The Barlabássy or Barabássy family was a noble family in the Kingdom of Hungary, which possessed landholdings mostly in Transylvania.
Name They adopted their surname after their place of origin, Barabás in the region Tiszahát of Bereg County. Contemporary records and documents preserved the name of family in various formats: Barlabasi (1381), Barrabasi (1384), Barlabasy (1386), Barabassy, Barabasy, Barabassy, Barrabasy (15th century). They were also referred to as "Barlabaschy" in Transylvanian Saxon dialect (1487) and "Barlabassel" in the register of the University of Vienna (1505), in addition to a Latin Humanist variant "Barlabassius" (1519). The first Hungarian-language charter which preserved their name was issued in 1517 by Michael II, who called himself "Barabási", in accordance with its pronunciation (but the document itself was preserved only through an 18th-century transcription). By the time of the Principality of Transylvania in the 17th century, their last name was uniformly formed as "Barabássy".
Throughout the centuries, they also used various noble titles, which implied their residence, ownership of lands or location. Their first nobility prefix appeared in contemporary documents in the 1450s (according to today's spelling): "de Petlend", "de Mócs" and "de Szentpál". Later the variants "de Csesztve" (1470s) and "de Héderfája" (1490s) became more frequent. After the division of the landholdings, other prefixes appeared in the 16th century: "de Alparét", "de Csíkfalva", "de Nyárádtő et Lőrincfalva" and "de Makfalva" (after locations, present-day all in Romania).
Origins According to family traditions, the Barlabássys descended from the influential and wealthy gens (clan) Borsa, but there is no contemporary record of that. The family originated from the region Beregi-Tiszahát (today roughly Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County in Hungary), where Barabás (or Barlabás) also located. The assumption that the family came from Barlabás, Maros Seat (present-day Bârlibaș in Romania) is unfounded. Based on the data found by János Karácsonyi, historian Pál Engel proved that the Barlabásis originated from the Papos branch of the gens (clan) Kaplon.Engel: Genealógia (Genus Kaplon 15., Tákosi branch)
The earliest known member of the family was one Nicholas Barlabási (), whose sons – Ladislaus, Csépán, Ivan and Nicholas – were mentioned together in February 1323. They owned a portion of land and a stone church in Pátroha. They were involved in a lawsuit with castellan Paul Magyar, who was granted the village as a royal donation by Charles I of Hungary. The brothers and Magyar reconciled with each other and the Barlabássys handed over their estates for 20 marks. The four brothers also owned Petlend (near present-day Szatmárcseke) in 1327, when they entered into a defense contract with each other. Csépán was again mentioned in 1329, when appeared as a witness in a lawsuit. While Ladislaus and Nicholas (II) had no known descendants, Csépán had two sons; Barabbas acted as royal commissioner (bailiff) in two occasions in 1374 and 1378, during the reign of Ladislaus I of Hungary. The younger one, George entered ecclesiastical career and was styled with the title of "magister". He served in the chancellery of the queen mother Elizabeth of Poland. After the death of Louis I, he entered the service of his widow Elizabeth of Bosnia, who acted as regent on behalf of her daughter Queen Mary. George was referred to as "special notary and familiaris" of the dowager queen in 1384. Elizabeth confirmed the previous land donation of Kissurány to the brothers in 1382. George and Barabbas presumably became disgraced by 1386; Queen Elizabeth confiscated Kissurány from them and returned it to their original owner Nicholas Kissurányi. This resulted a conflict between the two families in the upcoming decade. Ladislaus Kissurányi complained before the convent of Lelesz (present-day Leles, Slovakia) in 1394 that Barabbas' sons, John, Ladislaus and Francis constantly looted and pillaged his land. They also joined the nationwide rebellion against King Sigismund in 1403, as a result much of their possessions were confiscated, including Jánd and their ancient seat Barabás, which was shared by several families in the 15th century. The brother regained some reliance in the royal court, John and Ladislaus were referred to royal vassals ("homo noster") in 1418. They had no known descendants, which resulted the extinction of Csépán's branch.
Nicholas' another son Ivan had a daughter Anne, who married a certain Peter, who possessed lands in Szabolcs County. His son Michael (I) died by 1398; his widow, a certain Veronica complained that Lawrence Mikai harassed her estates. As a result, Sigismund forced Mikai to pledge his land of Papos to the Barlabássys in that year, which resulted a long-lasting lawsuit between the two families in the 15th century. The marriage of Michael and Veronica produced two sons, Ernye, who served as vice-ispán of Bereg County in 1389, and Vincent, who was referred to as "homo noster" in 1416. At the end of his life, he was also vice-ispán of Bereg County from 1434 to 1439, as a familiaris of Ladislaus Pálóci. The later members of the Barlabássy family descended from Ernye. The last person, who had relative influence in the place of their origin was John (the grandson of Vincent), who functioned as vice-ispán of Szabolcs County from 1454 to 1456.
Advance in Transylvania In the first half of the 15th century, the Barlabássy family had several lawsuits with their neighbors, for instance the Mikai and Perényi families in Bereg and Szabolcs counties which contributed to the family gradually moving southeast in a direction to Transylvania. After the ancient lands in the Bereg region were permanently lost to their rivals, the Barlabássys acquired possessions along the river Maros (Mureș) in Central Transylvania, first of all at Inner and Outer Szolnok, Doboka, Kolozs and Torda counties, and later Fehér and Küküllő counties, and the Székely seat of Marosszék ("Maros Seat"). By the reign of Matthias Corvinus, they became familiares of the powerful Báthory family, one of the most influential and richest noble houses in Transylvania.
