Castle warrior

A castle warrior (Hungarian: várjobbágy, Latin: iobagio castri) was a landholder obliged to provide military services to the ispán or head of a royal castle district in the medieval Kingdom of Hungary. Castle warriors "formed a privileged, elite class that ruled over the mass of castle folk" (Pál Engel) from the establishment of the kingdom around 1000 AD. Due to the disintegration of the system of castle districts, many castle warriors became serfs working on the lands of private landholders in the 13th and 14th centuries; however, some of them were granted a full or "conditional noble" status.

"We wish that each lord have his own warriors and no one shall try to persuade a warrior to leave his long-time lord and come to him, since this is the origin of quarrels."

The origin of castle warriors can probably be traced back to Stephen I, the first crowned king of Hungary (1000 or 1001–1038), since most royal castles were erected during his reign. However, the settlement of armed commoners around princely fortresses may well have begun under the rule of his father, Grand Prince Géza. The jobbágy or iobagio expression, first recorded between 1127 and 1131, is of Hungarian origin, connected to the Hungarian word for "better" (jobb).

Castle warriors held landed property with a territory carved out from royal estates attached to a royal castle. In return for this landholding, they rendered military service to the ispán of the royal castle. Their property was often quite large, with a territory of about 70 hectares (170 acres).

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