Gregory Bicskei facts for kids

Gregory Bicskei (Hungarian: Bicskei Gergely; died 7 September 1303) was an important church leader, called a prelate, in the Kingdom of Hungary around the late 1200s and early 1300s. He was chosen to be the Archbishop of Esztergom from 1298 until his death in 1303.

Gregory Bicskei strongly supported Charles I's claim to the Hungarian throne. This made him a big opponent of Andrew III of Hungary, who was the king at the time. In 1301, Gregory even crowned Charles I king using a temporary crown. Sadly, Gregory was killed in Anagni, Italy, by soldiers sent by Philip IV of France. These soldiers were trying to capture Pope Boniface VIII.

Who Was Gregory Bicskei's Family?

Gregory Bicskei was born into the Bicske family, a noble clan that owned lands in Pest and Fejér areas. His father was named Botond. Botond was the first known member of this family.

Gregory had two brothers, Peter and John. In 1306, King Charles I gave Peter and John special permission to collect tolls in the town of Bicske. This was a reward for their help in battles.

Gregory was first mentioned in records in 1274. At that time, a nobleman named John Csapoli gave some of his land to his wife, who was Botond's sister. She then gave this land to her nephews: Peter, John, and Gregory. They also bought more land from John Csapoli.

Gregory's Early Career in the Church

Since he was the youngest brother, Gregory chose a career in the church. He might have been the same Gregory who was a church official, called a canon, in Székesfehérvár in 1271. He represented King Stephen V in a legal case.

Later, Gregory became a guardian (custos) of the Székesfehérvár Cathedral. This happened sometime between 1287 and 1289. He was also a canon in Esztergom. In 1295, Benedict Rád, the Bishop of Veszprém, chose Gregory to represent him in a lawsuit about church taxes.

Gregory Bicskei also studied at the University of Padua in Italy. He was mentioned as a canon of Padua in 1296. Before that, he was an envoy for King Andrew III in Spain.

Around 1297, Gregory became the royal vice-chancellor. This was an important job in the king's government. For example, in 1297, he wrote a royal document where King Andrew III gave Pozsony County to his wife, Queen Agnes.

Becoming Archbishop-elect of Esztergom

Challenges with King Andrew III

The previous Archbishop of Esztergom, Lodomer, died in January 1298. Gregory Bicskei was chosen to be the new archbishop between January and February 1298. At first, he was seen as loyal to King Andrew III.

However, Gregory's relationship with the king and other church leaders quickly worsened. He refused to attend a big meeting called by King Andrew in the summer of 1298. Historians believe Gregory wanted the Pope to confirm his election quickly. Because of this, he turned against King Andrew and started supporting Charles of Anjou for the throne. Charles was supported by Pope Boniface VIII.

Gregory hoped to break the unity of the Hungarian church leaders, who were strong supporters of King Andrew. But most bishops stayed loyal to the king. The king's trust in the church leaders was shaken by Gregory's actions.

Charles I's arrival to Hungary, depicted in the Illuminated Chronicle

Pope Boniface did not fully confirm Gregory's election in January 1299. Instead, he made Gregory an "apostolic administrator." This meant Gregory could manage the archdiocese for the Pope. The Pope wanted to see if Gregory would faithfully represent the Holy See's interests in Hungary.

Gregory then started calling himself the "legate of the Holy See," which meant a special representative of the Pope. He even lifted the excommunication (a severe church punishment) from the powerful Kőszegi family in March 1299. He also tried to stop other church leaders from attending a new meeting called by the king. But the bishops ignored his orders.

King Andrew III took away Gregory's title as the head of Esztergom County in early 1300. The king also tried to get the Pope to appoint a different archbishop for Esztergom.

Meanwhile, some powerful lords invited Charles of Anjou to Hungary. Charles arrived in August 1300. Gregory Bicskei was among the important people who welcomed Charles. They traveled together to Zagreb. King Andrew III died in January 1301.

During the Time Without a King

After King Andrew's death, Charles of Anjou quickly went to Hungary with his small army. Gregory Bicskei was with him. They went to Székesfehérvár, the traditional place for coronations. However, the people of the city closed the gates and did not let them in. Gregory then placed Székesfehérvár under an interdict, which meant church services were forbidden there.

Charles then moved to Esztergom. There, Gregory Bicskei crowned Charles with a temporary crown before May 1301. However, most Hungarians did not think this coronation was legal. This was because it was not done with the Holy Crown of Hungary in Székesfehérvár, as was the custom.

Pope Boniface VIII in a miniature

Only a few church leaders, including Gregory, supported Charles at first. Most Hungarian lords and church leaders offered the crown to a young prince named Wenceslaus. Wenceslaus was crowned with the Holy Crown in Székesfehérvár. But his coronation was also questioned because the Archbishop of Esztergom (Gregory) was not the one who crowned him.

Pope Boniface sent his special representative, Niccolò Boccasini, to Hungary in May 1301. The Pope told Gregory to help him, but Gregory's name did not appear with Boccasini later on. This shows Gregory was still quite alone politically. In October 1301, Boccasini convinced most Hungarian church leaders to accept Charles as king. However, they still did not fully accept Gregory as their archbishop.

Pope Boniface finally declared Charles the lawful king of Hungary on May 31, 1303. The Pope wanted Gregory to come to Rome to settle things. Gregory arrived in Anagni, where the Popes spent their summers. On September 7, 1303, soldiers sent by the King of France attacked Pope Boniface at his palace. Gregory Bicskei was killed during this attack, along with many other churchmen and people.

Sources