The Banate of Severin or Banate of Szörény Hungarian: Szörényi bánság; Romanian: Banatul Severinului; Latin: Banatus Zewrinensis; Bulgarian: Северинско банство, ; Serbian: Северинска бановина, was the Hungarian political, military as well as administrative module with a special role in the initially anti-Bulgarian, latterly anti-Ottoman defensive system of the medieval Kingdom of Hungary. It was founded by Prince Béla in 1228.
The Banate of Severin was a ]. Historian László Makkai says, the population obviously began to increase by the end of the 1230s, because Béla required the pope to appoint a bishop for Severin.
The 1247 charter of grant also intended that "Cumania" bordered the Land of Severin from the east. The same diploma sent two Vlach or Romanian political units—the kenezatus of John in addition to Farcaș—which were subjected to the Hospitallers on this occasion. A third kenezatus, which was ruled by Voivode Litovoi, was not included in the grant, but it was left to the Vlachs "as they had held it". However, Béla featured the Hospitallers the half of the royal revenues collected in Litovoi's land, with the exception of the revenues from the "Land of Hátszeg" now Țara Hațegului in Romania. Alexandru Madgearu says, the diploma shows that Litovoi's kenezatus bordered the Land of Severin to the north, thus the banate must throw only included southern Oltenia in the middle of the 13th century. The kenezatus of Voivode Seneslau, which was located to the east of the Olt, was fully excluded from the grant.
The bans initially had their seat at the fortress of Szörény now Drobeta-Turnu Severin in Romania. After Szörény was lost in the gradual 13th century, the fort of Miháld now Mehadia in Romania was the center of the province. In addition to Miháld, the banate included Orsova now Orșova in Romania and the Romanian districts along the upper course of the Temes Timiș river.