The Csetneki (also Chetneky; ) family was a noble family in the Kingdom of Hungary, which possessed landholdings mostly around the eponymous settlement Csetnek in Gömör County (present-day Štítnik, Slovakia). The Csetnekis originated from the ancient Hungarian clan gens (clan) Ákos and their closest relatives were the more influential Bebek family. The Csetnekis became extinct in the early 17th century.
History Origin The Csetnekis descended from the Bebek branch of the gens (clan) Ákos. The earliest known ancestor of the branch was Matthew, who lived in the beginning of the 13th century.Engel: Genealógia (Genus Ákos 1., Bebek branch) One of his sons, Derek (I) ("the Bald") served as ispán of Győr County in 1251. Derek and his brother Philip were granted large areas of land in Gömör County by Béla IV of Hungary in 1243, for their bravery during the Mongol invasion. The Pelsőc lordship (today Plešivec, Slovakia) were emerged in the upcoming decades, also belonging the settlement Csetnek. Derek (I) had two sons, Derek (II) and Benedict; the Csetnekis and Bebebks descended from the latter. Benedict's sons concluded a property distribution agreement between each other in 1318. The eldest son Dominic (called with the epithet "Bebek") inherited Pelsőc and the surrounding area, becoming progenitor of the namesake Bebek family, while Benedict's other sons – Nicholas (I) "the Cuman", Ladislaus (I), John (I) and Peter (I) – were granted Csetnek, which functioned already as the family's seat prior to that. Of them, only Nicholas and Ladislaus had descendants, who adopted the Csetneki surname thereafter.Engel: Genealógia (Genus Ákos 1., Bebek branch, 2., Csetneki family)
During the Angevin period In the first two decades of the 14th century, oligarch Matthew Csák ruled vast areas in the territory of present-day Slovakia, including Gömör County. The Csetnekis' neighbor, Felician Záh was among those lord who swore loyalty to him. However, the Csetnekis resisted against the oligarch's efforts. Therefore, Matthew Csák captured and imprisoned John, one of Benedict's sons, to prevent his brothers from joining the cause of Charles I of Hungary by holding him hostage. Historian Monika Tihányiová considered that this served as a catalyst for the brothers to decide to divide their wealth in February 1318. After his release, John joined the agreement which was transcribed and confirmed in 1320, involving him. In accordance with the contract, Nicholas and Ladislaus acquired the southern and eastern portion of Csetnek, along with the surrounding villages Restér (Roštár), Gecelfalva (Koceľovce), Pétermány (Petrovo), Marcellusfalva (Marcelová), Sebespatak (Rožňavské Bystré), Tornova (Trnová), Tapolca (Kunova Teplica), Ardó (Ardovo), Lekenye (Bohúňovo) and Panyit (Gemerská Panica). Thereafter, Nicholas held his permanent seat in Tapolca, which then adopted his epithet ("the Cuman"), becoming Kuntapolca. Their brothers, John and Peter were granted the western portion of Csetnek, along with the surrounding settlements Ochtina (Ochtiná), Rochfalva (Rochovce), Nagyszlabos (Slavošovce), Gencs (Honce), Gacsalk (Gočaltovo), Rozlozsnya (Rozložná), Somkút, Kövi and its castle (near present-day Rákoš), Nandrás (Nandraž), Vignye and Tarfalva (a predecessor of present-day Rákoš). Instead of a coherent complex of possessions, these estates were located scattered along the rivers Csetnek and Sajó, in addition to the valley of Turóc (Turiec) and the region of Kövi.
Benedict's five surviving sons initially supported each other's endeavors. Upon their request, Charles I granted town rights and privileges to Csetnek and Pelsőc (together with the right to hold a fair and to collect customs) in 1328, despite that both settlements were a landlord's property. Both towns were granted only those privileges which guaranteed the maintenance of the Csetneki family's supremacy. For instance, the charter does not mention the free election of parish priests, obligation to pay tithes to the Archdiocese of Esztergom or the determination of the person entitled to adjudicate. The brothers (excluding Dominic) jointly protested against a donation to John Delnei, who was granted Betlér (Betliar) in 1330. However, Delnei was an important familiaris of the Drugeth family, thus Charles I rejected their complaint. Nicholas (I), also representing his brothers, successfully requested the confirmation of King Béla's 1243 royal charter in 1335, in order to defend their interests against the neighboring lords and even the claims of the Bebek family. Charles I intended to donate a large portion of the late Derek's lordship to the Cselenfis (also from the Ákos clan), of which a member John Cselenfi stopped the assassin Felician Záh, who attempted to kill the entire Hungarian royal family. Nicholas and Ladislaus filed a complaint against that decision in 1339. Ladislaus died sometime between 1339 and 1342, and his sons – Nicholas (III) and Ladislaus (II) joined the lawsuit in the latter year.
