Chapter VI – A Delicate Succession
“A fair war is better than an insidious friendship.” – Magyar Saying
Throughout the reign of Sigismund I, he was constantly plagued with noble dissent as claims to the throne were numerous, as well as his own legitimate claim to the throne questioned. With the death of his first wife, Mary I of Hungary in 1395, he barely held on to his throne for it was her position and family that he owed his crown. Delicately, he managed to keep his nobles from rebelling and he would wed Elizabeth of Celje in 1399, which would produce a son in December of 1401. The birth of Matyas von Luxembourg, the legitimate son of the King and Queen of Hungary quelled unrest and the uneasiness of the Magyar crown, at least for the time being.
As the years passed, the throne of Sigismund would continue to be an uneasy affair, as Sigismund battled not only outside forces but interior aggression as well. However, it must be said that overall Sigismund’s reign was never truly in jeopardy or in questioned. His policies brought prosperity to the Magyars, and his conquests brought new lands and titles under the crown. He was, indeed, a good ruler and king to the crown of Hungary.
Sigismund I von Luxembourg. This painting was commissioned right before his death in 1422.
By 1422, King Sigismund was gravely ill. He had steadily grown weak in the years after the Polish war ended in 1417. In most occasions, he was a model of health and vitality as he conducted business in a rightful manner. Yet, privately and sporadically, he would erupt in a coughing fit, where blood often would be spewed.
(1) Sensing that his death was imminent, he sent for his son, Matyas, as well as his confidant and general, Branabus Hunyadi. Sigismund had always been fond of Hunyadi, for it was he that gave him great victories on the battlefield and more or less saved Sigismund’s crown. On his death bed, Sigismund gave Hunyadi the title of
Voivode of Transylvania as well as the newly created title,
Protector of the Magyars.
(2) The Voivode essentially gave Hunyadi abundant estates and land, as well as a certain amount of power that unequalled any in the court except that of the Prince of Hungary, Matyas. The King’s son received his father’s blessing and proper ascension to the throne. Late in the night of February 14, 1422, King Sigismund I of Hungary, Croatia and Poland; Prince of Silesia and Luxembourg died at the age of fifty-four. Sigismund I was buried in Nagyvárad, Hungary, adjacent to the tomb of the former king, Ladislaus I of Hungary, who Sigismund held in high respect for his standard of the ideal monarch, warrior and pious ruler.
The burial of Sigismund I von Luxembourg.
With the death of Sigismund, Matyas von Luxembourg was crowned King of Hungary and rightful ruler of all its domains on February 15, 1422 at the age of twenty.
Matyas's induction as King of Hungary was even more politically unstable then that of his father, Sigismund.
The inception of Matyas onto the throne of Hungary received an incredibly mixed attitude from the nobles. The nobles who supported Matyas were ones who were staunch supporters of Sigismund; many of them were newer noble families whose lands were given by Sigismund, himself. The nobles in opposition of Matyas disagreed with the succession of Matyas for he was not a Hungarian, much like his father. Furthermore, not only was he not of Hungarian stock, but also he did not spend his life in the Hungarian court but abroad in the Venetian court. This greatly displeased many of the traditional nobles and older families in Hungary. These nobles did not want another king, foreign to Hungarian ideals on the throne, who they believed would spend the fortunes of Hungary on outside elements and not the kingdom. Matyas did not win favor of many of the nobles when his royal entourage consisted solely of Italians and Germans, men he trusted and socialized with while in Venice. This did not reflect well for King Matyas for many of the Hungarian noblemen did not care for the fact that he did not have any native Hungarians in his retinue, nor did Matyas make an effort to resolve this situation. Matyas was an incredibly proud and intelligent man, who grew up firmly believing that he was born to rule; his belief, his actions were always right. Traditionally, this usually created very powerful and enormously effective rulers, yet when your established kingdom does not see you as a native-born; it could pose problems no matter how effective the ruler.
King Matyas I von Luxembourg, King of Hungary, Croatia and Poland.
Almost immediately after taking the throne, the nobles of Poland voted and agreed to give the title of King of Poland to Matyas, just as they did to his father, Sigismund I. However, Matyas knowing the Polish nobles were weak, insisted that further concessions were made. In only a few short weeks, with political cunning and intrigue, Matyas became the supreme ruler and authority of the kingdom of Poland.
(3) This effectively ended the long history of the kingdom of Poland as it would eventually absorb into the Hungarian Empire over the centuries. With the addition of Polish lands under the Hungarian crown, and the taxes and trade that would come of it, the coffers of Hungary grew enormously in the months to follow.
The absorption of Poland was seen as great for Hungary, yet these lands would prove to be a hindrance to the rebels in The Magyar Rebellion.
