While his younger brother Philip escorted his lord, the young pretender Charles of Anjou to the Kingdom of Hungary, John entered the service of Clementia, Queen consort of France and Navarre.

They belonged to those Italian elite of Ultramontane (French or Provençal) origin, who arrived to Apulia (Southern Italy) with Charles I of Anjou, who conquered the Kingdom of Sicily in 1266.

They were all still minors at the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries, because their names appeared in diminutive forms in a single document around 1300 ("Joannoctus, Filippoctus et Matchtilda Drugetii").

In that year, John was inducted to the inherited fiefdoms in Melito di Napoli and Pascarola near the Angevins' hunting estate, Aversa.

[4] Following Charles II could not prevent the Aragonese from occupying Calabria and the islands in the Gulf of Naples, John was required to pay subventio generalis in 1300 and 1302.

The marriage of Clementia, however, proved to be short-lived, because Louis X died in June 1316, and his posthumous son John I lived only five days in November 1316.

John had to experience that Philip became one of the richest and most powerful barons of the Kingdom of Hungary by that time, who also elevated into the dignity of Palatine in the next year.

Both the names of John and Paska (as "Jehan Druget" and "Madamme Pasque") appear frequently in the queen's famous inventory of gift giving.

William and his wife already resided in Hungary in August 1327, when he inherited his uncle's large-scale province in the northeastern part of the kingdom in accordance with the king's decision.

In his seal, he was styled as "dominus de Pasquerol", referring to his fiefdom in Apulia, which also confirms that he has just arrived to Hungary and he was a member of Charles' entourage, without holding any specific dignities.

[15] According to Serbian historian Đura Hardi, it took time for John and his family, along with their escort, to come to Hungary from Paris through Avignon and Naples, and Charles patiently waited for their arrival.

[16] Attila Zsoldos emphasizes, John Drugeth was tied with many threads to the Kingdom of Naples, primarily with his fiefdoms and the associated responsibilities and services.

On the other hand, John with his political relations and local knowledge in Southern Italy may have proved to be a useful courtier for Charles, who never gave up his claim to the throne of Naples.

Seeing the rapid ascension and enrichment of his late brother, John experienced that the Hungarian king generously bestowed his faithful subjects.

[21] His exceptional position is well illustrated by that, that two old confidants, Mikcs Ákos and Demetrius Nekcsei had to resign from important counties – Somogy and Bács, respectively – in favor of a homo novus ("newcomer" or "foreigner") noble, John Drugeth.

[24] Art historian Ágnes Kurcz considered John's seal depicted Chiron based on the sample of Antique gemstones which method was widespread in the Kingdom of France.

[22] His first, albeit only provisional vice-palatine ("viceiudex") was the aforementioned Giacomino of Italian origin – also vice-castellan of Óbuda, who arrived to Hungary as a member of the Drugeths' entourage.

[28] Throughout 1329, John summoned generalis congregatios in the counties of Somogy, Baranya (May), Nógrád, Abaúj, Borsod, Gömör (the province of his son), Zemplén, Ung (August), Szabolcs and Arad (September–October).

[29][30] John also became the owner of the castle' accessories, including the villages of Nagykapos and Mocsár (present-day Veľké Kapušany and Močiar in Slovakia, respectively).

[31] John donated his estate of Zsidány in Sopron County to the Cistercian Klostermarienberg Abbey (Borsmonostor, today part of Mannersdorf an der Rabnitz, Austria) in 1330.

Because of his existing relationships in his homeland, John Drugeth also joined his accompaniment in Zagreb around 15 June – despite palatines often substituted the kings during their absence for foreign military campaigns –, where from they traveled further to the western coast of the Adriatic Sea via Modruš, and they sailed into Southern Italy.

[32] During his absence, John's son William Drugeth was appointed Deputy Palatine of Hungary, an entirely unique position in the kingdom,[33] and also took over the governance of his father's counties and castles in this capacity.

It is plausible, John Drugeth took an active part in the negotiations, mediating between the two monarchs, as he was subject of both of them, thus enjoying a unique status in the diplomatic mission.

[35] In the first case, John fell ill and died sometime in April or May 1334, as his son was last referred to as deputy palatine in the previous month.

In the second case, he definitely died after January 1334 (when Charles began the journey home), as the king would not have waited a few months for William's appointment, and the news of his death may have arrived in the spring to Hungary.

[36] Historian Enikő Spekner considers John died in late 1333 or early 1334 in the Kingdom of Naples, and was buried in his original homeland.