The castle of Csicsó is situated in Romania, on the high ground above the valley of the Great Szamos River in Transylvania, on the outskirts of Csicsóújfalu (Ciceu-Corabia). It is located on a spur of the Magura Mountain, at an altitude of 735 meters, in the former Szolnok-Doboka County. The castle, built of rhyolite, is thought to have originally been an irregular rectangle with a tower at each corner. It was built after 1290.
Location: https://tinyurl.com/533v3sjy
The castle was surrounded by walls on three sides only and was made inaccessible from the north by a vertical rock wall. Only the walls of the northern tower of the upper castle and the remains of the outer ramparts are still visible, and a ladder leads up to the ruin. The former lower castle has been destroyed.
The castle was in continuous use during the Middle Ages and was of strategic importance, abandoned in the 16th century. The first mention of Csicsó dates back to 1283 (Chicho) when the king donated the estate to the Magisters Roland and Dénes, sons of Lesták. The other part of Csicsó remained as the castle land of Szolnok County. The castle was therefore built in the period between 1290 and 1304 by one of the above-mentioned owners, and it was likely acquired from them by the Transylvanian Voivode Apor László since a charter of 1304 mentioned the Transylvanian Voivode Apor László as the owner.
At the beginning of the 14th century, it belonged to László of the Kán family, and after he died his sons, played an important role in the fights for the Transylvanian possessions. In 1317, King Károly Róbert’s commander, János the Cellarer, clashed with Majs, the son of the rebel Majs, under this castle, but without success. Later, the royalists besieged Csicsó Castle, but its defender, Miklós son of Emich (a member of the Vas family of Cege), heroically defended it, and when the leaders of the rebellion were defeated or surrendered, the castle was handed over to Voivode Széchenyi Tamás on 1 November 1321, with the promise of full amnesty.
The castle was built in an important strategic position, just 10 km north of the valley of the river Szamos, 18 km northeast of Dés, with a good view and control of the valley from the castle.
In 1387, the castle was acquired by the Transylvanian Voivode Losonci Dezső, an ancestor of the Bánffy family, and remained in the possession of the family until 1467. Then, King Matthias took it from them, as they conspired against the king. Matthias donated the castle jointly to Szerdahelyi János and the Moldavian Voivode Stefan in exchange for an oath of fealty. The donation was confirmed by King Ulászló II in 1492.
In 1504, Bogdan inherited the castle from his father, Voivode Stefan. In 1538, Stefan’s other son, Petru Rares, the Moldavian Voivode, fled from the Turks. In 1539 King Szapolyai János gave it as a wedding present to his wife, Queen Isabella. In 1540, it was captured by Martinuzzi György after a four-month siege, at the request of Suleiman, and Rareș was surrendered to the Turks. In 1542, Petru Rareș returned and unsuccessfully besieged his former fortress, then in 1544, Queen Isabella had it destroyed.
In 1566, the castle was already described as a ruin. In 1592 it was mentioned as a robber’s nest, and it was last mentioned in 1658, when it was left to Szalai Bárkóczi László’s son, Ferenc. The composition of the rock on the hill is a harder sandstone amley, ideal for making millstone. The castle was gradually dismantled due to its use as a quarry.
In the 1860s it still had two towers, joined by a section of wall with traces of two windows. Today, it is very dangerous to climb to the top of the castle’s rocky roof, so enjoy the view from the south side over the beautiful valley of the Szamos.
In 2014 a monastery was consecrated under the castle, named after the former temporary owner of the castle, Petru Rares. Many people did not find it justified that the castle was not restored with this money.
The Legend of Csicsó Castle
The great Hungarian writer Mikszáth Kálmán wrote the following about Csicsó Castle in the 19th century:
King Béla IV fell ill. Doctors, court physicians, and healers came from far and wide to his court to cure him. But no one could help him. As they were contemplating with anxious faces before the sick king’s bed, suddenly a strange grey man entered and said, elbowing the healers apart.
“Wow, what’s all this nonsense! A king is not an ordinary man. Kings are cured by others, and slaves by others.”
“Do you know, old man, what makes a king well?” asked the Palatine.
“I do know. I have come to tell you. The king needs nothing more than to wear the shirt of the man who is the happiest in his kingdom for seven days.”
This advice was welcomed by those around him, for at least it offered hope. Now, the happiest man in the land had to be found.
