Századok – 2013
TANULMÁNYOK - Botlik Richárd: Statileo János diplomáciai küldetései János király (1526-1540) uralkodásának idejéből IV/813
854 BOTLIK RICHARD nánd önálló magyar királyi udvara 1528 elején Magyarországról való távoztával tehát örökre megszűnt.”289 Másrészt: — új kutatások alapján — „a nemzeti függetlenségi koncepció hatásával magyarázható, hogy mind a mai napig elevenen élnek olyan elképzelések, miszerint a magyar királyi udvar tényleges örököse a Szapolyai János »nemzeti« királyságát úgymond folytató erdélyi fejedelmek udvara lett volna.”290 THE DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS OF JÁNOS STATILEO DURING THE REIGN OF KING JOHN (1526-1540) by Richárd Botlik Summary János Statileo became a royal secretary in 1515. Before the battle at Mohács (1526) he joined the party of John Szapolyai (later King John), who acceded to the throne after the death of Louis II (1516-1526). Statileo entered the church and became provost of Buda and royal councillor in the first period of King John. Statileo was sent by his Majesty as ambassador to Poland in the course of January 1527. He and other well-educated Hungarian orators also tried to make an agreement with Ferdinand of Habsburg at Olomouc (an important town of Moravia), because Ferdinand was the elected King of Bohemia and he maintained a claim to the Hungarian Kingdom, but neither Statileo nor his company and others (for example King John’s brother-in-law, Sigismund I (1506-1548) King of Poland and his court) achieved full success. However, the Hungarian and Polish envoys met with Sir John Wallop, one of the ambassadors of Henry VIII (1509-1547) at Olomouc and Cracow. Sir Wallop’s task was to provide permanent intelligence about the events in Hungary, but the King of Bohemia stopped him because Wallop wanted to give 25,000 pieces of gold to King John, who became a rival of Ferdinand. It seems that Sir Wallop handed over some thousands of Henry’s aid in secret to the King of Poland or János Statileo at Cracow or Moravia. After the fruitless conference between Ferdinand and John, the King of Bohemia invaded Hungary and his army defeated King John at Tokaj on 27 September 1527. King John escaped to parts of East Hungary with his followers such as János Statileo. The councillor was sent for his next mission by King John to Munkács. Statileo undertook a difficult job: he had to enlist mercenaries in the depth of the winter of 1527-1528. Statileo lived up to expectation, and was consequently presented by the King of Hungary as bishop of Transylvania. Thereafter King John sent him to Venice, France and England to obtain a promise of aid against Ferdinand. Statileo met with Andrea Gritti (1523-1538) and the King of France who had granted him 30,000 pieces of gold to assist King John. Finally Statileo entered into a contract with Francis I (1515-1547) at Fontainebleau. Sir Robert Wingfield reported to Chancellor Thomas Wolsey on 20 December 1528 that the bishop of Transylvania arrived to Calais, and he would go to England. Statileo crossed the Channel on board of the Ostrelius and arrived to London at Christmas. The bishop negotiated with the Council, and assured Henry VIII and the Papal Legate that King John’s party were never Lutherans. The King of England put his name to the treaty of Fontainebleau but gave no money against Ferdinand. However, the King’s Court took an interest in the gold mines of Transylvania in exchange for aid. Statileo passed from London to Venice in early spring and came back to Hungary where the Ottomans were preparing an expedition against Vienna in 1529. Although the Ottomans raised the siege of Vienna and left Hungary in the autumn, they fortified Buda and gave Lodovico Gritti to King John as an assistant. Lodovico, the illegitimate son of Andrea Gritti, sowed dissension in the court of John. This was the main reason why the bishop of Transylvania stood aside from the diplomatic missions until 1538. In his last missions he was sent to Paris and Antwerpen. Statileo promised that he would meet with Thomas Cromwell and confirm that King John would continue to be an ally of Francis I and Henry VIII, but King John died in the meantime and the bishop had to return to his country. 289 Pálffy G.: A magyar nemesség i. m. 46. 290 Pálffy G.: A Magyar Királyság i. m. 102-103.
