New Lords of the Castle

In 1344, King Louis the Great granted the castle and its estates to Stephen, son of Lőrinc, who was descended from the lineage of Bishop Bulcsú of Csanád. By the mid-14th century, however, Szigliget had passed from royal ownership into the hands of the Móriczhidai family of the Pok clan. This family had already held lands in the immediate vicinity of Szigliget since the mid-13th century. For his bravery in the Battle of Nagyszombat, Miklós Móriczhidai was rewarded with the neighboring estate of Hegymagas. In the turbulent period following the deaths of Kings Béla IV and Stephen V, the family likely treated Szigliget Castle as their own—though it is also possible that Béla IV had granted it to them before his death in recognition of their loyalty. Between 1275 and 1289, the treasures of the family’s monastery were kept in the castle, indicating that a member of the family resided there either as owner or castellan. By 1348, Miklós’s grandson Simon is already mentioned in charters as lord of the castle. For nearly a century thereafter, the castle and its estates remained in the possession of the Móriczhidai family. It was during this period that the inner castle was likely constructed, while the old Árpád-era village of Szigliget gradually declined and the settlement of Újfalu below the castle became more populated. This development was supported by the economic prosperity during the long reigns of Louis the Great and Sigismund. In 1424, the Móriczhidai family entered into a mutual inheritance agreement with the Lack family, stipulating that if either line died out without heirs, their estates would pass to the other. Although the family did not become extinct, they nevertheless lost Szigliget: in 1441, King Vladislaus I granted it to Jeromos Kolos of Némai, who was related to the Lack family, in exchange for an estate of 200 serf plots. As central authority weakened, acts of violence became more frequent. In 1442, the castellan of Szigliget, Flóris Berky, attacked and plundered the Almád Monastery. Amid these chaotic conditions, the castle changed hands several times. After Ferenc Kolos, the king granted it to Balázs Barócz, who in 1444 pledged it to the abbot of Pannonhalma for 3,000 gold florins. However, he attempted to prevent the transfer of the castle to Miklós Újlaki and János Hunyadi—both of whom laid claim to it. Despite his objections, Szigliget soon became part of the Újlaki family’s holdings. A royal charter from 1453 records that five villages belonged to the castle: Felsőtomaj, Hegymagas, Nagyfalu, Sziget, and Újfalu. The mortgage rights to the estate continued to change hands several times—passing to the Szentgyörgyi family, then to István Csornai, and eventually returning to the Újlaki family. It is likely that during their ownership—one of the most powerful noble families of the 15th century—the castle was further expanded. It remained in their possession for nearly seventy years. The Móriczhidai family, however, never relinquished their ancestral claims to Szigliget, consistently asserting their rights in various agreements, where Szigliget is regularly listed among their former estates. Nevertheless, they were unable to regain the castle. After the death of Lőrinc Újlaki in 1521, this part of the vast, fragmented estate was sold by his widow, Magdalene, to the Lengyel family of Tóti.