Roland Borşa

Roland Borşa (d. 1301) was voivod of Transylvania for three periods in the late thirteenth century. He was known for battling the Tatar invasions and, later, for rebelling against Hungarian attempts to control his territory.

Origins

Roland Borşa was descended from an old Transylvanian family, originally from the valley of the Borşa river (today in jud. Cluj), a tributary of the Someşul Mic. A branch of the family was established in Bihor in the twelfth century, and maintained close ties with the Transylvanian branch.

First period of rule (1282)

Initially a supporter of the centralization policies of László IV, King of Hungary, Roland Borşa was named voivod of Transylvania in the spring of 1282. In July and August he participated in the royal campaign against the Aba tribe, then distinguished himself with a decisive role in the victory over Cuman rebels at Lacul Hod. Despite this success, however, a series of royal concessions to the aristocracy forced Roland to resign his voivodship in favor of Apor Pec.

econd period of rule (1284-1285)

Returning to the voivodship in 1284, Roland Borşa found himself faced with Tatar invasions. In the winter of 1285, he attempted to stem the invasion with a campaign in which the Transylvanians distinguished themselves through their valor on the battlefield. To assist in governing his new territories, Roland Borşa named a vice-voivod from the Transylvanian branch of the family, Ladislau Borşa of Sânmărtin. Following a conflict with King László IV, however, Roland Borşa was again stripped of his power at the end of 1285.

Reorganization of the voivodship and final period of rule

Roland Borşa was at the nadir of his fortunes when the Transylvanian voivodship began to reorganize along "congregational" lines, shifting de facto power to a group of landed nobles. When the first congregation of nobles met in 1285 near Torda, Roland Borşa had lost his Transylvanian lands and proved unable either to exercise any influence over the other nobles or to play an important role in governing the province. Nonetheless, as sentiment against László took a firmer hold on the nobility, he returned to power for a final time in 1288. Along with his brother, he organized the assassination of the King by Cuman mercenaries at Cheresig, Bihor, in 1290. This action, along with his ill-concealed oligarchic ambitions for Transylvania, led him into direct conflict with the final scion of the House of Árpád, András III. Defeated by royal forces in the Civil War of 1294, he was dismissed as voivod, but somehow managed to avoid the confiscation of his now-extensive lands. He died far from the corridors of power in 1301.

Bibliography

* Tudor Sălăgean - "Transilvania în a doua jumătate a secolului al XIII-lea. Afirmarea regimului congregaţional" (Centrul de Studii Transilvane, Cluj-Napoca, 2003, 2007).