Diaconescu, Marius (szerk.): Mediaevalia Transilvanica 1998 (2. évfolyam, 1. szám)
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20 Marius Diaconescu The next episode tells about the peace offer coming from the Romanian voivode, whose proposition consisted of accepting the quality of subject, paying the sum of 7000 silver marks, renouncing at Severin, the promise to pay the tax annually and sending his son to the king's court. The king's arrogance is eloquently pictured and tends to have a moralising aim92. The king turned down the peace offer despite the advice of his counsellors93. The next scene describes the battles which were fought somewhere in a mountainous zone, in a narrow path. The natural setting was in favour of the Romanians. The disaster suffered by the royal army is again described in a picturesque manner. Worth to remember is the episode of the king's disguise, who changed his clothing and royal signs with a young man of his suite94. The original chronicle also contains three extremely suggestive painted scenes accounting for the main events95. Other details about the king's campaign are to be found in documents issued subsequently which mention, more or less objectively, the event. The defeat of the Hungarian troops in an ambush on the way back is obvious, and confirmed by the internal Hungarian documents. Noblemen from Transylvania who took part in the battle shortly told the episode during the next year. The dramatism of the fights results from the witnesses' depositions who said that "since the fate was adverse... they were defeated and subjected" (sed quia fortuna adversante... devicti et debellati cum aliis fuissent)96. The defeat of the Hungarian army is directly admitted in other internal documents, too, which were issued by other institutions than the king97. During the fights, the vice-chancellor of the royal court was also killed, and the royal medium seal was lost. Even the king fell off the horse, being rescued by one of his knights98. The event is usually recorded in a relatively obscured manner in the official documents99. The Hungarian army reached the capital city, Argeş, which it seems to have been destroyed100. The pre-requisites, which led to the development of the king’s campaign, can be reconstituted: Basarab I's refusal to accept the vassal statute, the refusal to pay a tribute and the conquest of the Mehadia citadel and of the Severin region. 92 Ibidem. „Sic dicite Bazarad. Ipse est pastor ovium mearum, de suis latibulis per barbas suas extraham. “. 93 The scene is suspect. The basic idea of the episode remains plausible. 94 SRH. I, pp. 498-450. 95 Can be seen in the facsimile edition of the chronicle: Chronicon Pictum (Phototypice impressum). Edidit Helicon Hungaricus, Budapestini, 1964, pp. 143, 144 and 146. 96 DRH, D„ I, p. 42. 97 „in presenti exercita domini Karoli, dei gratia serenissimi regis Hungarie. dum idem dominus rex fuisset percussus et convictus per Bazarab woiuodam Transalpetn (!) Olacorum”, Gy. Györffy, Adatok, p. 553, no. VHL 98 DRH. D., I, pp. 67-68. 99 Maria Hóiban contestation, op. cit., pp. 110-113, are often exaggerated and not justified 100 DRH. D.. I, p. 58. The archaeological researches brought up a burned layer that could be date aroun 1330, so on the occasion of the Hungarian king's campaign: N. Constantinescu. La Residence d Argeş des voivode« roumains des XII Ie et XlVe siecles : Problémes de cronologie ă la lumiére des récentes recherches archéologiques, in RESEE. VTTT, 1970, no. 1, p. 31. Maria Holban's contestation, op. cit., pp. 113-115, who denies the validity of the documentary information about the settlement of the royal camp close to Basarab's capital city and the possibility of its conquest is not justified.
