The Master of the doorkeepers (Hungarian: királyi (fő)ajtónállómester, Latin: Janitorum regalium magister, German: Königlicher Oberst-Türhüter)[1] was a high-ranking official in the Kingdom of Hungary from the beginning of the 11th century to 1945. Formerly, the office was known as Ispán of the keepers (Hungarian: csőszök ispánja, Latin: comes preconum).
The office-holders supervised the keepers in the royal manors and the court, who were responsible for guarding and had messenger functions. The Master of the doorkeepers cited the subjects of the Crown, with whom the monarch wished to speak, with his ore seal (the "King's citations seal") and using the countrywide messenger network. They also carried 'the bloody sword' across the realm, when the King called to war.
According to the legend of Crown and Sword, the Ispán of the keepers warned Prince Béla to choose the sword instead of the crown before the death bed of his brother Andrew I in 1060.[2] The scene indicates that the Ispán might be also served as Commander of the Royal Guard.
The position was called as "Master of the doorkeepers" first in 1261. He was the magistrate of the royal guards ("doorkeepers") according that source. He had to ensure the safety of the king and the royal family.[3]
The Master of the doorkeepers was one of the lesser barons of the realm, according to the Tripartitum (Article 94) created by István Werbőczy in the 16th century. He was also member of the Royal Council. From the Anjou Age, the actual tasks was conducted by his deputy, usually a familial from the lesser nobility. Later, the office merged with the position of Marshal (Hungarian: udvarmester). After the Battle of Mohács, the office remained and belonged to the Habsburg royal court. Since 1608, the Master of the doorkeepers also oversaw the order of operations the Diet of Hungary. The office-holder was a member of the Upper House until the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 then of the House of Magnates until the Second World War. The office was only a symbolic function after 1848.
| Term | Incumbent | Monarch | Notes | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1261 - 1270 | Tamás | Béla IV | from the gens Pok | [4] | |
| 1301 | Domonkos | from the gens Rátót, ancestor of the Pásztói family; Palatine (1314 - 1320) | [5] | ||
| 1338 - 1342 | Miklós Sirokay | Charles I | Voivode of Transylvania (1342 - 1344) | [6] | |
| 1343 - 1353 | Töttös Becsei | Louis I | from the gens Becse-Gergely (since 1342) | [7] | |
| 1353 - 1358 | Tamás Gönyűi | Louis I | from the gens Csór;[8] Voivode of Transylvania (1350 - 1351) | [9] | |
| 1359 - 1373 | János Gönyűi | Louis I | from the gens Csór | [10] | |
| 1374 - 1377 | Mihály Cudar | Louis I | [11] | ||
| 1378 - 1379 | István Cudar | Louis I | brother of Mihály Cudar | [12] | |
| 1380 - 1381 | Pál Liszkai | Louis I | Ban of Macsó (1382) | ||
| 1382 | István Kórógyi | Louis I | Ban of Macsó (1383 - 1385) | ||
| 1383 - 1384 | Miklós Telegdi | Mary | |||
| 1385 - 1386 | Pál Alsáni | Mary | |||
| 1387 - 1392 | Leusták Jolsvai | Sigismund | from the gens Rátót; Palatine (1392 - 1397) | [13] | |
| 1392 - 1395 | László Sárói | Sigismund | father of Péter Lévai the Czech | [14] | |
| 1397 - 1402 | István Kanizsai | Sigismund | |||
| 1403 - 1409 | Simon Szécsényi | Sigismund | Judge royal (1395 - 1412), Voivode of Transylvania (1401) | [15] | |
| 1409 - 1416 | János Tamási | Sigismund | from the gens Héder; Voivode of Transylvania (1403 - 1409) | [16] | |
| 1417 - 1434 | László Tamási | Sigismund | first rule; together with Henrik Tamási (1423 - 1434); son of János Tamási | ||
| 1423 - 1434 | Henrik Tamási | Sigismund | first rule; together with László Tamási (1417 - 1434); son of János Tamási | ||
| 1435 - 1437 | János Marcali | Sigismund | first rule; together with Imre Marcali (1435 - 1436); Ban of Slavonia (1457) | [17] | |
| 1435 - 1436 | Imre Marcali | Sigismund | first rule; together with János Marcali (1435 - 1436) | ||
| 1437 - 1438 | Imre Marcali | Albert | second rule | ||