King Matyas would receive his first test of power and taste of taming the nobles in April of 1422. In this month, a petition to the king was brought forth by the nobles asking for compensation for the service they gave during the Polish war. They believed it was a perfect time to ask, for King Matyas was growing increasingly wealthy due to the acquisition of Poland. Matyas heard the petition and reportedly laughed at the nobles present. He chastised them for their greed, declaring that they all grew rich from the war, be it from looting and land gains, and that his father was generous toward them. He continued with the fact that what his father may have promised, died with him; he had no obligation to fulfill any duties his father may or may not have agreed upon with the nobles. Though Matyas was intelligent, this was seen as complete ignorance as well as inexperience in the Hungarian court. He had no knowledge of how his father conducted business in the court, or how precarious his position as king really was. He ignored the nobles and denied the petition based on the simple fact that he was now king, and he owed nothing to the nobles for past actions of his father. This, of course entirely displeased many of the nobles, including some who had previously supported Matyas’s father. Rebellion was merely a whisper during Matyas’s induction as king, but after this complete lack of respect for the nobles, the whisper began to have a voice among the nobles.
The decline of King Matyas to the Hungarian nobles hastened open rebellion in Hungary.
One man who did not bother with court politics was Branabus Hunyadi. Though he was Voivode of Transylvania and was caught in the middle of court politics, he was very soft-spoken and respectful. He was not a politician but a warrior, a competent general. Yet, the nobles as well as King Matyas knew how important and dangerous he could be, and how intricate he was in the future of Hungary. Hunyadi was a patriot, a firm believer in Hungary and what it stood for. He was staunchly loyal to Sigismund, but failed to give his opinion on Matyas. He was the king’s servant, but it was obvious that Hunyadi would ever share the friendship with Matyas as he once had with the king’s father. Matyas, above all, knew that it was important to insure that Hunyadi was strictly in favor of him. With Hunyadi’s loyalty, Matyas knew his throne would be secure against the other nobles.
After the ordeal in April, Matyas began hearing rumors of open hostility in the court against his rule. He did not know who was speaking against him, but he knew whom he had to question and see first, Branabus Hunyadi. The next few weeks saw King Matyas and Branabus Hunyadi having words together on a few occasions. During this time, Hunyadi never spoke against his king, nor did he speak against any nobles. Matyas was growing frustrated with Hunyadi and his soft-spoken manner. Hunyadi persisted that he was a loyal subject of the king of Hungary.
(4) Matyas was not convinced of Hunyadi’s loyalty, and believed that he was far too dangerous to his throne. With Hunyadi dead, he would severely cripple any threat against his rule; though only if Hunyadi was, in fact, against his majesty.
In June of 1422, King Matyas secretly gave orders for the assassination of Branabus Hunyadi. He gave the order to a trusted associate who was to carry out the task late at night, by poisoning to accomplish the task. Matyas’s associate bribed one of Hunyadi’s servants to slip in a poisoning agent into the wine before serving it to Hunyadi’s table; this if successful would kill not only Hunyadi but also other supporters and close friends of the Voivode. Dinner that night brought together some of the nobles of the court, to try and lure Hunyadi to their side. Because of this, Hunyadi declined the wine on the grounds that he wished to be of pure mind while discussing such an important national issue; yet some of the others at the table accepted the wine and drank. Soon, the ones who drank the wine began to cough hysterically before collapsing to the floor dead, blood seeping from their mouths. It was not long before the servant was captured trying to escape and confessed after torture who had given him the poison. Branabus Hunyadi had escaped death and he knew that it was his king, Matyas that had ordered the attempt on his life. The nobles did not have to convince Hunyadi to take up their just cause, for King Matyas had done it for them.
Hunyadi's dinner, where six noblemen died due to poisoned wine, on the behalf of King Matyas.
When the news reached Matyas that his assassination attempt failed, and that the would-be-assassin talked; he shut himself up in his chamber for three days. The king knew that he had lost his element of surprise, and lost his chance of ending dissent before more blood would be lost. All he had managed to do was turn a loyal and incredibly popular general against him.
Branabus Hunyadi leading the rebellion would send shockwaves throughout Europe since he was the savior of Sigismund's reign.
By September of 1422, Branabus Hunyadi began to assemble an army with its intent on marching on Buda to finally rid Hungary of a foreign ruler and replace him with a man with true Hungarian blood, one who would not betray its people but fight to protect all that Hungary represents.
(5) The Magyar Rebellion had begun.
Lands in red are controlled by King Matyas; lands in blue are controlled by the Magyar rebels.
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(1) - Historians are not exactly sure on what brought about the coughs and blood. Many believe it was a form of pneumonia that led to the weakening of the king and ultimately his death.
(2) - The title Protector of the Magyars was purely a title of respect and honor, holding no legal authority. It was given by Sigismund to commemorate Hunyadi for his excellent service to the crown and to the people of Hungary.
(3) - Though Matyas's excellent diplomatic skills must be commended during his acquisition of Poland, it also must be noted that it was not just diplomacy that won the king the Polish lands. Two nobles opposing Matyas's bid, were conveniently silenced before the vote, which assured Matyas that he alone would control Poland.
(4) - It is indeed true that Branabus Hunyadi was a loyal subject to King Matyas. In private correspondence to a beloved friend, recently discovered by historians, he had expressed his support for Matyas after hearing of other's discontent with the young king. It is known fact that he did not agree with the king's decision over recompensation of the nobles, but that still did not deter his support.
(5) - Branabus Hunyadi was not expecting to lead the revolt, nor was he anticipating that he would be seen as the icon of Hungarian freedom. The nobles who participated in the rebellion voted and believed that Hunyadi was the ideal candidate to not only lead the army, but hopefully become the voice of all Magyars in the coming war.