Ernye's grandson John married his second wife, Veronica Haranglábi, an offspring of a rich Transylvanian family, sometime after 1440. As a dowry, John acquired portions in Kolozs and Küküllő counties – including Mócs (Mociu) –, and the Barlabássy family gradually became part of the Transylvanian elite in the second half of the 15th century. John had two sons, Michael and John. They together acquired Csesztve (today part of Ocna Mureș town in Romania) and the surrounding lands by the 1450s. They built a country-house there, which became the permanent residence of the Barlabássys. The Csesztve lordship laid along an important trade route near the river Maros and the salt mines of Marosújvár (Ocna Mureș). In the subsequent years, they also bought Csombord (Ciumbrud), Váradja (Oarda), Lomfalva and Marosszentkirály (Sâncraiu de Mureș).
In Kolozs County, the Petlend branch also possessed lands, its members were Anthony and George, but their family relationship to the other branches is uncertain. Both of them only had daughters (Magdalene and Agatha, respectively), and the country-house of Petlend along the river Tur was alienated to the Borz family (the kinship of Anthony's widow).
Around the same time, another member of the family (parentage is unknown), Nicholas Barlabássy de Szentpál became a prominent landowner in Székely Land, which resulted a basis for the future expansion in Marosszék. He also integrated into the Székely aristocracy ("chief horsemen"). Nicholas had three children: Michael, Dorothea and Julianna. Michael died by 1463, left behind a widow and two orphans, Nicholas and Anne. The unidentified widow was involved in a lawsuit against her sisters-in-law, refusing to the transfer of the property to which they are entitled in their late brother's last will. Dorothea married Ladislaus Demjénfy, while Julia was the wife of Blaise Meggyes de Szentgyörgy, who was involved in a nationwide conspiracy against Matthias in 1467. Julianna continued her lawsuit against her nephew Nicholas and niece Anna (wife of Pancras Bolyai). Julianna had a daughter, also Anne, who married Nicholas Tót de Szentanna. The Barlabássy de Szentpál branch died out with Nicholas around 1493, but the lawsuit between the two branches were inherited by the two Anne's husbands and their families (the Bolyai and Tót kinships), lasted until 1502.
Heyday John was made castellan of Gyulafehérvár by King Matthias Corvinus sometime after 1467. In the 1470s, Barlabássy entered the service of Stephen Báthory, a respected military general and Voivode of Transylvania. He participated in various campaigns and counter-attacks in response to the Ottoman incursions. As castellan of Gyulafehérvár, Barlabássy was a dedicated patron of arts and sciences. He helped to spread Renaissance arts, science and architecture throughout Transylvania. The Csesztve and Héderfája branch descended from castellan John, as his brother Michael (died before 1482) had no known children from his spouse Sophia Szentpáli. It is plausible that John married an unidentified noblewoman from the wealthy Erdélyi de Somkerék family. Their marriage produced three sons, John, Leonard and Michael. He also adopted John Lászai, a noted Humanist poet and clergyman. Among his three natural sons, Michael had no known descendants. He was referred to as vice-chamberlain of the salt chamber of Szék (Sic) in 1512. He was among the councillors of Voivode John Zápolya in January 1514. He was styled a "homo noster" in March 1517, during a lawsuit against Stephen Károlyi in March 1517. He issued a Hungarian-language contract in 1517, the first such regarding the Barlabássy family and also a somewhat noted text of the history of the Hungarian language before the Battle of Mohács (1526).
Csesztve branch The eldest son, John inherited the country-house at Csesztve. Until the end of the 15th century, John and Leonard acquired possessions together, for instance Miklóslaka (Micoșlaca), Héderfája (Idrifaia) and Mikefalva (Mica), laid in Küküllő County. They remained familiares of the powerful Báthory family, which was exploited to their advantage in the rapid growth of their wealth. John married twice; his second wife was Magdalene Erdélyi from 1505 (the widow of Francis Vízaknai). It is possible that he was castellan of Görgény (today Gurghiu, Romania) in 1504. John died not long before December 1512, when his lord John Zápolya provided for the division of his landholdings in accordance with his last will and testament. The document says, John owned possessions in Alparét (Bobâlna), where a county-house laid, Zápróc (Băbdiu), Szóváros (Suarăș), Tálosfalva (Blidărești), Antos (Antăș), Erdővásárhely (Oșorhel), Radákszinye (Răzbuneni) and Bujdos (Vâlcelele) in Inner Szolnok County, present-day all settlements belong to the town of Bobâlna. Beside that, John also possessed portions in Mócs, Gyéres (Câmpia Turzii), Csehtelke (Vișinelu), Báld (Balda), Nagynyulas (Milaș), Kisszék (Săcălaia), Aranykút (Aruncuta) and Szentmárton (Gligorești) in Kolozs County, portions in Gerebenes, Kapus (Căpușu Mare), Póka (Păingeni), Ikland (Icland), Lekence (Lechința), Keménytelke (Cipăieni), Bodon (Papiu Ilarian), Szakál (Săcalu de Pădure), Pagocsa (Pogăceaua), Záh (Zau de Câmpie), Fűzkút (Sălcuța) in Torda County, in addition to whole Miklóslaka and portions in Csesztve, Benkeszeg, Ózd (Ozd), Táté (Totoi), Bagó (Băgău), Csongva (Uioara de Jos), Marosszentkirály, Oláhtordos (Turdaș) and Ispánlaka (Șpălnaca) in Fehér County.