Horváth Richárd: Itineraria regis Matthiae Corvini et reginae Beatricis de Aragonia, 1458-[1476]-1490 - Subsidia ad historiam medii aevi Hungariae inquirendam 2. (Budapest, 2011)
9. Summary
9. SUMMARY in the West, continues to remain rather insignificant in Hungarian historiography even with regard to the late medieval period of king Matthias. This is especially true in the case of itineraries. Even the most important narrative sources (the well-known works of Antonio Bonfini, Petrus Ransanus or Galeotto Marzio) offer very little help for the historian who prepares the itinerary of Matthias. The situation improves considerably whenever the king crosses the Hungarian border, especially if he does so westwards, to countries boasting a more varied source material. Fortunately, Matthias spent quite a lot of time in Moravia and Austria, and local narrative sources spread much more light upon his travels and campaigns there than do the Hungarian charters. Indeed, it can safely be stated that the foreign journeys of Matthias can be documented with more detail and upon the basis of more varied sources than his stays in Hungary. Finally, it is to be added that town registers and chronicles, which have survived in enormous numbers in the West, are also rather sporadic in the medieval Kingdom of Hungary. Recently, work upon the itinerary of Sigismund of Luxemburg, Roman emperor and king of Hungary (1387-1437), has revealed the importance of those urban sources which are preserved in the rich archives of Italian towns. Such sources are as yet unexplored for the period of Matthis, although the situation may hopefully change. Our survey of the sources should be closed by some remarks upon the royal letters (missiles). Rulers in 15th-century Europe pursued an intensive diplomatic correspondence with each other. The court of Matthias was no exception to the rule, and, moreover, most of these letters are available in modern editions. Their number, however, is insignificant in comparison with that of charters; nevertheless, since they were normally drafted with the knowledge or upon the intent of the king, they constitute a very important source of information despite their small number. * * * Our next task is to examine the sources with a view to their usability for the purpose of making an itinerary. It has long been known for the experts of European diplomatics that the preparation of itineraries is hindered by a number of special difficulties. Which exactly are these? The most important among them is the fact that several charters could be issued in the name of the same ruler on the same day but at various localities. Needless to say, it is unconceivable that the ruler could have covered distances of several hundreds of kilometres in one day. Consequently, in order to prepare a relatively reliable basis for the itinerary, it is necessary to establish a kind of "hierarchy" within our charter material. The prime element of this process is the examination of the seals, for practically the only aim of an itinerary is to determine in a controllable way the place where the king really stayed, which involves, in the case of multiple and contradictory datings, reflection upon, and decision between, the localities which come into consideration. The personal jurisdiction of the king of Hungary had gradually devolved upon his auxiliaries in the course of the medieval centuries. In the earliest period the judicial deputy of the king was the palatine (palatinus), who, however, soon 169
