Csák (genus)

Genus (gens) Csák
Country	Kingdom of Hungary
Founded	10th century
Founder	Csák (grandson of chieftain Szabolcs?)
Cadet branches	12 branches, including: Újlak branch Trencsén branch

Csák was the name of a gens (Latin for "clan"; nemzetség in Hungarian) in the Kingdom of Hungary.

Origin

The Gesta Hunnorum et Hungarorum ("Deeds of the Huns and Hungarians") records that the ancestor of the family was Szabolcs, son of chieftain Előd, the leader of one of the seven Magyar tribes.^[1][2] The family was probably connected to the Árpád dynasty. Their ancient possessions were located around the Vértes Mountains in Transdanubia; Csákvár ("castle of Csák") and Csákberény villages still bear their name. The family was named after Szabolcs' grandson who had a fortress built on his possessions.

The most prominent members of the family were Máté Csák III and Ugrin Csák who were powerful aristocrats of the Kingdom of Hungary from the 1290s.

The gens divided into 12 branches and several families in the course of the centuries. The Csáky de Mihály family also belongs to the Csák gens.^[2]

Notable members of the clan

• Csák, ancestor and denominator of the gens Csák
• Ugrin (12th century), ispán

Ugod branch

The numbering means within the branch.

• Luka
  • Demetrius I (fl. 1217–1254), judge royal (1233–1234; 1242–1245)
    • Ugod (fl. 1264–1270)
      • Demetrius II (fl. 1277–1285; d. before 1287), wildgrave of Bakony (1281); married N Kőszegi
        • Blessed Maurice (d. 20 March 1336), Dominican friar
        • Csák II (d. before 1309), last male descendant
        • Kunigunda or Kingus (fl. 1317), married Julius II Rátót
      • (?) Michael (fl. 1270–1277), ispán of Nyitra County (according to Pál Engel)
    • Unknown daughter (fl. 1232), married Csépán II Győr
    • Csák I (fl. 1264–1270), wildgrave of Bakony (1270)
  • (?) Adam
    • Paul
      • Peter (fl. c. 1305)

Kisfalud branch

• Ugrin (d. 1204), archbishop of Esztergom, maybe son of ispán Ugrin
• Nicholas, his testament of 1231 mentions archbishop Ugrin as his pater, but more likely that he was Nicholas' uncle

Újlak branch

The numbering means within the branch.

• Bás I, ispán
  • Bás II
    • Csák
      • John (d. before 1324), judge royal (1311–1314)
  • Pós I, master of the treasury for prince (1227–1233) then King Béla IV (1235)
    • Pós II, ban of Severin (1240)
      • Ugrin III (c. 1240–1311), oligarch, judge royal, Voivode of Transylvania, Ban of Szörény, Macsó, master of the treasury, master of the horse
        • Nicholas (d. 1359), judge royal (1359)
          • Ladislaus (d. before 1364), last member
    • Ugrin II, archbishop of Spalato (1244–1248)
  • Ugrin I (d. 1241), archbishop of Kalocsa, killed in the battle of Mohi

Trencsén branch

The numbering means within the branch.

• Matthew I (d. 1245/1249), first known member of the branch, master of the treasury (1242–1245)
  • Mark I, ispán of Hont County (1247)
    • Peter II (fl. 1279–1290)
    • Stephen II (fl. 1279–1307)
      • Mark II (fl. 1309)
      • Peter III (fl. 1309–1332; d. before 1350), master of the horse (1314–1317)
        • Ladislaus (fl. 1332)
        • Peter IV (fl. 1332)
        • Dominic (fl. 1332–1359), ancestor of the Dombai family
      • Stephen III (fl. 1323–1329)
      • Unknown daughter, married Roland III Rátót
    • Unknown daughter, married Jakab Cseszneky (1) and Lőrinte from the kindred Lőrinte (?)
  • Stephen I, master of the stewards (1275–1276; 1277–1278)
  • Matthew II (d. 1284), palatine, voivode of Transylvania, judge royal, ban of Slavonia, master of the treasury
  • Peter I (d. 1284), palatine, master of the stewards
    • Matthew III (1260/65 – 1321), master of the horse (1293–1296), palatine (1296–1297, 1302–1310) and master of the treasury (1310–1311)
      • Matthew IV (d. before 1318), married Gutha N
        • Matthew V, married Kunigunda
        • James
      • Unknown daughter, wife of Desoh
    • Csák (fl. 1291–1300), bearer of the sword (1293)
  • Unknown daughter, wife of Zdislav Sternberg and mother of Stephen the Bohemian, Lord of Trencsén (1321)

Kendertó branch

The numbering means within the branch.

• Nicholas I
  • Matthew I (fl. 1263)
    • Nicholas II (fl. 1315–1336; d. before 1367), died without male descendants
      • Matthew II (fl. 1336)
      • Ladislaus (fl. 1336)
      • Catherine (fl. 1336–1367), heir, married Demetrius Málasi
        • Nicholas III (fl. 1367), canon of Fehérvár
        • Michael (fl. 1367)
          • Anne (fl. 1398), married Francis Apáti
        • Elizabeth (fl. 1383), married Klemens, a citizen of Fehérvár
    • a possible daughter

Sources

• Kristó, Gyula (editor): Korai Magyar Történeti Lexikon - 9-14. század (Encyclopedia of the Early Hungarian History - 9-14th centuries); Akadémiai Kiadó, 1994, Budapest; ISBN 963-05-6722-9.