Ajtony

History of Banat
Historical Banat
Banat in the Middle Ages Banate of Severin Arad County (former) Csanád County (medieval) Csanád County Temes County Torontál County Krassó-Szörény County Eyalet of Temeşvar Banate of Lugos and Karánsebes Banat of Temeswar Banat Military Frontier District of Velika Kikinda Voivodeship of Serbia and Banat of Temeschwar Banat Republic French administration of Banat
Modern Romanian Banat
Ținutul Timiș Timiș County Caraș-Severin County Mehedinți County Vest development region
Modern Serbian Banat
Banat, Bačka and Baranja Banat (1941–1944) North Banat District Central Banat District South Banat District
Modern Hungarian Banat
Csongrád-Csanád County Serbian-Hungarian Baranya-Baja Republic
v t e

Ajtony, Ahtum or Achtum (Hungarian: Ajtony, Bulgarian: Охтум, Romanian: Ahtum, Serbian: Ахтум) was an early-11th-century ruler in the territory now known as Banat in present Romania and Serbia. His primary source is the Long Life of Saint Gerard, a 14th-century hagiography. Ajtony was a powerful ruler who owned many horses, cattle and sheep and was baptised according to the Orthodox rite in Vidin. He taxed salt which was transferred to King Stephen I of Hungary on the Mureș River. The king sent Csanád, Ajtony's former commander-in-chief, against him at the head of a large army. Csanád defeated and killed Ajtony, occupying his realm. In the territory, at least one county and a Roman Catholic diocese were established.

Historians disagree on the year of Ajtony's defeat; it may have occurred in 1002, 1008 or between 1027 and 1030. His ethnicity is also a subject of historical debate; he may have been Hungarian, Kabar or Pecheneg.