Hungarian Review, 1976 (22. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

1976-09-01 / 8-9. szám

CHAPTERS FROM THE HISTORY OF THE HUNGARIAN PEOPLE 7. Attempt at centralization and its failure. The Mohács disaster After the death of Wladislas I, the Hungarian Diet recognized Ladislas V (1444-1457) as the country’s king. Since, however, he was kept captive by Frederick 111 of Germany, János Hunyadi was elected Governor of Hungary in 1446. Later the defeat at Rigómező against the Turks - shook Hunyadi’s position, and when in 1452 Frederick III handed over Ladislas to Hungary, he resigned his post as governor. Meanwhile the international situation took a threatening turn. In 1453 the Turks occupied Constantinople, and Profile of King Matthias. The best likeness of the King a few years before his death; from the memorial at Bautzen in 1456 they set out for a decisive attack against Nándorfehérvár (today Belgrade), so that after its capture they could start the subjugation of the whole of Hungary. In this grave danger the king nominated Hunyadi Commander in Chief of the army. In fierce battles Hunyadi finally succeeded in breaking through the blockade round Nándorfehérvár. The sultan’s army was forced to withdraw, and the great victory saved Hungary from Turkish attacks of a similar force for half a century. Already before the decisive battle Pope Callixtus III ordained the noonday bell to call for prayer for the defenders of the fortress, and it has proclaimed the memory of Hunyadi's victory ever since. After the death of János Hunyadi, the Gara-Cillei league of barons wanted to crush the power of Hunyadi's party. They won the king, Ladislas V, over to their The last page of The Chronicle of the Hungarians, the first book printed in Hungary (by András Hess, in Buda 1473) *pe coronatione regis mortem Ladáin trgis eWus rll in régim hungint ^N^Matbus fe.me.ftliusllluftris lofcis de hunyadppc. со. ^"ьЛпотп Annodni milWiimoqiudr ingf tf iimoquinquageiimo oAauo;q tam e(terns ut bobemis őí pok>is;qi nónuflis incohs С*сге сотое tubieibs fib« plunmű iiidiiiibus ut Wo fomfTimuf: inuiftifTimui^ reílitit H«c ett* cü ualidiflimo exercitu regnu bozne ingreflus caltrum munitilTimu laycza note e minibus turcoy gloMofe eripuerit demde uiAor rediens ad funginam: dyadem-tí ünlb regis JJtepbäi qd apud Fridencü romanoy impatoré habébat m ciuitate alberegaits potitus eft (\ РоТГеГ uero colle А о ingeti exercitu moldauum terranrymtlcii Caere сотое lubieAam fcd p id tempons rebelWm ing re (Xus eft.ibxa habito acerbtfíimoconfliAu tnűpbű preclarü atej memorabili obtinuit. Vnde & uexiDa pluria inclyte uiAorie lue figna budi и lejt addixit.que magna ей celebritate inprocbtah beatiffime Mane iiirgims eccWha affixa hodie eonfpicemt.^.eliqua aut prccUra ac meorabilia facinora WrciiTimi atqi inuiAifTirm dni. noftri regis.quia tanta funt breuiter cóprehédi nequeunC;in aliud tempus differenda ac latius proWqurnda erunt. Pro quo dno noftro ilIuftnfTimc atej gratiolo optimus maximufiji deu* etiam atc| etiam rogandus eft:ut eum in pace tranqlb:miihc*e ob&ruationr.Tuorum dileAione eegni tncrem«ito:8( diuturna derounitr incolumitate tenere.(miireaugere dignetur. policy and forced him to have László Hunyadi, the elder of Hunyadi’s two sons, executed on trumped-up charges. The event, however, caused such grave tension in the country that the king had to flee. He went to Prague and took Matthias, the younger son of Hunyadi, with him as a hostage. Ladislav V died unexpectedly in the Bohemian capital, and the Diet, under pressure from the lesser nobility, the bur­gesses and the Hunyadi party, elected Matthias Hunyadi (1458-1490) king. Portrait of János Hunyadi (who died in 1456) The scene of the great victory against the Turks in 1456: Nándorfehérvár Sixteenth century engraving Matthias, who came to the throne in his early youth, established his rule with amazing energy and political wisdom. He organized a modernly equipped royal mercenary army, and by establishing firm central power and a reformed jurisdiction, he created a stable basis for trade and industry to flourish. Matthias developed his seat in Buda into one of the European centres of humanist learning, and he intro­duced Renaissance culture to Hungary. He had the Buda castle expanded with a Renaissance wing which housed his Cor­vina library; as early as 1473 a printing press was also operating in Buda. Scientif­ic life and arts flourished: the Academia Istropolitana started operating in Pozsony (today Bratislava); the historian Antonio Bonfini, and the noted Italian humanist. ■ 35

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