Antall József szerk.: Orvostörténeti közlemények 66-68. (Budapest, 1973)
TANULMÁNYOK - Regöly-Mérei Gyula: A középkori és régi magyar egyetemek, különös tekintettel a budapesti orvosi kar jelentőségére a tudománytörténetben (angol nyelven)
the University of Corvin Mátyás (Matthias Corvinus) in Buda, and not the "Sigmundea". For a slip of pen is to be taken the name of the town "Sundens", which must obviously be the mis-spelt form of the univ. Budensis. There is no doubt, however, that a university did exist in Hungary in 1458, because its students were free from paying tithes and customs duties ("et alia per Regnum Lycea est Decretum Ordinum Regni Hungáriáé Michaele Szilagyio de Horogszegh Gubernátoré, tempore Electionis Regis Matthias Corvini anno Millesimo quadragesimo quinquagesimo octavo editum, cuius Articulo Decimo Scholar es immune adinstar Sacerdotum et Nobilium, pronunciabantur"). That the students' position was entirely identical in this respect with that of the nobility and clergy proves also that the universities were held in high esteem in Hungary. The answer sent to the letter of Corvin Mátyás (Matthias Corvinus), the great king of the Hungarian Renaissance, was the authorizing bull of Pope Paul II. issued in 1465. Thus it came on the establishment of the Academia Istropolitana in Pozsony (now Bratislava in Czechoslovakia): "Ac Cancellario eiusdem studii pro tempore personas ydoneas et bene méritas ad singulos gradus ad quos provehi meruerint, promovendi, gradusque illos illorumque insignia exhibendi ac alia ad officum Cancellarii spectantia adinstar Cancellarii studii Bononiensis". In the same year the Academia Istropolitana started its activity. The organization of the university, which did not follow the system of that of Bologna, is connected with the name of the outstanding Hungarian humanist János Vitéz, archbishop of Esztergom. Medicine was also taught here, even the name of its teacher is mentioned by János Vitéz in a letter of July 18, 1476; "Magister Petrus doctor Artium et Medicináé". This again throws light upon the custom of mediaeval and modern times, according to which future doctors go through the course of the "seven free arts" before beginning their studies in medicine. At this university was teaching also Regiomontanus from Germany (Johann Müller von Königsberg). Staying in Esztergom as the guest of János Vitéz he wrote there his fundamentally important work on astronomy entitled "Tabulae directionum." King Corvin Mátyás (Matthias Corvinus) was the son of János Hunyadi the victorious commander-in-chief, the "defeater of the Turks", in whose honour the Pope's decree had ordered the noonday chimes after the victory of Nándorfehérvár (July 21, 1455). Matthias was the king of the simple folk. For his love of truth and justice he was given the epithet "just". But at the same time it was he who realized the idea of humanism and gathered in his court famous men of learning and art. Even before printing was spread he had established his library consisting of codices (Corvináé) of high artistic finish. One of these, a copy owned by the University Library of Budapest and bearing relation to medicine, is the volume Abul Qâsim (Cyrurgia cum formis instrumentorum). So it was an entirely natural requirement that the Academia Istropolitana should be removed to Buda, the capital of King Matthias and the cultural centre of the country. The removal took place in 1475. In the Chronicle of Heltai the author gives a detailed, but perhaps somewhat exaggerated account of the large-scale building-operations.
