Remarks on the Careers of the Vice-voivodes of Transylvania in the Late Middle Ages (1458–1526)

The voivode of Transylvania, appointed by the king of Hungary, was one of the most important officials of the medieval Hungarian Kingdom. The vice-voivode (vicevayuoda), who was the deputy of the voivode, was appointed by the latter from among his familiares. The career of vice-voivodes before 1457 is well known, but the archontology and prosopography of these officials has not been completed yet for the period 1457–1526. The present study analyses the careers of vice-voivodes, their social status, marriage strategies and the wealth of their families in this latter period. The majority of vice-voivodes was chosen from among the well-to-do county nobility from outside of Transylvania. Between 1463 and 1526, with the exception of two shorter periods, vice-voivodes were also vice-comites of the Székely. Most vice-voivodes held offices as comites and castellans during their careers but normally they could not advance on the social ladder so much as to achieve an important position in the royal court. In most of the cases, vice-voivodes were important landowners in their home county and marriage ties connected them with the well-off nobility of the same county