Rátót (RátholdorRátold) was the name of a gens (Latin for "clan"; nemzetség in Hungarian) in the Kingdom of Hungary. According to Simon of Kéza and other chroniclers, the ancestors of the clan were Italians from Caserta, Naples, by name Rathold and Oliver, who settled down in Hungary around 1097 during the reign of Coloman, King of Hungary.[1] They came to Hungary alongside Felicia of Sicily.
The Lorántffy, Kakas de Kaza, Feledi, Putnoki, Jolsvai, Kakas, Gyulaffy, Elefánti, Paksi, Pásztói, Kaplai, Ráday and Tari families were originate from the Genus Rátót.
The ancestors of the Rátold family came to Hungary from the town of Caserta in the province of Puglia, according to Simon Kézai and other chronicles following him. According to another opinion, Olivier and Reithold arrived in Hungary from Naples at the end of the 11th century, around 1079, during the time of Kálmán Könyves King of Hungary.[1]. Perhaps they came to Hungary alongside Felicia of Sicily.
The divergence of opinions about the origin of the Rátót genus is caused by the fact that Simon Kézai exchanged the place of origin of the Rátót genus (Swabia) with the Hontpázmány's (Apulia), and it is seldom possible to reach a stable conclusion from an erroneous starting point.
In József Csoma's „Magyar nemzetségi címerek” (Coat of Arms of Hungarian Genera) (Hungarian scientific Academy, Budapest, 1904), gets stuck in the fact that the chronicles derive the Ratholds from Apulia. The coat of arms of the Rátót genus was the linden leaf, which can also be found in the coats of arms of the families derived from it.
János Karácsonyi: A magyar nemzetségek a XIV. század közepéig. Budapest: Magyar Tudományos Akadémia. 1900–1901.
Gyula Kristó (editor): Korai Magyar Történeti Lexikon – 9–14. század (Encyclopedia of the Early Hungarian History – 9–14th centuries); Akadémiai Kiadó, 1994, Budapest; ISBN963-05-6722-9.
