Wikipedia
ZAH is a three-letter abbreviation that may refer to:
- Zahedan International Airport, Iran
- The Center of Astronomy (University of Heidelberg)
Záh (Zaah or Zách) was the name of a gens (Latin for "clan"; nemzetség in Hungarian) in the Kingdom of Hungary. The clan was one of the 108 gentes during the Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin and located in Nógrád County along with the Kacsics, Kartal, Kökényesradnót and Tomaj clans.
The name is of an unknown ancient origin or seems to be of local, post 895, origin being a shortform abbreviation from the Slavic description Zahora (meaning: behind the mountains), which perfecty describes the families' crest, the Nógrád County, as seen from the west, the north and the east where, just across the hills, most Slavs lived since the 5th century.
The gens provided several high dignitaries in the era of Árpáds, including Nicholas, son of Borsa who served as ispán (Count; comes) of Sopron County between 1221 and 1233. Conrad, son of Albős (c. 1240–1269) was ispán of Győr County and chief cellarer for the Queen. Job functioned as bishop of Pécs from 1252 until c. 1282 and ispán of Moson County since 1272. He was the uncle of Felician Záh.
The clan divided into two branches: the first one had estates in Transdanubia, Tolna, Somogy and Baranya Counties, which until the annexation by Habsburgs around 1282 connected the Slavic territories of Moravia and Slovakia with Slovenia and Croatia. The second branch remained landowner in Nógrád County - the crest of the family. Felician belonged to the Nógrád branch. He was friend and supporter of Matthew Csák and Władysław I the Elbow-high of Poland.
While the Mongol invasion of Europe of 1241 some Záh were among knights sent by Béla IV of Hungary to support Bolesław V the Chaste and founded the Zahcych or Zyhcych (currently Żychcice) and Wojkowice garrisons on the perimeter of the silver mines of Rozbark.
In 1293 Władysław I the Elbow-high of Poland married Jadwiga the granddaughter of Béla IV of Hungary and Maria Laskarina and the last Hungarian king of the Árpád dynasty Andrew III of Hungary send them his trustworthy knights, among them some of the Záh and Aba clans. The Záh knights become Władysław's friends and captains.
The Záh knights founded many Polish cities, villages, hamlets and garrisons in the depopulated by the Golden Horde and invaded by Germans and Lithuanians land. Most settled around Władysław I the Elbow-high and Jadwiga's own crest in Kuyavia founding villages and hamlets like: Żychlinowo & Żychlinek (in direct neighbourhood to Jadwiga's conspirative shelter at Radziejów), Żychlin (1), Żychów, Żychowo & Zychy (1), to the north: Żychce (where the clan Żychcki is founded, later spreading into Lithuania and Samogitia), along the borders between occupied Silesia and Greater Poland: Żychlin (2), Żychlewo & Zychy (2) along the way to the Polish capital of Kraków: Zychorzyn, Wólka Zychowa, Zychówki & Zychy (3) and directly to the north of Rozbark (an area occupied and exploited since 1623 by the same Henckels who assassinated Amadeus Aba): Żychcice and countless others like: Węgry, Węgrzyny, Węgrzynówek, Węgrzynice, Węgrzynowo, Węgrzynowice… (meaning: Hungarian-/of Hungarian origin).
The Záh clan living in Poland under the name Zych managed to help Władysław I the Elbow-high enter the Polish throne and unite the, since plots of Frederick Barbarossa, fragmented land but failed to completely stop the German invasion due to weaknes and failures of Władysław's weak son Casimir III the Great, who gave up the rights to his fathers homeland Silesia (and the city of Gdańsk providing access to the Baltic Sea) already in 1335. They also failed to return to Hungary to stop the Habsburg and Ottoman invasions, nevertheless they in 1588 successfully participated in the Battle of Byczyna, in which Maximilian III, Archduke of Austria was captured and released one year later near the Záh Upper Silesian garrison of Zahcych (Żychcice), where also in 1683 troops of John III Sobieski gathered before joining the Battle of Vienna.