Origin of the nemescsói Török Family
The family descended from Mihály (Michael) Török, a landholder in the village of Nemescsó, whose nobility-alongside several other noble families-was confirmed by the king of Hungary, Károly VI (Charles) on 14th August 1720 in a Nova donatio. It is also possible that the crest used by our branch of the family was the original family crest and may have been in use even before 1720.
The simplicity of the coat of arms suggests that it originated several hundred years prior to this Nova donatio. Missing from the original coat of arms is the baroque ornamentation, which would put the crest’s origin in the XV – XVI Century.
The surname Török, translated to English means Turkish. This could indicate that a Turkish soldier remained in Hungary following the withdrawal of the Ottoman Turks and subsequently acquired a Hungarian name and family. However, this theory is inconsistent with the coat of Arms, and it is unlikely that a soldier remaining in Hungary would have gained nobility so quickly in Transdanubia. The Török name is widely recognized and records confirm that it existed prior to the Turkish. One notable figure was Enyingi Bálint (Valentine) Török (1502-1550), who, following the Battle of Mohacs, one of the most influential and wealthiest noblemen in the country. More broadly, the Török surname reflects the historical fact that the emerging Hungarian nation included Turkish tribes, with many historians suggesting that the militant sections of the nation derived from these Turkish elements.
