Hungarian Heritage Review, 1987 (16. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1987-07-01 / 7. szám
J§& 3®tÜ£0Ítmes (3ltt ^Hungarian jMtstnrg FJrw-by-ROGER B. GOODMAN ray Part One of Chapter Seventeen: A MOMENT OF GLORY: MATTHIAS THE KING On the death of King Ladislas, with Hungary in a state of confusion and disarray, it was obvious that this was the opportunity Matthias Hunyadi had been waiting for. He had not only his own personal popularity working for him, and the powerful personality and influence of his mother, Elizabeth Szilagyi, but the support of his uncle, Mihály Szilagyi, at the head of an army of thousands of veterans. Therefore, in January, 1458, while Matthias was still a token prisoner at the court of George Podeibrad, soon to be King of Bohemia, the Council in Buda elected Matthias King of Hungary. In joyous triumph the youth returned to Buda, hailed by the populace, but confronting a nation torn by disunity and the rivalry of powerful nobles. At this time, Mihály Szilagyi, who had had himself declared governor of the realm, felt that he would be the power behind the throne, since the King was a mere lad of eighteen years. It was soon evident that Szilagyi, like many others in and near the Court, had underestimated by far the skills, determination and ruling genius of the young King. The Boy King It seemed reasonable to the powerful lords of the land, including Szilagyi, that there would be little difficulty in establishing their claims to power in the land. The previous young King Ladislas had been under the influence of his advisors, particularly Count Ciliéi, and there appeared to be no reason to expect that the youthful Hunyadi would prove any more difficult to control. Even Matthias’ most trusted friend and confidant, John Vitéz, Bishop of Nagyvarad, felt that his own wise guiding influence would be of prime importance. None of these men, however, friends or foes, judged correctly the determination, courage and farsightedness of the young monarch. And they had no way of knowing, until they experienced it first hand, Matthias’ skill at using the sword and the olive branch at the same time. Of immediate moment was the threat of the Hussite leader, Giskra, powerful in the North country; to the south was the constant threat of the Ottomans, although they moved cautiously since their disaster at Nándor fehérvár. And Matthias proceeded to address these problems. But first he showed his powerful advisors that while they had considerable influence upon him, he alone was King. Gara and Szilagyi László Gara, Palatine of Hungary, felt that his power was paramount in the land. But Matthias removed him from his office when Gara refused to appear at Court in response to the King’s summons. Matthias then turned to his uncle, Szilagyi, and appointed him Captain General, sending him to command the frontiers of southern Hungary. This action, removing him from the Court, caused great resentment in Szilagyi, and he allied himself with Gara. The two actually got to the point of armed rebellion against the King, but they were defeated in battle. Matthias, instead of having his old friend put to death, ordered him imprisoned. Matthias’ strength on the battlefield, as well as his fitnesse diplomatically, stamped him as a man to be reckoned with. All this despite the fact that he had not yet been given the Holy Crown. The latter was still in the hands of Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor, who yearned to become King of Hungary. War and Diplomacy With matters in the realm now relatively quiet, Matthias turned his attention to solving the problems caused by his three outstanding adversaries: the Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick III, the Czech —continued next page JULY 1987 HUNGARIAN HERITAGE REVIEW 13
