O familijarima knezova Nelipčića
On the familiares of the Counts of Nelipčić

Summary/Abstract: The rise of the Counts of Nelipčić among the ranks of high nobility during the 14th century coincided with the emergence of the institution of familiares, officials that soon became the basis of the nobility’s military power and their main stronghold in maintaining the estates. In this respect, the familiares took over the service previously performed by the members of extended noble families or kindreds. Upon entering the service of a nobleman, they became members of their master’s household and usually remained in this status until the death of either party, whereby their tasks corresponded to their social standing. Even though the extant archival sources offer only fragmentary information on the familiares of the Nelipčić, mostly mere names and the service they performed at a given moment, in some cases it is possible to follow their personal careers, at least in part. This paper therefore focuses, on the basis of the preserved records, on the known familiares of the Nelipčić who performed various services for their masters through the three generations from the family’s rise to their extinction.

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