Early rule and consolidation (1458–1464) Matthias's election was the first time that a member of the nobility mounted the royal throne in Hungary. Michael Szilágyi sent John Vitéz to Prague to discuss the terms of Matthias's release with George of Poděbrady. Poděbrady, whose daughter
Katalin Matthias promised to marry, agreed to release his future son-in-law for a ransom of 60,000 gold
florins. Matthias was surrendered to the Hungarian delegates in
Strážnice on 9 February 1458. With Poděbrady's mediation, he was reconciled with
John Jiskra of Brandýs, the commander of the Czech mercenaries who dominated most of
Upper Hungary. Matthias made his state entry into Buda five days later. He ceremoniously sat on the throne in the Church of Our Lady, but was not crowned, because the
Holy Crown of Hungary had been in the possession of
Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor for almost two decades. The 14-year-old monarch administered state affairs independently from the outset, although he reaffirmed his uncle's position as Regent. For instance, Matthias instructed the citizens of Nagyszeben (now
Sibiu in Romania) to reconcile their differences with
Vlad Dracula,
Prince of Wallachia on 3 March 1458. Jiskra was the first baron who turned against Matthias. He offered the throne to
Casimir IV of Poland, the husband of King Ladislaus V's younger sister
Elisabeth, in late March but the
General sejm of Poland rejected his offer. Matthias's commander Sebastian Rozgonyi defeated Jiskra's soldiers at
Sárospatak but the Ottomans' invasion of
Serbia in April forced Matthias to conclude an armistice with the Czechs. They were allowed to keep Sáros Castle (now
Šariš Castle, Slovakia) and other fortified places in Upper Hungary. Matthias sent two prelates, August Salánki,
Bishop of Győr, and Vincent Szilasi,
Bishop of Vác, to Prague to crown George of Poděbrady king. Upon their demand, the "heretic" Poděbrady swore loyalty to the
Holy See. , and
King Saint Ladislaus The Estates in Pest passed almost 50 decrees after assembling in May, and these were ratified by Matthias, instead of the Regent, on 8 June 1458. One decree prescribed that the King "must call and hold, and order to be held, a diet of all the gentlemen of the realm in person" every year on
Whitsunday. Matthias held more than 25 Diets during his reign and convoked the Estates more frequently than his predecessors, especially between 1458 and 1476. The Diets were controlled by the barons, whom Matthias appointed and dismissed at will. For instance, he dismissed Palatine Ladislaus Garai and persuaded Michael Szilágyi to resign from the Regency after they entered into a league in the summer of 1458. The King appointed
Michael Ország, who had been his father's close supporter, as the new Palatine. Most of Matthias's barons were descended from old aristocratic families but he also promoted the careers of members of the lesser nobility, or even of skilful commoners. For instance, the noble
Zápolya brothers
Emeric and
Stephen owed their fortunes to Matthias's favour. Matthias's ordinary revenues amounted around 250,000 golden florins per year when his reign began. A decree passed at the Diet of 1458 explicitly prohibited the imposition of extraordinary taxes. However, an extraordinary tax,
one golden florin per each
porta or peasant household, was levied late that year. The Ottomans occupied the fort of
Golubac in Serbia in August 1458; Matthias ordered the mobilization of all noblemen. He made a raid into Ottoman territory and defeated the enemy forces in minor skirmishes. King
Stephen Thomas of Bosnia accepted Matthias's suzerainty. Matthias authorized his new
vassal's son
Stephen Tomašević to take possession of the parts of Serbia that had not been occupied by the Ottomans. At the turn of 1458 and 1459, Matthias held a Diet at
Szeged to prepare for a war against the Ottoman Empire. However, gossip about a conspiracy compelled him to return to Buda. The rumours proved to be true because at least 30 barons, including Ladislaus Garai, Nicholas Újlaki, and
Ladislaus Kanizsai, met in Németújvár (now
Güssing in Austria) and offered the throne to Emperor Frederick III on 17 February 1459. Even George of Poděbrady turned against Matthias when Frederick promised him to make him governor of the Holy Roman Empire. Although the joint troops of the Emperor and the rebellious lords defeated a royal army at
Körmend on 27 March, Garai had by that time died, Újlaki and Sigismund Szentgyörgyvölgyi soon entered into negotiations with Matthias' envoys. Újlaki became indifferent, Szentgyörgyvölgyi joined to Matthias. Skirmishes along the western borderlands lasted for several months, preventing Matthias from providing military assistance to Tomašević against the Ottomans. The latter took
Smederevo on 29 June 1459, completing the conquest of Serbia. Jiskra swore an oath of loyalty to Emperor Frederick on 10 March 1460.
