Kósa László (szerk.): A Companion to Hungarian Studies (Budapest, 2001)

Chapter Three. András Gergely: The History of Hungary

the lesser nobility; he also employed officials who enjoyed regular pay. His long rule (1458-1490), however, was not a peaceful one. The magnates, including some former supporters such as János Vitéz, the bishop of Esztergom, conspired and rose up against him several times. Matthias did not depend on the magnates for his military power. He spent most of his revenues on the armament and maintenance of his famed Black Army of mercenaries. This 10,000 strong army had to be kept occupied and its upkeep logically called for a series of military campaigns. In the case of foreign expeditions the army could partly maintain itself from the booty it seized. Aside from small campaigns, Matthias did not mount a major anti-Turkish war; he would have had little hope of success had he done so. Instead, he organised a network of border fortresses in the south, which became increasingly costly to maintain. The Balkans did not promise much booty for the Black Army, so Matthias launched various campaigns aimed at seiz­ing the Bohemian throne, and also against Austria, Moravia and Si­lesia which were, more often than not, successful. After his death, however, the territories conquered by Matthias threw off the Hungar­ian yoke. After his ascension to the Bohemian throne Matthias became a po­tential candidate among the other German prince-electors, and hoped to win the imperial throne. In 1485 he captured Vienna and moved his royal court there. However, the country lacked the necessary mili­tary power to maintain the territories they conquered. The young king made a promise to his arch-enemy, Frederick II of Habsburg, when they concluded a peace treaty: if he should die heirless the throne should pass to Frederick. He had no lawful son from either of his two marriages, and during the last years of his reign he tried to ensure that his illegitimate son, János Corvin, should ascend the throne. Af­ter his father' death, however, the young prince was unable to gain recognition for his claim to the throne; the Black Army was disbanded and centralised power suffered a major decline. Vladislas II of the Jagellón dynasty (1490-1516) ascended the throne and was, in turn, succeeded by his son, Louis II (1516-1526). Accord­ing to a contemporary chronicler these kings were firmly controlled by the magnates. Royal estates and revenues were leased out, and the sources which formerly replenished the royal coffers ran dry. Even the soldiers garrisoned at the border defences did not receive their pay. The diets, which were held with increasing regularity on Rákos Field near Pest, included more and more participants and issued many decrees in the interest of the lesser nobility. These, however, were rarely carried out due to the opposition of the magnates. The leading offi­cials of the state apparatus were replaced regularly and as a result, state administration was beset by many obstacles. The political life of 131

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