Nicholas (I) Drugeth | |
|---|---|
 Seal of Nicholas Drugeth, 1355 | |
| Judge royal | |
| Reign | 1354–1355 |
| Predecessor | Thomas Szécsényi |
| Successor | Nicholas Szécsi |
| Born | 1300s |
| Died | May/June 1355 |
| Noble family | House of Drugeth |
| Issue | John III Ladislaus I |
| Father | John I Drugeth |
| Mother | Paska de Bononensi |
Nicholas (I) Drugeth de Gerény (also Druget, Hungarian: gerényi Druget (I.) Miklós, Slovak: Mikuláš I. Druget Horiansky; 1300s – May or June 1355) was a Neapolitan-born Hungarian baron and military leader in the first half of the 14th century. As a member of the prestigious Drugeth family, he arrived in the Kingdom of Hungary along with his father and brothers upon the invitation of King Charles I at the turn of 1327 and 1328. Nicholas entered the service of the royal court as one of the tutors of princes Louis and Andrew. In this capacity, he protected boldly the children during Felician Záh's unsuccessful assassination attempt in 1330. Thereafter, Nicholas served as Master of the cupbearers.
Following the death of his older brother William without male heirs, Nicholas would have inherited his large wealth and power in Northeast Hungary in 1342, but as a result of court intrigues, the newly enthroned Louis I confiscated most of the inheritance. Nicholas and his younger brother John II were able to retain landholdings only in the mostly uninhabited, northeasternmost part of the kingdom, in Ung and Zemplén counties. Nevertheless, although politically marginalized, Nicholas did not lose his favor at the royal court. He participated in Louis' second Neapolitan campaign, becoming captain of the occupied Salerno in 1350. Returning Hungary, he was installed as Judge royal in 1354, but died in the next year. The Gerény branch of the Drugeth family descended from him, but this branch became extinct after two generations by the end of the 14th century. The Homonna branch, as the only surviving cadet branch descended from his younger brother.