Stephen (IV) Babonić (, ; died after March 1316) was a powerful Croatian lord at the turn of the 14th century, who was Ban of Slavonia in 1299 and from 1310 until his death. He was a member of the influential Babonić family.
As one of the oligarchs in the kingdoms of Hungary and Croatia during the era of feudal anarchy, he established a domain in Lower Slavonia (area south of the river Sava) and ruled it de facto independently of the monarch. Stephen ruled from his stronghold Steničnjak, thus he was also known as Stephen of Steničnjak (, ). At the peak of his power, he was styled "Duke of Slavonia" () by foreign sources.
Early career Stephen (IV) was born into the Krupa branch of the powerful Babonić family, as the second son of Baboneg or Babonjeg (II). His elder brother was Nicholas (I), who died early. His younger brothers were John (I) – a skilled military leader and baron –, Otto and Radoslav (II) – the latter was the progenitor of the Blagaj family, including its cadet branch, the Counts of Ursini de Blagay.Engel: Genealógia (Babonić [Blagaj] family)
Stephen is first mentioned by contemporary records in November 1278, when – alongside other members of his family, including his brother Nicholas – he stayed in Zagreb on the occasion of the reconciliation of the Babonići and the Gutkeleds after a series of clashes and hostilities in Slavonia. At that time, the Babonić family was headed by his cousins Stephen (III) and Radoslav (I), who had led the rebellion in the province against the authority of King Ladislaus IV of Hungary in the previous year. Both Nicholas and Stephen were present in October 1280 at Ozalj Castle along the river Kupa, when the family's local enemies the Kőszegis concluded peace with the Babonići and Frankopans. In 1284, Stephen and his four brothers bought the land at Pelava along the stream Buzeta for 12 silver marks from Jazen (I), Senk and Isan (II), members of the gens (clan) Rata. In the central Banovina region, the Babonić brothers had already purchased the hereditary estates of Kresnić, Bojna and Buzeta from the clan Rata. These were estates on the northern slopes of Zrinska Gora towards the valley of the river Maja.
As a result of the acquisitions of his cousins, the Babonići became the most influential family in Slavonia; their landholdings stretching from the river Vrbas in the east, to the river Kupa and the border with the Holy Roman Empire in the west, and to the slopes of the Kapela Mountains in the south. Their social status is illustrated by the fact that Nicholas (I) and Stephen (IV), alongside their cousins Stephen (III) and Radoslav (I), were among those barons to whom Pope Nicholas IV sent a letter in 1290, informing them that he had appointed papal legate Benvenuto d'Orvieto, and requesting their assistance in persuading Ladislaus IV to return to Christianity.
Lord of Lower Slavonia
Between the Árpáds and Angevins
In the 1290s, the Babonići and other leading Croatian and Slavonian noble families balanced their loyalties between Andrew III of Hungary and the rival Capetian House of Anjou's claim for the Hungarian–Croatian throne. By the second half of the decade, when their cousins Stephen (III) and Radoslav (I) died, Stephen (IV) became head of the family (Nicholas had also died by then) and was frequently seated in Steničnjak. In 1299 and 1300, Stephen and his brothers sent their envoys to the Kingdom of Naples to negotiate with Charles II of Anjou. Meanwhile, they also swore loyalty to Andrew III, who confirmed their inherited and acquired possessions in August 1299. The king retook the castles Susedgrad, Vrbas and Glaž, but he allowed them to inherit the forts and other possessions of the late Radoslav (I), who died without male heirs. Andrew III also appointed Stephen as Ban of Slavonia at that time. He styled himself "ban" until the end of his life regardless of royal approval or appointment. Andrew III expected the Babonići to be important defenders of the border, as these castles were adjacent to the territory of Hrvatin Stjepanić, who supported the Angevin claim to the throne. In September 1299, Charles II and Mary confirmed all rights and possessions, in addition to the hereditary title Ban of Slavonia to the four Babonić brothers – Stephen (IV), John (I), Otto and Radoslav (II). In contrast, Antun Nekić argued the charter was not a confirmation of their possessions but a confirmation of the territory under their control, and the Babonići began to see their rule outside the framework of what was considered the province of Slavonia, which meant that the title of ban also became obsolete for them. In November 1299, Charles II confirmed the estates of the late Radoslav (I) to the brothers, who wanted all the estates of their cousin, including probably, although not mentioned, those towns that King Andrew had kept for himself, so they sent a petition to Charles II, who essentially did not care whether he would confirm them to them or not, because he owned nothing in Slavonia anyway.
The young pretender Charles Robert from Naples landed on the Dalmatian coast in 1300. His grandfather, Charles II, upon their request, confirmed the Babonić brothers in May 1300 as rightful possessors over "a part of the land of Slavonia, which by right belongs to the said Kingdom of Hungary, that is, from Germany to Bosnia and from the Sava River to the Iron Mountain". In this way, Stephen and his brothers attempted to recover those castles – Susedgrad, Vrbas and Glaž – that had been taken from them the previous year by King Andrew. Interestingly, the King of Naples did not style Stephen as "ban" and he retained the supreme right (tam ratione maioris dominii) over the Babonić estates. The Babonići sought to maintain good relations with the opposite party too. In May 1300, Stephen and his brothers moved to Zagreb to reconcile with Michael Bő, the Bishop of Zagreb (a confidant of Andrew III), who was forced to hand over much of his authority and jurisdiction to the Babonić family and a mutual assistance agreement was concluded between them. The bishop was also persuaded to pledge Medvedgrad to Stephen and John, and had to renounce his claim to Hrastovica (today a borough of Petrinja). Michael Bő promised that, even in the event of a conflict between the Babonići and the Ban of Slavonia or some other royal barons, he would send them money for mercenaries, though it was clearly emphasized that he would not help them in a conflict with the king. None of the brothers bore the title of ban during the conclusion of the treaty. Albertino Morosini, Duke of Slavonia, confirmed the agreement between Andrew III and the Babonići in June 1300.
