Territorial Lordship

Abstract

By the early thirteenth century, it was considered customary for kindreds of nobles to reallocate their estates every generation among male heirs. The leading Csák kindred, which owned properties in at least twenty-five counties, had probably started to divide its lands in this way in the twelfth century. By 1231 its members held only one piece of woodland in common.¹ Nevertheless, the practice of owning and working land collectively was not immediately effaced. Until well into the fourteenth century, it was still often the case that noble kindreds held their lands communally for several or more generations. Only in the 1330s, therefore, did the Csanád kindred finally complete the division of its extensive holdings in Csanád, Arad, Krassó, Ternes and Fehér counties.² As with the Csanád kindred, the break-up of communally-held estates often proceeded in stages, with some properties being partitioned between heirs and others being retained in common for several generations more. In a further example, in 1389 the Mondolai kindred in Ternes county split up estates which had previously been owned collectively for at least four generations. The division was made in three parts corresponding to the three branches of the larger family. One group of cousins agreed, however, to retain for the time being their share in common. Since disagreement was frequent among heirs as to what constituted the better parts of the estate, allocation was often accompanied by the casting of lots or by the use of arbitrators.³