The House of Garay or Garai was a Hungarian-Croatian noble family, a branch of the Dorozsma (Durusma) clan, with notable members in the 14th and 15th centuries. They were lords of Csesznek.

Origin

The family was descended from the Dorozsma kindred. Béla, Duke of Slavonia, granted the eponymous domain of Gara in Valkó County (now Gorjani in Croatia) to Comes John and his brother, Stephen, in 1269. The charter of grant mentioned that Stephen was the duke's swordbearer. Stephen's sons, Andrew and Paul, were the ancestors of the two branches of the family. Andrew, the founder of the "Palatine" branch, did not hold offices. He married an unnamed daughter of Ladislaus Nevnai and Yolanda Kórógyi. Nevnai held estates in Valkó and Pozsega Counties. Andrew fathered two sons, Nicholas and Paul, but the latter died young. Their maternal grandmother bequeathed her estates in Baranya County to them. Andrew's brother, Paul, founded the "Bánfi" branch of the family.

Notable members

"Palatine" branch

Nicholas I Garai (Croatian: Nikola I Gorjanski, Hungarian: Garai Miklós I), the chief governor of Pressburg, was a palatine to the King of Hungary (1375–1385). He was killed in 1386.

"Bánfi" branch

Family tree

Common ancestors

The following family tree depicts the known members of the family before its split into two branches: (* = born; † = died; ∞ = wife or husband; b. = before; c. = in about; m. = mentioned)

"Palatine" branch

The following family tree depicts the known members of the "Palatine" branch of the family: (* = born; † = died; ∞ = wife or husband; b. = before; c. = in about; m. = mentioned)

"Bánfi" branch

Sources