H. Kolba Judit szerk.: Historical Exhibition of the Hungarian National Museum Guide 2 - From the Foundation of the State until the Expulsion of the Ottomans - The history of Hungary in the 11th to 17th centuries (Budapest, 2005)

ROOM 2 - The Age of the Anjou Kings (14th century) (Júlia Kovalovszki)

ROOM 2 The Age of the Anjou Kings (14th century) With the death of Andrew III (1290-1301), the male line of the House of Árpád died out. After long power struggles, a descendant through the female line, Charles Robert (1301^2) of the Anjous of Naples, ascended the throne. The new monarch reorganized the Kingdom of Hungary with an iron hand, broke the resistance of the great landowners and restored respect for the royal power. His economic measures (the granting of privileges, monetary reform etc.) helped the strengthening of commerce, industry and precious metal mining. However, the most important development of this period was the splitting of Hungarian society into two - into a landowning nobility on the one hand and into a serf class subordinated to the power of the landowners on the other. Charles Robert was succeeded by his son Louis I (the Great) (1342—82), who was elected by the Poles as their king also (1370-82). Although he became too much involved in the struggles in Italy, he showed himself to be a worthy successor of his father in his reform activities. During the reigns of father and son, Hungary became a great power in Europe. The Anjou kings are presented in enlarged miniatures from the Illustrated Chronicle which show Charles Robert and Louis the Great. On the stone border of the tabernacle niche in Pöstyén, Louis the Great can be made out. The arms of the Anjous in painted stone once embellished the gateway of the bishop's palace in Győr. The arms were made during the time that Kálmán, one of the sons of Charles Robert, was bishop of Győr (1337-74). The arms on the double cross-shaped reliquary of King Louis (copy) denote the person of the monarch. The silver-gilt chalice {Fig. 11) and the richly gilded copper ciborium with engraved decoration {Fig. 12) from the churches of Vízakna (Ocna Sibiului) and Szepeskörtvélyes (Spissky Hrusov) respectively were most likely donated by the king himself. Here we have placed the oldest furniture kept in the Museum, the chest made from a single treetrunk and ornamented with rich ironwork (Szepesbéla, [Spisská Belá], 14th century), which was originally for the storage of articles for religious use and documents. It now contains copies of deeds from the Anjou period. The main seat of the Anjou kings was Visegrád. Charles Robert moved his court there in 1321. Later, Louis the Great and his successors Queen Mary and Sigismund of Luxembourg also resided there until 1408. Charles Robert had a royal house built in the town before 1330, and this was enlarged into a palace by Louis the Great between 1350 and 1360. The huge palace complex, whose ruins are still extant, was built in the last quarter of the 14th century. A gem of sculptural decoration from the time is the wall fountain from the Visegrád palace, whose baldachin bears the ostrich crest of the Anjous (Fig 14). The fountain was placed in the small, closed garden for the exclusive use of the king. The reconstructed Gothic sedile also comes from the palace at Visegrád. ARMY, CASTLES, FOREIGN POLICY The successful foreign policy of the Anjous, shown on a map, brought international prestige to the Kingdom of Hungary. The borders of the country were extended towards the Balkans; and towards the north and west ties of alliance and friendship were built up. However, Louis the Great's military expeditions to obtain the throne of Naples met with no success. In the estate-centres stood stone castles. The majority belonged to the king, who took the lead in "fortifying the country". In Diósgyőr, Louis the Great erected on the site of the irregularly-shaped castle from the time of the House of Árpád kings a castle-palace which boasted fortress corner turrets and which was encircled by a moat.