The Battle of Rozgony

The Aba Dynasty

Genus (family) Aba ancestry dates back to Attila the Hun (406-453) and Justa Grata Honoria the oldest sister of the Western Roman Emperor Valentinian III. (424 AD - 455 AD).

According to the Gesta Hunnorum et Hungarorum ("The Deeds of the Huns and the Hungarians"), Csaba was Attila's legitimate son by the Justa Grata Honoria, daughter of the Emperor Constantius III and Galla Placidia. After the collapse of the Hunnic Empire, Csaba married a Chorasminian (Persian) princess named ashrafA MandAna from the Gharchai dynasty and in turn had two sons named Ede and Edemen. Ede remained in Scythia with his father and mother. However, Edemen with his father's and Chorasminian mother's support, returned to Pannonia (Hungary). Csaba is considered to be the founder of the Aba dynasty.

The location of the Kingdom of Chorasminia (Khwarezmia) is described in Achaemenid inscriptions as Huvarazmish, and was a part of the Persian Empire. During this period, this Kingdom was ruled by the hereditary Shahs of Khwarezm, a Persianate Sunni Islam dynasty of Turkic origins. The dynasty was founded by Anush Tigin Gharchai, a governor of Khwarezm who was formerly a vassal warlord to the Seljuq sultans. His son, Qutb ud-Din Muhammad I, was the first hereditary Shah of that dynasty. The founder of the dynasty, Anush Tigin Gharchai, was apparently of Qipchaq origin. The Qipchaq are also known as Cumans (or Kumans), who eventually themselves settled throughout the Great Hungarian Plain and eventually assimilated with the Hungarian population.

Aba (Kiskiralyok)

Little Kingdoms

From the 9th until the 14th century Aba's presence in Carpathian Basin was most influential in two regions. Both domains were ruled by the Abas' with Royal Prerogatives. The Aba's eastern dominion was located, on what is today Eastern Slovakia, Western Ukraine (Carpathian Russ), present-day North Eastern Hungary and part of North Western Transylvania (Romania). During the same period, a second Aba dominion was located at the western portion of present-day Slovakia. Actually, this latter territory stretched from Pozsony (present-day city of Bratislava, Slovakia) all the way east to the County of Gemer (south-central present-day Slovakia), from there turning south directly through Lake Balaton to present-day Slovenia, and then back north towards the city of Pozsony, including the entire territory of Burgenland, encompassing present-day Eastern Austria. It was established and ruled by Keoszeghy (Genus Aba) family.

Samuel Aba (c. 987 - July 6 1044); - Many Hungarian historians claim that perhaps one of the more prominent members of the Aba family was Samuel Aba. As well, some sources also claim that c.1030 - 1038 Samuel was a ruling Prince of the Principality of Nyitra. However, historical evidence clearly states that this feudal land (Principality of Nyitra), since the 9th century belonged to and was ruled by, the Koeszeghy family (Genus Aba). During the early 11th century, due to the marriage alliance between Aba and Csak families, part of this geographic area became a feudal dominion of Csak clan.

King Samuel Aba

Apart from ruling his own dominion Samuel Aba was also a Palatine (viceroy) of Hungary from (c.1009 - c.1038); and King of Hungary (1038 - 1041 east of Gyor), and then King of Hungary for the entire country from 1041 - 1044. Samuel married his older cousin Sarolta, the youngest daughter of Prince Geza, sister of King Stephan I. His second wife was Adelaide of Poland, a sister of Prince Mieszko I of Poland (c. 930 - 25 May 992) who was also King of Wends from about 960 until his death. Mieszko was a member of the Piast dynasty. He was the oldest son of Siemomys; grandchild of Lestek; father of Boleslaw I the Brave the first crowned King of Poland. It is very likely that he was also a father of Swietoslawa (Sigrid), a Nordic Queen; and grandfather of her son Cnut the Great. The first historical ruler of Poland, Mieszko I is considered the de facto creator of the Polish state.

