A History of Central Eastern Europe

TÍZLÁNDZSÁSOK (Hungarian) NOBILES SUB DECEM LANCEIS CONSTITUTI (Latin)
The SEDES SUPERIOR (Latin for “upper county”) or SEDES X LANCEATORUM (Latin for “county of the 10
lance-bearers”) was the name given to the non-contiguous PARVUS COMITATUS (Latin for “seat”) of
the TÍZLÁNDZSÁSOK. Exactly what the origin of this group of squires or lance-bearers was
remains a mystery but the institution had been established by the end of the 1100s. The group, as
a whole, was affectionately known as the "guardians of the northern border." Set up similar to a
kraj, it had a moving “capital” – SPIŠSKÝ ŠTVRTOK until the 15 th c and BETLANOVCE from 1726
to 1802. It appears to have been a specifically Slovak institution that was centered east of
POPRAD as, in written records, the names of the member communities, and the individuals, were
apparently recorded in their Slovak form.
The number of towns and villages that were included varied through the years but numbered 10
when those living within the SEDES decided to merge with SZEPES MEGYE in 1802, a process
completed 2 years later. The member communities in 1802 were: ABRAHÁMOVCE, BETLANOVCE,
FILICE (today part of GÁNOVCE), HADUŠOVCE (today part of SPIŠSKÉ TOMÁŠOVCE), HÔRKA (including
KIŠOVCE, SVÄTÝ ONDREJ, PRIMOVCE), HOZELEC, JÁNOVCE (including ČENČICE), KOMÁROV, LEVKOVCE
(today part of VLKOVÁ), and MACHALOVCE (today part of JÁNOVCE).
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