Diaconescu, Marius (szerk.): Mediaevalia Transilvanica 1998 (2. évfolyam, 2. szám)
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On the Political History of Transylvania in 1440-1443 203 In fact, we have no reason to doubt the traditional dating of these events. Yet if we accept 18 and 23 March as marking the two encounters, we have to conclude that Hunyadi did not immediately follow the escaping Ottomans to Wallachia. For on 8 April we see him participating to the general assembly of the Transylvanian "nations" at Turda71. The timing of this assembly seems to indicate that it was convoked at least two weeks before, that is, shortly after the Ottoman invasion. The fact that the voivode simply attended to the assembly, and the only known charter was issued in the name of the vice-voivodes, appears to show that the assembly took place upon the initiative of the three "nations" themselves with a view to organise their defence in accordance with the so-called union of Kápolna73 74. We do not know what conclusions were made during the assembly, but we are surely not far from the truth when supposing that they concerned the voivode's subsequent Wallachian campaign and the inevitable Ottoman retaliatory attack. After the assembly Hunyadi unexpectedly entered Wallachia75 at the head of his army (and not with a hastily mustered popular militia), dethroned the pro- Ottoman voivode and set up a pro-Hungarian regime there. He returned to Transylvania through the pass of Bran (Törcsvár) at the end of May76 and immediately began to prepare himself for the defence of his menaced province. The subsequent Ottoman invasion, led by the beglerbey of Rumelia, Seaded-Din, is even less completely documented than the attack of Mezid. Our sources are basically the same, the evidence of which has normally been complemented with the information drawn from Turkish and Serbian sources. It is evident that the invasion was not a surprise for the Hungarian authorities77, and that Hunyadi had plenty of time to organise the defence. Unfortunately, Hunyadi’s itinerary is even 73df 74 Ibidem : "Magnifico viro Laurencio de Hedervara regni Hungarie palatino domino eorum honorando Gregorius Bodo de Gywrgy et Nicolaus de Vízakna vicewayvode Transsilvanenses debitam reverendam cum honore. Vestra noverit magnificencia, quod magnifico Johanne de Hwnyad inter ceteros honores parcium Transsilvanarum wayvoda domino nostro metuendo presencialiter adherente, nobis unacum earundem parcium Transsilvanarum nobilibus ad congregacionem et convencionem eorundem nobilium ac Siculorum et Saxonum ipsarum parcium Transsilvanarum pro quibusdam necessariis earundem parcium Transsilvanarum expedicionibus perficiendis die dominica quasimodo geniti in anno domini 1442 preferită Torde factam convenientibus... ". Upon the Transylvanian assemblies see E. Mályusz, Az erdélyi magyar társadalom (see note 4), pp. 38-41. 75 The wording of Wladislaw's charter - L. Thallóczy-A. Áldássy, op. cit (see note 40), p. 141: "...potitus itaque hac feliei victoria prefatus noster wayvoda de hinc ad recuperationem Transalpinarum predictis Transsilvanis vicinarum partium intendere cepit..." also supports the interpretation according to which Hunyadi's Wallachian expedition did not immediately followed the battle of Poarta de Fier. 76 On 25 May 1442 he appears for the first time since 8 April at Braşov: Dl. 50.343, whence his itinerary can be followed with relative certainty. His steps are the following: 28 May: Caşolţ [(Szász)hermány], Zimmermann-Werner, Urkundenbuch (see note 33), V, no. 2436 = DF 246905; 18 June: Beia [(Homoród)bene], ibidem, V, no. 2437; 15 July: Curciu [(Küküllő)Kőrös], Dl. 55.262; 23 July: Sânpaul (Szentpál), Dl. 74.076. 77 O. Székely, op. cit. (see note 46), p. 19, n. 7.