During the Interregnum Following the death of Andrew III and the extinction of the Árpád dynasty in January 1301, a decade-long interregnum began in Hungary and Croatia. Although the Babonići supported Charles of Anjou against his rivals (Wenceslaus then Otto), the family had almost no contact with the Angevins in those years, since the conflicts of the era took place primarily in Western and Northern Hungary, far from the Babonić province. In that period, Henry Kőszegi was styled Ban of Slavonia, despite the earlier grant to Stephen Babonić and his brothers by Charles II of Naples. Nevertheless, the authority and primacy of Stephen Babonić and his brothers in the territories south of the Sava were unquestionable in the late 1290s and early 1300s. In June 1307, Stephen, John and Radoslav ruled in a lawsuit in favor of the abbot of the Cistercian monastery of St. James in Zagreb. Since the document was drawn up in Steničnjak, the main Babonić stronghold, it can be concluded that the brothers were residing there in mid-1307.
Due to Charles' little interest or presence in Slavonia and Croatia, the Babonići attempted to find new powerful protectors. Through John's marriage to Clara Euphemia, the daughter of Albert I of Gorizia, they were related to their western neighbors, the House of Gorizia, who ruled Gorizia (Görz) and Tyrol within the Holy Roman Empire. With this connection, the Babonići hoped to build an alliance with the House of Habsburg. The Steirische Reimchronik narrates that, in early spring 1308, Stephen – styled as "Duke of Zagreb" –, John and Radoslav, along with Dujam Frankopan, traveled to Marburg (Maribor) to meet with Frederick the Fair. During the negotiations in March, the Babonići lent 300 Viennese silver denarii to the duke to finance his military campaigns. In return, Frederick pledged several villages in Austria along its border with Hungary to Stephen and his brothers. Stephen and his brothers promised to join a campaign against Bohemia the following year. In the summer of 1308, John joined Frederick's campaign into the Patriarchate of Aquileia, under the command of Ulrich I of Walsee.
Meanwhile, in Hungary, Charles I became the sole monarch of the Hungarian–Croatian kingdom. While John pursued their family's "western policy" (i.e. campaigns into Friuli), Stephen's attention slowly turned to events in Slavonia. Stephen and John were among those barons who greeted the arriving papal legate Gentile Portino da Montefiore in Zagreb in early September 1308. There, a dispute arose over the possession right of Medvedgrad between Stephen Babonić and Augustin Kažotić, the Bishop of Zagreb. The legate ruled in favor of Stephen. In addition, the costs of maintaining the castle, in addition to paying the garrison and supplying them with wine, fell on the cathedral chapter in accordance with the verdict. The Babonići did not attend the Diet of Hungary in Pest, where Charles I was unanimously proclaimed king on 27 November 1308. The Babonić brothers were not present personally at the second coronation of Charles on 15 June 1309 either; they sent their envoy Peter, the archdeacon of Čazma. In September 1309, Stephen and his brothers (John and Radoslav) swore to protect the rights of Bishop Augustin Kažotić to the estates that were being contested by the Lastić (Laztech) and Stanković (Stankouch) families of castle warrior origin, at the behest of Charles I. Antun Nekić argued that it is a clear sign that Charles acknowledged the practical distribution of power in Slavonia, as he was well aware that Henry Kőszegi, despite his dignity of Ban of Slavonia, was not in position to carry out a royal order in the dominion of the Babonići.
Ban of Slavonia
Henry Kőszegi, the powerful oligarch who ruled Upper Slavonia for decades died in the spring of 1310. Charles I appointed Stephen Babonić as his successor sometime thereafter. He first appears in this capacity on 27 August 1310, when the monarch instructed him and his two brothers to protect the rights of the citizens of Gradec, Zagreb on the nearby estate named Kobila. Since this date coincides with the day of Charles' third and finally valid coronation, it is likely that all three brothers attended the ceremony in Székesfehérvár. According to Hungarian historian Lajos Thallóczy, Stephen's appointment was reflected by the fact that "the king had no reason to distrust him and appointed the first person suitable for the position as his deputy [in Slavonia]". Gyula Kristó argued that Stephen Babonić possessed the most extensive domains in the province, so his appointment fits the pattern of medieval officials in medieval Slavonia. Croatian historian Hrvoje Kekez considered that Stephen was probably chosen because he was the leader of one of the two most powerful families in Slavonia (the other was the Kőszegis), and was also very strong financially, thus his informal rule over the province was granted subsequent royal approval and consent. Charles also sought to remove the Babonići from the Habsburgs' sphere of interest with this award. With the appointment of Stephen as the Ban of Slavonia, the Babonić family reached the peak of its power.