The Csetnekis, together with the Bebeks, were involved in a series of lawsuits against the Máriássy family over the possessions Berzéte (Brzotín) and Krasznahorka (Krásna Hôrka), which both estates they had lost under unclear circumstances in the late 13th century. The 1348 lawsuit in this issue was the last joint action for the protection of interests within the family members. All descendants protested against the ownership of Nicholas "the Cuman" over Krasznahorka before the palatinal court in 1354. The Bebeks acquired the castle, while Nicholas and his sons were granted its accessories, including the villages Szalóc (Slavec) and Rekenye (Rakovnica). There were also conflicts over the shared use of the lead mine in Ardó. According to the verdict of Ladislaus, John and Peter from 1330, their brothers Dominic Bebek and Nicholas "the Cuman" arbitrarily seized the mine and they produced the lead only for themselves. In 1333, Ladislaus filed a lawsuit against all of his brothers, claiming that they intended to sell Berzéte and Krasznahorka to the Máriássys. Several lawsuits were also filed against Peter by his brothers, who complained that he arbitrarily and alone settled serfs on the border of Csetnek and tried to sell Kövi to Peter Jolsvai from the gens Rátót.
During the Angevin period, the Csetnekis – similarly to other members of the lower nobility – entered the service of powerful lords. John (I) fought in the Austrian–Hungarian War of 1336–1337, where he was captured and held in captivity at least until early 1339. Nicholas (I) was a familiaris of Stephen Lackfi, Voivode of Transylvania. In this capacity, he participated in the royal campaign against the rebellious Croatian nobles in 1345. Peter (I) entered the service of Kónya Szécsényi. In this capacity, he served as vice-ispán of Nógrád County from 1348 to 1350. Simultaneously, Peter also functioned as vice-ispán of Szepes County and (vice)-castellan of its fortress (Spiš) in 1349, under Kónya Szécsényi. He held the latter positions until July 1349, when both the county and the castle were transferred to the fiefdom of Duke Stephen of Anjou, the younger brother of King Louis I of Hungary. Peter participated in the Neapolitan campaign in 1351. His career came to a screeching halt when he came into conflict with the powerful Pásztói (or Hasznosi) family, who originated from the gens Rátót. He was charged of killing one of its members, Stephen after a lengthy dispute. The fine imposed left Peter completely in debt, and even his own family members turned against him in his desperate attempts to raise money.
Heyday under Sigismund George branch Among members of the third generation, only the branch of Ladislaus (I) survived the early 15th century, since – among the sons of Nicholas (I) "the Cuman" – only Ákos had a son, Michael (I). He and his second cousin George (II), a son of Nicholas (III), were the most prominent members of the kinship in the last decades of the 14th century. They were confidants of Louis I of Hungary and the family members were granted ius gladii by the monarch over the subjects in their estates in 1378. Following the death of Louis in 1382, the Csetnekis supported his daughter Mary, Queen of Hungary and her mother Elizabeth of Bosnia during the internal conflict against Charles III of Naples. In April 1386, George and Michael were granted landholdings in Pest County for their faithful services by Mary. Following the capture of the queen, they swore allegiance to Sigismund, her husband. George and Michael took part in Sigismund's campaign into Croatia and they were present in the siege of Novigrad Castle, where the royal troops liberated Mary in June 1387.
Following Sigismund was elected co-ruler, George was appointed Master of the stewards in 1387; this was the highest secular position achieved by a member of the Csetneki family. He is mentioned in this capacity from July 1387 to July 1396. A single source from June 1388 also refers to Michael as an office-holder of this royal courtly position. For their former services to Louis I and Mary, George and Michael were granted the royal castle of Szanda with its accessories – portions in Surány, Szanda and Bolhádalja, along with a custom in the village Guta – in Nógrád County by Sigismund in November 1387. However, the king donated the fort to John Pásztói three years later, around 1390. Both of them escorted Sigismund to his military campaigns to the southern border. They fought in the Hungarian–Ottoman War (1389–1396), George was present during the skirmishes against the Ottoman incursions in Temesvár (present-day Timișoara, Romania) in August 1392. It is plausible that George also took part in the disastrous Battle of Nicopolis in September 1396, where his second cousin Michael was killed, ending the line of Nicholas "the Cuman". His distant relatives, the Bebek family arbitrarily seized all of his possessions, including the castle of Kövi. His second cousins, Ladislaus (IV), Nicholas (V) and John (III) complained to the royal court against this in August 1401. Following Michael's death, his relatives were unable to pay the dowry of his widow Clara, thus they were forced to pledge their portions in Tapolca (Kunova Teplica), Szalóc (Slavec) and Ardó (Ardovo) in November 1401.
George survived the Crusade of Nicopolis, but he was replaced as Master of the stewards. Thereafter, he served as ispán of Gömör County from 1397 until his death; he is first mentioned in this capacity in September 1399. He was granted the castle of Saskő (today ruins near Šášovské Podhradie) from Sigismund in 1396. Because of his frequent travels with Sigismund, Pope Boniface IX permitted him to use his own portable altar with clerical staff in his papal letter issued in June 1397, which was a significant privilege for a nobleman in the late 14th century. The ailing George compiled his last will and testament in Csetnek on 31 July 1402. In the document, George bequeathed his all purchased and pledged property to his wife and daughter Catherine, with the stipulation that after the death of both of them the estates would belong to his son, Sigismund (II) and his descendants. George died shortly thereafter.