Pope Pius II offered to mediate a peace treaty between the Emperor and Matthias. Podedébrandy also realised he need to support Matthias or at least had to be indifferent. He sent his daughter to Buda also offered his assistance. The representatives of the Emperor and Matthias signed a truce in Olomouc in April 1460. The Pope soon offered financial support for an anti-Ottoman campaign. However, John Jiskra returned from Poland, renewing the armed conflicts with Czech mercenaries in early 1460. Matthias seized a newly-erected fort from the Czechs but he could not force them to obey him. The costs of his five-month-long campaign in Upper Hungary were paid for by an extraordinary tax. Matthias entered into an alliance with the Emperor's rebellious brother
Albert VI, Archduke of Austria. George of Poděbrady sided with the Emperor although the marriage of his daughter, who became known as Catherine in Hungary, to Matthias was celebrated on 1 May 1461 (married 1461 to 1464). Relations between Matthias and his father-in-law deteriorated because of the Czech mercenaries' continued presence in Upper Hungary. Matthias launched a new campaign against them after the Diet authorized him to collect an extraordinary tax in mid-1461. However, he did not defeat Jiskra, who even captured Késmárk (now
Kežmarok,
Slovakia). The envoys of Matthias and Emperor Frederick agreed the terms of peace treaty on 3 April 1462. According to the agreement, the Emperor was to return the Holy Crown of Hungary for 80,000 golden florins, but his right to use the title King of Hungary along with Matthias was confirmed. In accordance with the treaty, the Emperor adopted Matthias, which granted him the right to succeed his "son" if Matthias died without a legitimate heir. Within a month, Jiskra yielded to Matthias. He surrendered all the forts he held in Upper Hungary to the King's representatives; as compensation, he received a large domain near the Tisza and Arad and 25,000 golden florins. That happened before the peace treaty with Frederick. To pay the large amounts stipulated in his treaties with the Emperor and Jiskra, Matthias collected an extraordinary tax with the consent of the Royal Council. The Diet, which assembled in mid-1462, confirmed this decision but only after 9 prelates and 19 barons promised that no extraordinary taxes would be introduced thereafter. Through hiring mercenaries among Jiskra's companions, Matthias began organizing a professional army, which became known as the "
Black Army" in following decades. The peace treaty made in Wiener-Neustadt 19 July 1463.
Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II invaded
Wallachia in early 1462. He did not conquer the country but the
Wallachian boyars dethroned the anti-Ottoman Vlad Dracula and replaced him with the Sultan's favorite,
Radu the Fair. The new Prince was willing to grant concessions to the
Transylvanian Saxon merchants, who had come into bitter conflict with Vlad Dracula. The latter sought assistance from Matthias and they met in Brassó (now
Brașov, Romania) in November. However, the Saxons presented Matthias with a letter that was allegedly written by Vlad Dracula to Sultan Mehmed in which the Prince offered his support to the Ottomans. Convinced of Vlad Dracula's treachery, Matthias had him imprisoned. In preparation for a war against the Ottomans, Matthias held a Diet at
Tolna in March 1463. Although the Estates authorized him to levy an extraordinary tax of one florin, he did not intervene when Mehmed II invaded Bosnia in June. In a month, the Ottomans murdered King Stephen Tomašević and conquered the whole country. Matthias adopted an offensive foreign policy only after the terms of his peace with Emperor Frederick had been ratified in
Wiener Neustadt on 19 July 1463. He led his troops to Bosnia and
conquered Jajce and other forts in its northern parts. The conquered regions were organized into new defensive provinces, the banates of
Jajce and
Srebrenik. Matthias was assisted by
Stjepan Vukčić Kosača,
Grand Duke of Bosnia, who controlled the area of
modern and
Old Hercegovina. A former vassal to the Bosnian kings, Stjepan accepted Matthias's suzerainty. Queen Catherine died in early 1464 during preparations for her husband's coronation with the Holy Crown, which had been returned by Emperor Frederick. The ceremony was carried out in full accordance with the
customary law of Hungary on 29 March 1464;
Archbishop of Esztergom Dénes Szécsi ceremoniously put the Holy Crown on Matthias's head in
Székesfehérvár. At the Diet assembled on this occasion, the newly crowned King confirmed the liberties of the nobility. Hereafter the legality of Matthias's reign could not be questioned.
