lived in a monastery at Pest, where the invading Mongols killed him shortly after the Battle of Mohi, for this, he is now honored as a Christian martyr by the Catholic Church.
Buzád III (fl. 1227–39) Son of Buzád II. Also referred to as Buzád the Younger, he inherited Szabar (today Zalaszabar) from his father. He married Eve Atyusz, a daughter of ispán Sal Atyusz. He predeceased his father around November 1239.
Csák I (fl. 1234–69)
Son of Buzád II. He served as Master of the horse from 1245 to 1247. As ispán of Somogy County, he funded the frescos in the rotunda of Hidegség, an important medieval artistic heritage from Hungary. He functioned as Master of the treasury between 1248 and 1259. Belonging to his Styrian court, Csák was an influential supporter of the king's son, Duke Stephen, but later returned to King Béla IV's allegiance. He also served as Voivode of Transylvania for a short time in 1261. The town of Čakovec (, lit. "Csák's Tower") is named after him.
Tristan (fl. 1233–67)
Son of Buzád II. He served as Count of the Heralds (; ) in 1255.
Lancelot (fl. 1234–59) Son of Buzád II. He was also known as Lankréd (Lancret, Lancred). He had extended holdings in Vas and Zala Counties. Until 1256, he owned Szombathely, Podturen and Belica, when he sold to Michael I, the cousin of his father. He built Lankrédtornya (lit. Lancelot's Tower) which had demolished by the early 14th century. In 1259, he received lands – Palinovec, Nedelišće and Zunk – from Stephen, Duke of Styria between the rivers Drava and Mur. Therefore, it is possible that Lancelot took part in Stephen's campaign against the Styrian rebellious nobles in 1258.
Thomas (fl. 1227–56)
Son of Buzád III. He served as elected provost of Fehérvár and vice-chancellor from 1252 to 1254. He was Archbishop of Kalocsa between 1254 and 1256, his death.
Sal (fl. 1255–95)