Hungarian Heritage Review, 1987 (16. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1987-01-01 / 1. szám
father, Charles Robert. Unfortunately for Louis, he placed his mother, the Dowager Queen Elizabeth, as Regent of Poland. He did this in order to remove her influence from his own court; he found, however, that her conduct as Regent of Poland stirred up considerable resentment on the part of the Polish nobles and people. This distress led to an uprising in Poland; in 1375 Elizabeth was driven from Poland by a rebellion that left several hundred of her Hungarian escort slain, the Queen barely escaping with her life. A Humane Commander Louis’ success as a war leader was marked by his concern for his men. He shared with them the rough hardness and discomfort of camp and field. There is a story that on one occasion, seeing one of his soldiers being swept away by a fierce current, Louis himself plunged into the water to rescue the man. This kind of action on the part of their King endeared him greatly to his troops. More Difficulty Abroad Another of Louis’ problems came with the matter of the succession to the throne of Naples. Louis had arranged the marriage of his brother Endre to Princess Johanna of Naples, with the understanding that Endre would be named successor to the throne of Naples. A combination of dislike of the people of Naples for foreigners, and Johanna’s own desire to inherit the throne, led to much unrest in the kingdom. When Louis sent his mother, Queen Elizabeth, to use her influence for Endre, things became even worse. Finally, fearful that Endre would be forced upon them as King, Neapolitan plotters — backed, it is suspected by Johanna herself — conspired against Endre. During a hunting trip they set upon the Prince and murdered him. This, of course, led to a military expedition against Naples; led by Louis himself, the Hungarian forces soon occupied Naples and restored order. The whole Naples adventure, however, proved impermanent. It was more trouble than it was worth. The Black Plague In 1347, a ship from the Crimea entered the Italian port of Genoa. With its cargo it brought to Europe one of the deadliest plagues ever to strike the continent — the Black Plague. The dread disease swept through Italy, killing thousands upon thousands of people — nobles, clergy, knights and ordinary folk. Entire villages and towns were stripped of all living things. And the disease soon marched through the rest of Europe, including Hungary. Fully one third of the population of Hungary was slain by the Plague; King Louis’ wife died of the disease, and the King himself was stricken, but recovered. Because of the impact of this great calamity, much of Louis’ other activity was limited. And the whole affair of Naples and Italy was trimmed down considerably. The Blossoming of Hungary It is true that King Louis spent much of his time on foreign campaigns. Of these, incidentally, only the several invasions of Naples were tied directly to matters of family honor rather than the welfare of the nation as a whole. But it is largely for what he accomplished within Hungary that Louis is considered so highly. The campaigns in Italy left a great impression upon the King. Not simply in military terms, but also in terms of his recognition of the enormous cultural and artistic beauty of the land and its cities. He was struck by the fact that even the smallest Italian towns and villages, to say nothing of the large cities, had magnificent cathedrals and palaces embellished with great works of art — paintings, frescoes, sculpture. Impressed by all this, Louis inspired and encouraged similar activities within Hungary. Beautiful castles were built in Buda, Visegrad and Diósgyőr. The King sponsored the building of Milestones Tin Hungarian History roads and towns; he promoted the development of handicrafts and of trade. In 1367 Louis founded the first Hungarian university in Pecs. Great King/Great Country Hungary prospered and thrived under Louis. And, although this seems almost contradictory, while Louis spent much of his reign warring outside of Hungary, within the realm there was peace. And this was at a time when almost every other European kingdom was involved in either civil or foreign strife. Hungary stood as a bastion of peace. Indeed, in the account of the contemporary historian, John Kukullei — “The Calm and Peace of King Louis’ Days” — He (King Louis) left the liberties and customs of his country and subject peoples intact, governing them within their own laws and heroically defending them against their enemies.” And the Envoy from the Vatican, John de Cardailhac, wrote: “I call God as my witness that I have never seen a monarch more majestic and more powerful... or one who desires peace and calm as much as he.” The Royal Tragedy The great gift that Louis left his country, a peace and strength and prosperity to be envied, was unfortunately not matched by another important gift — a successor to continue his great work. For like several other of Hungary’s greatest rulers — King Saint Stephen, King Saint László and Matthias — Louis left no male heir. And this lack, given the volatile nature of the Hungarian nobles and the ambitions of the great magnates, was to prove a source of difficulty for the nation. But Louis did accomplish what any monarch hopes for — to leave a nation secure and at peace. Following his fervent wish, Louis, on his death in 1382, was laid to rest in Nagyvarad, near the tomb of King Saint László. 16 HUNGARIAN HERITAGE REVIEW JANUARY 1987