But where would they find him? The owners of great manors and castles, and the holders of illustrious titles, were all sought out, but each had some unfulfilled wish that prevented him from calling himself the happiest man.
As the royal retainers searched for the Happiest Man, one night a figure suddenly appeared in the darkness:
The news of what you are up to has already reached here. Go no further, my brave lords, stop, for I feel myself the happiest man in the land. The retainers above him rejoiced and said:
“Come with us to the king, that you may give him your shirt.“
The happiest man in the land laughed.
“A foolish wish! Have I got a shirt for myself?”
And indeed, when the moonlight came out, they saw a naked poor Lazarus standing before them. And now they laughed that he said he was happy, though the wretch had not even his shirt on.
Nevertheless, they took him to the king’s palace. The grey man was still there, and as soon as he saw him, he believed him to be happy and had a shirt made for him to wear for a while, and when it was dirty on his body, the king would put it on.
And so it was, and there was great rejoicing for seven days, for the king rose from bed in good health. He called the beggar to him and said:
– What is your wish for the healing you have given me? – I wish nothing, my lord. – But I cannot let you go empty-handed. I have a fine castle, the Castle of Csicsó. I will make you noble and give it to you, and you shall bear the name of “Lázár” (Lazarus) in memory of your former state.
The beggar shrugged his shoulders, God help him, it would be all right, and when he had a castle, he moved in, became a great lord, and brought home a beautiful wife from the Transylvanian nobility.
This is the story of the first lord of Csicsóvár, according to tradition. However, the story is completed by the addition that the mighty Lazarus was not happy, the beautiful wife was very vexed, so he once hit her with a mace and she fell dead, and when he killed a woman, he was frightened and jumped in despair from the high castle walls. Even now, where his blood flowed, a strange red grass grows in the rocky ground beneath the castle.
The castle of Csicsó is situated not far from Dés, on a huge cliff dominating the landscape. On a clear day, you can see as far as Kolozsvár, Beszterce and Szilágy.
The once strong nest is now a ruin, the wall underneath is shrinking year by year, but the mountain underneath is shrinking almost proportionally. The rock is suitable for making millstones, and the people of the neighboring villages split it and transport it everywhere, making a living out of it.
Apart from the legends, there is still enough historical information about the castle’s past. Around 1320, the king ceded Csicsó to voivode Tamás, and the Transylvanian voivods ruled it for a long time.
In the 15th century, who knows how, but the Moldavian voivods took possession of the castle. There were five or six voivods who held Csicsó and its manor, which of course was always frowned upon by the Hungarians, who said that such a fortress should not be left in foreign hands. They tried once or twice to take it away, but it always turned out that Csicsó remained for the voivods.
It was a long feud that lasted for a hundred centuries.
If King János Zsigmond had disputed it, King Ferdinand offered it to the voivodes for just as much.
If the castle belonged to the voivodes, the Hungarians kept reclaiming it; if it belonged to the Hungarians, the voivodes kept reclaiming it from them.
Csicsó was the sea serpent of Transylvanian life at that time.
Finally, King Szapolyai János became angry, and instead of a trial and negotiation, he besieged Voivode Peter, beat him, and took Csicsó from him.
Of course, the new voivode, Stephen, after gathering his father’s shattered troops, returned a short time later to retake the castle.
King János Szapolyai put Martinuzzi in charge of the defense.
The great statesman smiled mischievously and instead of sending troops, he sent a few hundred workers who mercilessly destroyed the beautiful castle.
“Let’s at least stop fighting for it.”
Martinuzzi was right to destroy it. Soon, the Sultan ordered that the castle be returned to the Moldavian Voivode.
Fortunately, I say, because if we had it, and of course if the Moldavian voivode had it, we would still take turns to chase each other out of the Castle of Csicsó.”
Source: Castrum Bene Egyesület
Dear Readers, I can only make this content available through small donations or by selling my books or T-shirts:
Please, support me with a coffee here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/duhoxoxa
You can check out my books on Amazon or Draft2Digital, they are available in hardcover, paperback, or ebook:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/198020490X or at https://books2read.com/b/boYd81
My work can also be followed and supported on Patreon: Become a Patron!http://Become a Patron!
Become a Patron! and donations can be sent by PayPal, too: https://tinyurl.com/yknsvbk7
https://hungarianottomanwars.myspreadshop.com/all
Subscribe to my newsletter here: https://tinyurl.com/4jdjbfkn
Pictures of Csicsó Castle:
