Nikola Frankopan

Nikola IV Frankopan (Hungarian: Frangepán Miklós) was the Ban of Croatia and Dalmatia from 1426 to 1432. He was one of the first of his clan to make this name famous in Croatian and Hungarian history. Even before he became Banus, he owned the Island of Krk, the districts of Vinodol, Modruš, Senj, Gacka and Lika in Croatia. His properties also extended to the towns of Cetin, Slunj and Ozalj in Slavonia. When he became Banus, king Sigismund left him in return a loan of 28,000 ducats, also the town of Bihać on Una river, further Knin, Lapacgrad, Vrlika, Ostrovica (near Bribir), Skradin, the county of Luk between Zrmanja and Krka rivers and the district of Poljice. Thus, Nikola Frankopan (Frankapan originally spelled as Frangipani) owned nearly all of Croatia.

In Slavonia the Banal authority belonged to Prince Hermann of Celje (Zell) (1423–1435), Father-in-law of king Sigismund. Hermann was the master of a large part of Slavonia. Because of family quarrels the two powerful clans clashed. Each of them had partisans among the powerful Barons. Thus two factions were formed ready to start a bloody feud. Those who sided with the Princes of Celje (Zell) strove to extend their sway also over Croatia and to annihilate the Frangipani family members as a way to over take their lands, titles and to shift the balance of power towards their favor.