Roland I Rátót

Roland (I) Rátót
Seal of Roland I Rátót in 1255
Palatine of Hungary
Reign	1248–1260
Predecessor	Denis Türje
Successor	Henry Kőszegi
Spouse(s)	unknown
Issue Matthias Paksi Rathold II
Noble family	gens Rátót
Father	Dominic I
Died	1277 or 1278

Roland (I) from the kindred Rátót (Hungarian: Rátót nembeli (I) Roland; died 1277 or 1278) was a Hungarian influential lord, who held several important secular positions for decades. He was also the ancestor of the Paksi family.

Roland I was born into the gens Rátót as the son of Dominic I, who served as Master of the treasury from 1238 to 1240. He was killed in the Battle of Mohi in 1241. The ancestors of the kindred were two Norman knights (Oliver and Rathold) from Caserta, Naples, who settled down in Hungary around 1097 during the reign of Coloman, King of Hungary. Roland's earliest known ancestor was his great-grandfather Leustach I Rátót, Voivode of Transylvania in the second half of the 12th century. Roland had three brothers, Stephen, the forefather of the Pásztói, Tari and Kakas de Kaza noble families. The Putnoki family came from Oliver II. Leustach II was the father of Palatine Roland II Rátót and also the ancestor of the Jolsvai, Serkei and Feledi branches. Their only unidentified sister married Maurice II Pok whom the influential baron Nicholas Pok originated.

Roland had two sons from his unidentified wife: Matthias and Rathold II (fl. 1278–1296). The latter one had no any descendants. Matthias, who soon adopted the Paksi (or Paksy) surname, married one of the daughters of Paul Visontai from the Kompolt branch of the kindred Aba. Their two sons were Roland and Oliver Paksi, who held important positions during the reign of Louis I of Hungary.

He was first mentioned by contemporary records in 1241, when he held the dignity of Master of the cupbearers following the Mongol invasion of Hungary and his father's death. Roland was soon replaced by his brother-in-law Maurice II Pok in that position. According to László Markó, Roland might have been in office until the next year. From 1242 to 1245 (or from 1241 to 1246, according to non-authentic charters), he served as Master of the stewards, beside that he also governed Nyitra County (1242–1243) then Sopron County (1244–1245).