Maurus Győr

Maurus (I) from the kindred Győr (Hungarian: Győr nembeli (I.) Mór; died between 1203 and 1208) was a Hungarian noble at the turn of the 12th and 13th centuries, who served as the first known banus maritimus, a predecessor office to the dignity of Ban of Croatia in the Kingdom of Hungary.

Maurus was born into the Óvár branch of the gens (clan) Győr of German origin, as one of the five sons of Stephen I. His brothers were prelate and chancellor Saul, Bishop of Csanád, then Archbishop of Kalocsa; Alexander, who participated in King Emeric's Wars in the Balkans; Csépán, a powerful baron and Palatine of Hungary and Pat, who also held that position.

Possibly Maurus was the eldest one of his brothers, as his elder son Stephen II was adult by the early 1200s. Through Stephen, Maurus was the ancestor of the Gyulai, Geszti and Kéméndi noble families.

Maurus is first referred by contemporary records in 1181. He is identical with that Maurus, who held the position of Ban of Primorje around 1182. He is the first known office-holder of that dignity, which a precursor office of the royal dignity of Ban of Croatia, which elevated as an equal position to the dignity Ban of Slavonia in 1275. Accordingly, Maurus functioned as the deputy of Denis, Ban of Slavonia in proper Croatia, which fact is reflected by his full title in Latin: "comes et tocius maritime provincie studiosus exercitator" (Hungarian: tengermelléki bán). He served in this capacity until 1188 at the last, when a certain comes Damian of Zadar bore the title.