| 1438 - 1444 | Henrik Tamási | Albert Vladislaus I | second rule; together with László Tamási (1438 - 1439) and István Berzevici (1438 - 1443); son of János Tamási | ||
| 1438 - 1439 | László Tamási | Albert | second rule; together with Henrik Tamási (1438 - 1444) and István Berzevici (1438 - 1443); son of János Tamási | ||
| 1438 - 1443 | István Berzevici | Albert Vladislaus I | together with Henrik Tamási (1438 - 1444) and László Tamási (1438 - 1439) | ||
| 1444 - 1446 | László Pálóci | Ladislaus V | Judge royal (1446 - 1470) | ||
| 1447 - 1449 | János Marcali | Ladislaus V | second rule; Ban of Slavonia (1457) | ||
| 1449 - 1451 | János Kompolti | Ladislaus V | [18] | ||
| 1452 - 1453 | Szilveszter Tornai | Ladislaus V | |||
| 1454 - 1458 | Mihály Országh de Guth | Ladislaus V | together with Pál Bánfi (1456 - 1458); Palatine (1458 - 1484) | [19] | |
| 1456 - 1458 | Pál Bánfi | Ladislaus V | together with Mihály Országh de Guth (1454 - 1458) | ||
| 1459 - 1464 | Simon Cudar | ||||
| Imre Hédervári | |||||
| 1464 - 1465 | Benedek Turóci | Treasurer (1457 - 1465) | |||
| 1465 - 1470 | János Thúz | together with Frigyes Lamberger (1467 - 1468); Treasurer (1458 - 1459), Ban of Bosnia (1466), Ban of Croatia (1466 - 1468), Ban of Slavonia (1466 - 1470), Master of the treasury (1478 - 1481) | [20] | ||
| 1467 - 1468 | Frigyes Lamberger | together with János Thúz (1465 - 1470) | |||
| 1471 - 1484 | György Parlagi | ||||
| 1486 - 1489 | Péter Geréb | first rule; Voivode of Transylvania (1478 - 1479), Judge royal (1495 - 1500), Palatine and judge of the Cuman people (1500 - 1503) | [21] | ||
| 1492 - 1494 | Péter Geréb | second rule; together with Miklós Bánfi (1492 - 1494); Voivode of Transylvania (1478 - 1479), Judge royal (1495 - 1500), Palatine and judge of the Cuman people (1500 - 1503) | |||
| Miklós Bánfi | together with Péter Geréb (1492 - 1494) | ||||
| 1506 - 1518 | Mózes Buzlai | Vladislaus II Louis II | [22] | ||
| 1518 - 1521 | János Pethő de Gerse | Louis II | together with Péter Korlátkői (1519 - 1526) | ||
| 1519 - 1526 | Péter Korlátkői | Louis II | together with János Pethő de Gerse (1518 - 1521) and András Trepka (1521 - 1526); killed in the Battle of Mohács | ||
| 1521 - 1526 | András Trepka | Louis II | together with Péter Korlátkői (1519 - 1526); killed in the Battle of Mohács |
| Term | Incumbent | Monarch | Notes | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1526 - 1536 | Imre Országh de Guth | Ferdinand I | |||
| 1539 - 1556 | Imre Tarnóczi | Ferdinand I | |||
| 1556 - 1573 | László Bánffy | Ferdinand I Maximilian I | |||
| 1574 - 1576 | János Balassa | Maximilian I | |||
| 1577 - 1587 | Mihály Révay | Rudolf | |||
| 1587 - 1598 | Ferenc Révay | Rudolf | son of Palatinal Governor Ferenc Révay | ||
| 1599 - 1615 | Miklós Istvánffy | Rudolf Matthias II | Palatinal Governor (1581 - 1608) | ||
| 1615 - 1617 | László Pethe | Matthias II | |||
| 1618 - 1625 | Menyhért Alaghy | Matthias II Ferdinand II | Judge royal (1625 - 1631) | ||
| 1625 - 1631 | Pál Rákóczi | Ferdinand II | son of Sigismund Rákóczi, Prince of Transylvania; Judge royal (1631 - 1636) | ||
| 1631 - 1643 | István Nyáry | Ferdinand II Ferdinand III | Captain General of Upper Hungary | ||
| 1643 - 1649 | László Csáky | Ferdinand III | Judge royal (1649 - 1655) | ||
| 1649 - 1650 | Gábor Erdődy | Ferdinand III | |||
| 1650 - 1662 | Miklós Pálffy | Ferdinand III Leopold I | |||
| 1662 - 1681 | Miklós Draskovich | Leopold I | son of Palatine János Draskovich; Judge royal (1681 - 1687) | ||
| 1681 - 1690 | István Zichy | Leopold I | Master of the treasury (1690 - 1693) | ||
| 1692 - 1728 | Márk Czobor | Leopold I Joseph I Charles III | |||
| 1730 - 1735 | György Esterházy | Charles III | |||
| 1735 - 1774 | Károly Pálffy | Charles III Maria Theresa | |||
| 1777 - 1799 | Lipót Pálffy | Maria Theresa Joseph II Leopold II Francis | |||
| 1799 - 1806 | József Erdődy | Francis | Lord High Steward | ||
| 1806 - 1826 | Mihály Nádasdy | Francis | |||
| 1827 - 1830 | József Esterházy | Francis | |||
| 1830 - 1834 | Antal Amade | Francis | |||
| 1835 - 1837 | Nepomuk János Malonyay | Francis Ferdinand V | |||
| 1838 - 1848 | Ferenc Zichy | Ferdinand V |