After the death of King Stephen I of Hungary, the new ruler of Hungary became Peter Orseolo (c.1010-1015 - 1046 or 30 August 1059), called the Venetian by the Hungarians, for the first time was King of Hungary from 1038 to 1041 west of Gyor, and from 1044 to 1046 for the entire country. Born in Venice, he was the son of a sister of Stephen I, the first King of Hungary; his father was Ottone Orseolo, the Doge of Venice. The unfortunate part of his rule was that Peter wanted to make the Hungarian Kingdom a vassal state of the Holy Roman Empire. As a result, a large number of Hungarian nobility supported Samuel Aba instead.

The military position of Hungary in Europe during 11th century was such that even Samuel knew that at some point in time he himself would have to make certain concessions to the Holy Roman Emperor Henry III, if he wanted to remain on the throne, since Henry was Peter's main ally. At one-point Samuel succeeded in striking a deal with Henry in 1043, but had to pay a heavy price.

The loss of some of the Hungarian territories and the annual tribute to Henry, together with the abolition of taxes on occupied territories by Henry forced Samuel to look for sources of money elsewhere. In keeping with his intentions of diminishing the role and the power of the Church he claimed back the donations that previously King Peter during his rule granted to the Church, and thus he made the bishoprics to pay taxes. For that, he and his supporters were excommunicated by the Pope and the Church took a active role in discrediting him. His popularity weakened among many nobles who didn't want problems with the Church. This played directly into Peter's hands and with Henry's help, he invaded Hungary and attacked King Samuel Aba. Samuel was defeated at the Battle of Menfo, near Gyor. Following the battle, Samuel retreated east to the most eastern part of the Kingdom to the family domain. Some contemporary sources offer different opinions about his fate; some say he was captured and killed by Peter and Henry, others say he reached the Tisza river and was killed there by Hungarians, who opposed him. Nevertheless, what we know for certain is that shortly after the Battle of Menfo Samuel was buried at the monastery he founded at Abasar.

Following the extinction of the main Arpad dynasty in 1301, the crown of Hungary became contested by several pretenders. Pope Clement V supported Charles Robert of Anjou, who for the first time was "named" King of Hungary in 1310. Because several powerful magnates did not recognize him as their king, Charles' rule remained nominal only in certain parts of the Kingdom. His main adversaries were Mate Csak, Amade (Amadeus) Aba, and Ladislaus Kan - Voivod (duke) of Transylvania.

Palatine Amade Aba "The Little King" - Viceroy of Hungary

Prior to the Battle of Rozgony, Amade Aba (c.1254 - September 5, 1311) became Palatine of Hungary and de facto independently ruled over his eastern family domain. Several times during his life he held an office of Palatine of Hungary (1288-1289, 1290-1291, 1293, 1295-1296, 1297-1298, 1299-1301).

On August 26, 1278, Amade himself, fought in the Battle of Marchfeld on the side of King Ladislaus IV of Hungary against King Ottokar II of Bohemia. In 1280, Amade became the Lord Stuart of Hermannstadt in Transylvania (today Sibiu in Romania) and the Governor of Transylvanian Saxons. King Ladislaus IV appointed him to the office of Royal Judge (orszagbiro) in 1283. In February 1285, he successfully fought against the Mongol invaders who were pillaging the north-eastern part of Hungary and southern Poland. For supporting the Polish monarch, Amade, together with his sons, received privileges, title, and substantial grants of land in Poland from Wladyslaw Lokietek King of Poland.

When on May 29, 1290, Charles Robert of Anjou occupied one of the Aba's more important castles in Tokaj region (Zemplen County), Amade became Charles's main adversary. Following King Ladislaus IV death on July 10, 1290, Amade became the loyal supporter of King Andrew III of Hungary, thus declaring his position against Charles.

King Andrew III died on January 14th, 1301, and some of the powerful magnates (the Aba family among them) supported Wenceslaus - the crown prince of Bohemia, instead of supporting the claim of Charles Robert of Anjou. Unfortunately, Wenceslaus proved to be a very weak monarch and hastily left Hungary in August 1304. Shortly afterwards, Amade entered into an agreement with Charles Robert of Anjou and Duke Rudolph III of Austria in attempt to protect his interests.

