Cetatea Deva

Infobox Military Structure
name = Cetatea Deva Deva Fortress
partof =
location = Deva, Hunedoara County, Romania
coordinates =


caption = Ruins of "The Deva Fortress"


caption2 =
type = Fortress
code =
built = after 1242
builder =
materials =
height =
used = 1269–1849
demolished =
condition = ruins
ownership =
open_to_public = yes
controlledby =
garrison =
current_commander =
commanders =
occupants = John Hunyadi, Gabriel Bethlen
battles =
events = "magister Petrus Chak" defeat The Cumans, Ferenc Dávid died in the fortress' prison, Horea, Cloşca and Crişan's revolt besieged (unsuccessfuly) the fortress

Cetatea Deva ( _en. Deva Fortress) is located in the city of Deva, Hunedoara County, Romania, on top of a volcanic hill.

Position

The Fortress is located on a top of a volcanic hill, one of the last branches of Poiana Ruscă Mountains. From the foot of the hill the Deva city is spreading, beginning with "Magna Curia" and the public park. In the nearby are located the buildings of the most administrative institutions of the city: The Law-Court ( _ro. Tribunalul), The Prefecture, The County Council, The Finance Administration, the old Police headquarters, The City Hall and two of the most oldest schools from Deva: "Colegiul Național "Decebal" and "Liceul Pedagogic".

History

The first evidence of the medieval Deva Fortress dates back to the second half of the 13th century, in 1269, when Stephen V, King of Hungary and Duke of Transilvania, mentioned "the royal castle of Deva" in a privilege-grant for the Count Chyl of Kelling ( _ro. comitele Chyl din Câlnic) .cite book
last = Octavian
first = Floca
coauthors = Ben Bassa
title = Cetatea Deva
series = Monumentele patriei noastre
year = 1965
publisher = Editura Meridiane
location = București
language = Romanian
pages = p. 14
quote = ]

From 1273 dates the first record about a military operation that involved The Fortress. Under its walls, the cumans are defeated by Petrus Chak ( _la. Magister Pertrus de genere Chak), who is rewarded for his victory by Ladislaus IV, King of Hungary. In his letter, Ladislaus IV mentioned the facts with the words: "sub castro Dewa contra Cumanorum exercitur viriliter dimicavit".cite book
last = Octavian
first = Floca
coauthors = Ben Bassa
title = Cetatea Deva
series = Monumentele patriei noastre
year = 1965
publisher = Editura Meridiane
location = București
language = Romanian
pages = p. 14
quote = sub castro Dewa contra Cumanorum exercitur viriliter dimicavit] cite web
last = Veszprémy
first = László
date =
title = Chronicles in Charters. Historical Narratives (narrationes) in Charters as Substitutes for Chronicles in Hungary
work = "The Medieval Chronicle III", edited by Erik Kooper, in Google Books Preview
url = http://books.google.com/books?id=hPM8bExWukIC&pg=PA194&lpg=PA194&dq=deva+petrus+chak+magister&source=web&ots=zvwCAHAMWg&sig=pr1iksyp9RWzEiUP4JMerb-ljOg&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=9&ct=result#PPA194,M1
accessdate = 2008-08-20 ]

At the end of the 13th century, The Deva Fortress is in the property of Ladislaus Kán, Voivode of Transylvania, who organised here a court besides the military garrison.cite book
last = Octavian
first = Floca
coauthors = Ben Bassa
title = Cetatea Deva
series = Monumentele patriei noastre
year = 1965
publisher = Editura Meridiane
location = București
language = Romanian
pages = p. 14
quote = ]

References

Photo Gallery