A Herman Ottó Múzeum Évkönyve 46. (2007)

Bodnár Tamás: Birtokos nemesség Borsod vármegyében • A Basó és Hatvani családok

LANDED NOBILITY IN COUNTY BORSOD The study is part of a series offering an overview of the history of various landed noble families of County Borsod. The present study and the later ones will examine the families, whose ancestry can be traced to the Middle Ages and were not granted nobility during the mass ennoblement in the 16th-17th centuries, when many families acquired a letter of nobility (armalis). The first in line is the Basó family from County Gömör. One infamous member of this family was Mátyás Basó, a follower of János Szapolyai, who terrorised the nobles and the population loyal to Ferdinánd. After his demise, his offspring and their descendants acquired several properties in County Borsod and actively participated in the county's life. The grave and tombstone of Mihály Basó, one of his sons, were found during the archaeological investigation of the Reformed church at Boldva (a drawing has been kindly provided by Mrs András Sáfrány). The Hatvani families of County Borsod all came from the area of Nagyhatvan, lying near the boundary with counties Heves, Pest and Nógrád. The most outstanding among them was the family of András Hatvani, castellan of Szendrő Castle. After intermarrying with the Putnok family, which had sizeable estates in County Borsod, this family rose to prominence among the county's nobles. András repeatedly led the soldiers stationed in the border fortresses against the Turks until 1659, when he lost his life in one of the clashes. Both families declined by the later 17th century and became extinct during the 18th century. The history of each family is accompanied by a genealogical table. Tamás Bodnár 227