In 1304 and 1305, Amade gave military assistance to Duke Wladyslaw of Cuiavia against King Wenceslaus II who had occupied Lesser Poland.

On October 10th, 1307, Amade was present at the Assembly of Rakos where he participated in confirming Charles' nomination to the throne of Hungary. On November 27th, 1308, Amade was present at the Assembly in Pest where Charles was proclaimed king.

In 1308, Amade became head (count) of Szepes County, and on June 15, 1309, Amade attended Charles' "fraudulent coronation" in Buda. Afterwards, he personally mediated on behalf of Charles with Ladislaus Kan Duke of Transylvania for the return of the Holy Crown of Hungary which the duke had in his possession.

In May 1310, Charles abused Amade's support and deprived him of his offices. When Amade protested, a few months later Charles had him killed in a skirmish by the south gate in Kassa. Following this event the line was drawn and an inevitable confrontation became just a matter of time.

In 1312, Charles Robert of Anjou besieged Saros Castle, (now apart of Slovakia) controlled by the Aba family. In response, the Abas received a substantial reinforcement from Mate Csak. According to Chronicon Pictum, Csak made available to the Abas almost his entire force as well as 1,700 mercenary spear-men. Charles was forced to retreat to the Szepes County (Spis), where Saxon colonists subsequently reinforced his troops. In response to these developments the Abas marched on Charles' garrison in Kassa. Both adversaries confronted each other at the battlefield near small settlement of Rozgony located 5 km east of Kassa.

Charles Robert of Anjou was victorious at the Battle of Rozgony, however, before the short 82-year Angevin rule ended in Hungary the Angevin family managed to extinguish itself. Instead, the Aba family continued its influence in Hungary and Transylvania, through various branches, even to this day. The rule of Ference Rhedey von Kis-Rhedey (Genus Aba) Prince of Transylvania ceased in 1659.

Aba Legacy

Countess Claudine Claudine Rhedey von Kis-Rhede (Genus Aba) (September 21, 1812 - October 1, 1841), created Countess of Hohenstein and in 1835 became the wife of Duke Alexander of Wurttemberg (September 9, 1804, Saint Petersburg - July 4, 1885 Tuffer). Alexander's father was Duke Louis of Wurttemberg, brother of King Frederick I of Wurttemberg and Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia. His mother was Henrietta of Nassau-Weilburg, a great-granddaughter of King George II of Great Britain through his eldest daughter Anne, Princess Royal. Alexander and Claudine married in 1835 and had three children: Claudine, Francis and Amalie and followed their mother's title as Count (Countess) of Hohenstein from their birth. In 1841, Claudine was killed - run over by horses. In 1863, all three children were elevated to the rank of Prince (Princess) of Teck by King William I of Wurttemberg.

On June 12, 1866 His Serene Highness Francis Duke of Teck married a member of the British Royal Family Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge (27 November 1833 - 27 October 1897). They had four children; Princess Victoria Mary of Teck ( later Queen Mary ) (26 May 1867 - 24 March 1953) who married in 1893 to Prince George, Duke of York ( later King George V ); Prince Adolphus of Teck - Marquess of Cambridge; Prince Francis of Teck (no issue); Prince Alexander of Teck - Earl of Athlone.

Francis Duke of Teck was born Franz Paul Karl Ludwig Alexander on 28 August 1837 in Esseg, Slavonia (now Osijek, Croatia). His title at birth was Count Francis von Hohenstein, after his mother Countess Claudine Rhedey von Kis-Rhede was created Countess of Hohenstein in her own right by Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria. Through the House of Wurttemberg, Francis was also distantly descended from the Habsburgs, the ruling family of Austria.

Like his father, Duke Alexander, Francis embarked upon a career in the Austrian army, eventually rising to the rank of Captain in the 7th Hussars during the Austro-Prussian War. He retired from the Austrian Army when he married and moved to England in 1866. Later he became attached to the staff of British General Sir Garnet Wolseley during the 1882 Egyptian campaign. He was gazetted a Colonel in the British Army in November 1882 and subsequently promoted to Major General, supernumerary to the establishment, in July 1893. Honours: Knight Grand Cross of the Bath, Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order. On 16 August 1876 he was appointed Honorary Colonel of 49th Middlesex Rifle Volunteers (Post Office Rifles) a position he held until his death.

