Hungarian Heritage Review, 1989 (18. évfolyam, 1-9. szám)
1989-02-01 / 2. szám
THE RAVEN AND THE RING THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JANOS HUNYADI-by-PAUL PULITZER Chapter VIII: FOR KING AND CROWN The Ottoman victory at the Third Battle of Kossovo revitalized Turkish ambitions to conquer all of Western Europe. With this objective in mind, Sultan Muhammed II concentrated upon eliminating all vestiges of resistance through the Balkans. More and more Balkan princes hastened to pay homage to him, and it was not long before he was ready to try his might against Hunyadi, the one foe whom he respected and admired. These preparations for a renewed attack upon Hungary were used by the enemies of the Regent as a pretext to remove him from office. While Hunyadi had been warmly welcomed by the lesser nobility and the people, the great lords and magnates began a vicious campaign of slander and lies against the Regent. They wrote letters to the monarchs of Europe accusing Hunyadi of wanting only to enrich himself and to achieve greater power and glory. And, despite all of Hunyadi’s accomplishments and his known selfsacrifice, most of the Christian prices, as well as the Pope himself, believed these false reports. The Pope, Nicholas V, actually went so far as to send a special envoy to the Magyar Diet asking it to forgo the war against the Turks and to concentrate on restoring peace and order within Hungary. Hunyadi, however, taking heart from the steadfast support of the people and the lesser nobility, determined upon his own strong measures. On June 24, 1449, he summoned the Magyar Diet into an emergency session and he demanded a vote of confidence; this was given to him. In addition, the Diet sent an urgent letter to the Pope in which they emphasized their unqualified support of their Regent. They respectfully suggested that the Pontiff, instead of finding fault with Hunyadi, should try to help the nation recover from the recent disasters and renew resistance to the Ottomans. They sent this message in the hands of a high-ranking nobleman. The Pope was so incensed by this response that he flung the astonished messenger into jail. Hunyadi protested strongly against the Pope’s action; the messengerwas immediately released. Beingreluctanttotake any stronger action against the Holy See, however, Hunyadi temporarily suspended his plans for foreign action and devoted himself entirely to vital domestic problems. Among the most perplexing of these was the matter of the return to Hungary of the person of the King and of the Sacred Crown of St. Stephen. Hunyadi felt that the resolution of these two problems would enable him to achieve the necessary quiet within the realm so that he could concentrate fully upon the primary task - resistance to the Ottomans. Hunyadi first approached two powerful lords who were among those who opposed him - Ladislas Gara, the Count Palatine, and Nicholas Újlaki, Voivode of Transylvania. (continued next page) FEBRUARY 1989 HUNGARIAN HERITAGE REVIEW 17