First reforms and internal conflicts (1464–1467) and Matthias's coat-of-arms
Political reforms Matthias dismissed his Chief Chancellor Archbishop Szécsi, replacing him with
Stephen Várdai,
Archbishop of Kalocsa, and John Vitéz. Both prelates bore the title of Chief and Secret Chancellor, but Várdai was the actual leader of the
Royal Chancery. Around the same time, Matthias united the superior courts of justice, the Court of Royal Special Presence and the Court of Personal Presence, into one supreme court. The new supreme court diminished the authority of the traditional courts presided over by the barons and contributed to the professionalization of the administration of justice. He appointed Albert Hangácsi,
Bishop of Csanád as the first
Chief Justice. Sultan Mehmed II returned to Bosnia and laid
siege to Jajce in July 1464. Matthias began assembling his troops along the River
Sava, forcing the Sultan to raise the siege on 24 August 1464. Matthias and his army crossed the river and seized
Srebrenica. He also besieged
Zvornik, but the arrival of a large Ottoman army forced him to withdraw to Hungary. The following year, Matthias forced Stefan Vukčić, who had transferred Makarska Krajina to the
Republic of Venice, to establish Hungarian garrisons in his forts along the river
Neretva. Dénes Szécsi died in 1465 and John Vitéz became the new Archbishop of Esztergom. Matthias replaced the two Voivodes of Transylvania (Nicholas Újlaki and John Pongrác of Dengeleg) with Counts
Sigismund and John Szentgyörgyi, and Bertold Ellerbach. Although Újlaki preserved his office of
Ban of Macsó, the King appointed Peter Szokoli to administer the province together with the old Ban. Matthias convoked the Diet to make preparations for an anti-Ottoman campaign in 1466. For the same purpose, he received subsidies from
Pope Paul II. However, Matthias had realized that no substantial aid could be expected from the Christian powers and tacitly gave up his anti-Ottoman foreign policy. He did not invade Ottoman territory and the Ottomans did not make major incursions into Hungary, implying that he signed a peace treaty with Mehmed II's envoy who arrived in Hungary in 1465. Matthias visited
Slavonia and dismissed the two
Bans Nicholas Újlaki and Emeric Zápolya, replacing them with Jan Vitovec and John Tuz in 1466. Early the following year, he mounted a campaign in Upper Hungary against a band of Czech mercenaries who were under the command of Ján Švehla and had seized Kosztolány (now
Veľké Kostoľany in Slovakia). Matthias routed them and had Švehla and his 150 comrades hanged.
Economic reforms At the Diet of March 1467, two traditional taxes were renamed; the chamber's profit was thereafter collected as tax of the royal treasury and the
thirtieth as the Crown's customs. Because of this change, all previous tax exemptions became void, increasing state revenues. Matthias set about centralizing the administration of royal revenues. He entrusted the administration of the Crown's customs to
John Ernuszt, a converted Jewish merchant. Within two years, Ernuszt was responsible for the collection of all ordinary and extraordinary taxes, and the management of the salt mines.
The Transylvanian revolt and Matthias's campaign in Moldavia Matthias's tax reform caused a revolt in Transylvania. The representatives of the "
Three Nations" of the province (the noblemen, the Saxons and the
Székelys) formed an alliance against the King in Kolozsmonostor (now
Mănăștur district in Cluj-Napoca, Romania) on 18 August 1467, stating that they were willing to fight for the freedom of Hungary. Matthias assembled his troops immediately and hastened to the province. The rebels surrendered without resistance but Matthias severely punished their leaders, many of whom were impaled, beheaded, or mercilessly tortured upon his orders. Suspecting that Stephen the Great had supported the rebellion, Matthias
invaded Moldavia. On the night of December 15, the troops of Stephen the Great initiated a [surprise attack on the Hungarian forces encamped in the town of
Baia. The initial phase of the attack resulted in significant casualties for the Hungarian forces. However, Matthias counterattacked, forcing Stephen to retreat. Three days following the
Battle of Baia, the Hungarian army returned to Hungary, due to Matthias's severe injury during combat.
