Hungarian Heritage Review, 1987 (16. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1987-01-01 / 1. szám
Épl TWileBtones 3n ^Hungarian ^Hiatorg IK/HÜUiís J’jp-by-ROGER B. GOODMAN — Part Thirteen — LOUIS THE GREAT The Age of Nagy Louis (Louis the Great). — During the reign of Nagy Lajos (1326-1382), a member of the Italian branch of the House of Anjou Hungary advanced enormously in economic development, in culture and in art. — Painting by Karoly Lotz. Charles Robert's reign of forty-four years permitted him to consolidate and secure Hungary as a great and important nation among nations. His son, Louis, ascending the throne at the age of eighteen, was presented with a great opportunity and an equally great challenge. His place in history testifies as to how well he responded. For he is the only king in Hungary’s long saga to be known as “The Great.” Taking King Saint László as his model, the young Louis, upon his coronation, made a pilgrimage to the tomb of László at Nagyvarad and vowed to emulate the earlier ruler as King. While physically Louis in no way resembled the tall and powerful László, in his devotion to the ideals of the Christian monarch, in his spirit and humanity, he was equal to the best. A contemporary historian wrote of King Louis: “There was no other known to be as kind and noble, moral and lofty-spirited, friendly and straightforward as he.” A Peaceful King at War Despite the power and security of Hungary on the death of Charles Robert, there were many problems involving neighboring states and matters of international dispute which compelled Louis to prove himself on the battlefields of Europe. First among them was the matter of a longstanding feud with Venice over possession of Dalmatia, Hungary’s only outlet to the sea. Louis’ generalship shone in his defeat of Venice in 1381 and even more when, at Nicopoli in 1366, Hungarian troops met the Turks in the field for the first time in history — and scored a smashing victory. The battlefield of Nicopoli was to remain in the Hungarian consciousness; not too long after this first success, Hungarian and Turkish arms clashed once again at this same spot, with disastrous results for the Hungarians. King of Hungary and Poland In 1370, after the death of King Casimir of Poland, Louis was elected King of Poland. This was in accordance with the agreement signed at Visegrad by Casimir and Louis’ —continued next page JANUARY 1987 HUNGARIAN HERITAGE REVIEW 15
