Fighting nobles, religious conflicts, deceit, treachery and shifting allegiances were all part of the landscape in the Kingdom of Hungary in the 17th century. Add in the story of a fearless Hajdu woman who fought at the side of her family, and you have the history of the origins of the Édes family.
Among Belá Édes’s documents are copies of the ‘Incunabulum’ the history of the family. István Édes documented the oral history as told by his father in the 17th century. He then hid the document in the lining of a book where it was discovered in the mid 1800s.
The story tells of the Édes clan who lived in the Székely land in the 1600s. They were brave and noble warriors who served Gábor Bethlen, the Prince of Transylvania. After Bethlen’s death they fell out of favor with the new Prince and fled to Royal Hungary in the area of Komárom Castle County.
Recently translated into English, the document retains the character of the ancient story. Click HERE to read the translation.
The original document is shown HERE. Emil Édes has a transcription in Hungarian on his website HERE. It includes additional notes from author Istvan Mate.
The illustration above was adapted from the monumental 19th century painting, the Arrival of the Hungarians by Árpád Feszty
Édes-Orbán Family 
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