Orbász II Báncsa

Orbász (or Vrbas) was born into the gens (clan) Báncsa, an original settler family from Bács County (today Bač, Serbia). He was one of the two sons of comes Peter (fl. 1253).[1] His brother was Thomas, ancestor of the late 14th-century powerful Horvat (or Horváti) family through his only son Paul. His uncle was Stephen I Báncsa, Archbishop of Esztergom, who became the first Hungarian cardinal. Orbász also had several cousins, including Stephen II Báncsa, Archbishop of Kalocsa.[2]

Under the guidance of his uncle, who was created cardinal by Pope Innocent IV in December 1251, Orbász and his other cousins had the opportunity to begin his ecclesiastical career in Rome. The cardinal hired a Hungarian tutor, a certain cleric Matthias the Pecheneg (Latin: Mathias Bissenus) to educate his nephews.[3] Orbász was the first Hungarian, who graduated from the University of Padua in 1264 and one of the earliest Hungarian clergymen, who obtained a doctorate from Roman law.[4] He already served as provost of Požega in March 1264, when Pope Urban IV provided him a church position of canon in the Padua Cathedral, upon the request of his uncle Cardinal Stephen Báncsa.[5] In the next month, Orbász was granted two churches (Holy Cross and St. Mary) in the Archdiocese of Esztergom for ecclesiastical benefices, replacing Gerardus de Parma, who died in office.[5]

Similarly to the other members of his kindred, Orbász could not profit his knowledge and talent in his country, as the relationship between Stephen Báncsa and King Béla IV was tense since the mid-1240s, for instance because of the sale of domestic ecclesiastical goods by Báncsa. This situation changed after the death of Béla in 1270, when his son Stephen V ascended the Hungarian throne. Orbász's cousin Stephen II was elected Archbishop of Kalocsa already in 1266, when Duke Stephen de facto ruled the eastern parts of the kingdom after the brief civil war with his father Béla IV.[4] Orbász had less spectacular church career. While maintained his position of provost of Požega, he functioned as chancellor in the court of Stephen's widow, Queen Dowager Elizabeth (in 1280 and 1284–86).[6] Elizabeth (at least de jure) governed the kingdom for his ten-year-old son, Ladislaus IV until 1277, but she lost all political influence by the time of Orbász's chancellery.