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Miskolc and Diósgyőr in the Middle Ages
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History
  • The Prehistoric Age
  • The Age of the Migration of Nations
  • The Time of the Hungarian Conquest
  • Miskolc and Diósgyőr in the Middle Ages
  • The Flourishing and Decline of the Castle of Diósgyőr
  • The Time of Dual Power
  • Kuruts Times
  • Miskolc in the 18TH Century
  • Miskolc in the 19TH Century
  • Miskolc in the First Half of the 20TH Century
  • Miskolc in the Second Half of the 20TH century
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    The father of our historians was Anonymous, a notary of King Béla III (1172-1196), whose name remains unknown. He mentions Miskolc and Diósgyőr by their names in his work about the acts of the Hungarians.

    This indicates that the core of the city is a thousand years old. Anonymous' chronicle tells us that Miskolc and its surrounding lands were conquered in the first phase of the Hungarian conquest. The earliest settlement of Miskolc was the centre of one of the leader's (Bors) descendants.

    The name "Miskolc" comes from the old family name. According to written documents, the Miskóc family chose Tapolca near Miskolc for its burial place in the time of St István (1001-1038), the first Hungarian king. Benedictine monks settled there, and a monastery was established. The followers of St Benedict had a famous school in Tapolca and people wanting to recover visited the thermal springs. The earliest religious monument of Miskolc, a stone chapel in Roman style, was built around that time. The remains of a catholic cemetery were excavated near the 13TH century Avasi Church.

    In 1241-1242, conquerors (the Mongol-Tatar armies) coming from the Asian steppes did not spare this region either. The county-centre, the earthwork of Borsod, became a target for the devastation caused by the Mongols. According to tradition, a lord named Ernye Bán saved the life of King Béla IV (1235-1270) by giving the king his own horse. Then the king gave the Diósgyőr area to Ernye Bán with the task of building a stone-castle in place of the destroyed earthwork. This became the first building which developed into a splendid castle made of stone, as well as the Ernye family's centre,. The Order of the Hermits of St. Paul (Pauline), the only order established in Hungary, settled down by the walls of the castle.

    The descendants of the Miskolc family kept the castle with its lands until 1312, when new owners followed them. The Hungarian king took hold of the estate later in the 14TH century.

    King Louis 1ST (Great, 1342-1382) granted the status of market town to Miskolc in 1356. The status of market town was completed with the acquisition of other rights and privileges. The splendid household attracted merchants and craftsmen to Miskolc, who got tax exemption "on land and water" from the king. Miskolc gained more and more privileges and gained a connection to the cultural and economic blood-circulation of Middle Europe.