The current British monarch, Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II is Mary's granddaughter and the great-great-granddaughter of Countess Claudine Rhedey von Kis-Rhede of the House Aba.

His Serene Highness Adolphus (1868 - 1927), 1st Marquess of Cambridge, Earl of Eltham, and Viscount Northallerton, Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, Companion of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George, all in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, commander-in-chief of the British Army from 1856-1895, the eldest son of Duke Alexander of Wurttemberg and Claudine Rhedey von Kis-Rhede - Countess von Hohenstein.

Major-General Prince Alexander of Teck; (1874 - 1957), 1st Earl of Athlone, Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, Member of Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George, Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, Recipient of the Distinguished Service Order, Knight of Justice of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, Governor and Constable of Windsor Castle, Personal Aide-de-Camp to the Sovereign, The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of the Militia and Naval and Air Forces of Canada from June 21, 1940 to April 12, 1946, was the fourth child and third son of Prince Francis, Duke of Teck, and Princess Mary, Duchess of Teck. His grandmother was Countess Claudine Rhedey von Kis-Rhede - Countess of von Hohenstein.

His Royal Highness Prince Charles, Prince of Wales (November 14. 1948) and Earl of Chester, Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland, Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, Royal Knight Companion of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle, Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, Member of the Order of Merit, Knight of the Order of Australia, Companion of the Queen's Service Order, Member of Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, Aide-de-Camp to Her Majesty, General of the British Army, Admiral of the Royal Navy, Air Chief Marshal of the Royal Air Force, Vice-Admiral of the Royal Canadian Navy, Lieutenant-General of the Canadian Army, Lieutenant-General of the Royal Canadian Air Force, is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip of the United Kingdom, Canada, etc.

His Royal Highness Prince Andrew, Duke of York, Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, Royal Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, Commander - Diplomacy Section of the Naval Staff British Ministry of Defence, is the second son, and third child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince, Duke of Edinburgh.

Present Duke of Cambridge (created 2011) is His Royal Highness Prince William, 1st Duke of Cambridge (born 1982), Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, Lieutenant - Royal Navy, Flight Lieutenant - Royal Air Force, Captain - The Blues and Royals, first son of Charles, Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales.

Present Head of Genus Aba Foundation is His Excellency Honourable Colonel Andrew, T. Adam von Rhedey (Ádám of Csikszenttamás, Fel-Csik), Aide-de-Camp to the Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Member of The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (British Commonwealth), Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Eagle of Georgia and the Seamless Tunic of Our Lord Jesus Christ, only son of Countess Rhedey von Kis-Rhede and His Excellency Dominus primor Andreas Ádám de Felső-Eör (Ádám of Csikszenttamás, Fel-Csik), etc., all in the Peerage of Hungary, Transylvania, Austria, Holy Roman Empire and the British Commonwealth. From 1983, International Observer with Atlantic Region "SEAWATCH" FOC / CCG under special appointment to the Prime Minister of Canada the Right Honourable Martin Brian Mulroney. During Czechoslovakia's Velvet Revolution (1989 to 1991) served as the National Security Advisor to the Czechoslovakian Federal Minister of Interior and the Slovakia's Minister of Interior. Following June 1990 Czechoslovakian national election became Provincial Chief of Counterintelligence Services UOUD - Czechoslovakian Federal Security Forces and the Counterintelligence Joint Chiefs of Staff. During 1991 Gulf War (Desert Storm) served with the Federal Information (Intelligence) Services (FIS) as the Chief of Special Operations at the Counterintelligence Headquarters in Prague. Known in Slovakia as "The Father of Municipal Policing", served as the Chief Commissioner for the Kosice City Police Department. In 1993 became the International Director of Law Enforcement Training for visiting Central European Law Enforcement Executives in Canada and the U.S. From 1997 - 2002 special consultant to the Government of Panama.

The Battle of Rozgony