War for the Lands of the Bohemian Crown (1468–1479) (attributed to),
Benedetto da Maiano (previous attribution) 1476) Matthias's former brother-in-law
Victor of Poděbrady invaded Austria in early 1468. Emperor Frederick appealed to Matthias for support, hinting at the possibility of Matthias's election as
King of the Romans, the first step towards the imperial throne. Matthias declared war on Victor's father, King George of Bohemia, on 31 March 1468. He said he also wanted to help the Czech Catholic lords against their "heretic monarch", whom the Pope had
excommunicated. Matthias expelled the Czech troops from Austria and invaded Moravia and
Silesia. He took an active part in the fighting; he was injured during the siege of
Třebíč in May 1468 and was captured at
Chrudim while spying out the enemy camp in disguise in February 1469. On the latter occasion, he was released because he made his custodians believe he was a local Czech groom. The Diet of 1468 authorized Matthias to levy an extraordinary tax to finance the new war but only after 8 prelates and 13 secular lords pledged on the King's behalf that he would not demand such charges in the future. Matthias also exercised royal prerogatives to increase his revenues. For instance, he ordered a Palatine's
eyre in a county, the cost of which were to be covered by the local inhabitants, but he soon authorised the county to redeem the cancellation of the irksome duty. The Czech Catholics, who were led by
Zdeněk of Šternberk, joined forces with Matthias in February 1469. Their united troops were encircled at
Vilémov by George of Poděbrady's army. In fear of being captured, Matthias opened negotiations with his former father-in-law. They met in a nearby hovel in which Matthias persuaded George of Poděbrady to sign an armistice promising that he would mediate a reconciliation between the
moderate Hussites and the Holy See. Their next meeting took place in Olomouc in April. Here the papal legates came forward with demands including the appointment of a Catholic Archbishop to the
See of Prague, which could not be accepted by George of Poděbrady. The Czech Catholic Estates elected Matthias King of Bohemia in Olomouc on 3 May 1469 but he was never crowned. Moravia, Silesia and
Lusatia soon accepted his rule but Bohemia proper remained faithful to George of Poděbrady. The Estates of Bohemia even acknowledged the right of
Vladislaus Jagiello, the eldest son of Casimir IV of Poland, to succeed king George of Poděbrady. Matthias's relations with Frederick III had in the meantime deteriorated because the Emperor accused Matthias of allowing the Ottomans to march through Slavonia when raiding the Emperor's realms. The
Frangepan family, whose domains in Croatia were exposed to Ottoman raids, entered into negotiations with the Emperor and the Republic of Venice. In 1469, Matthias sent an army to Croatia to prevent the Venetians from seizing the Adriatic coastal town
Senj. Matthias expelled George of Poděbrady's troops from Silesia. Matthias's army was encircled and routed at
Uherský Brod on 2 November 1489, forcing him to withdraw to Hungary. Matthias soon ordered the collection of an extraordinary tax without holding a Diet, raising widespread discontent among the Hungarian Estates. He visited Emperor Frederick in Vienna on 11 February 1470, hoping the Emperor would contribute to the costs of the war against Poděbrady. Although the negotiations lasted for a month, no compromise was worked out. The Emperor also refused to commit himself to promoting Matthias's election as King of the Romans. After a month, Matthias left Vienna without taking formal leave of Frederick III. Having realised the Hungarian Estates' growing dissatisfaction, Matthias held a Diet in November 1470. The Diet again authorized him to levy an extraordinary tax, stipulating that the sum of all taxes payable per
porta could not exceed one florin. The Estates also made it clear that they opposed the war in Bohemia. George of Poděbrady died on 22 March 1471. The Diet of Bohemia proper elected Vladislaus Jagiello king on 27 May 1471. The papal legate Lorenzo Roverella soon declared Vladislaus's election void and confirmed Matthias's position as King of Bohemia, but the
Imperial Diet refused Matthias's claim. Matthias was staying in Moravia when he was informed that a group of Hungarian prelates and barons had offered the throne to
Casimir, a younger son of King Casimir IV of Poland. The conspiracy was initiated by Archbishop John Vitéz and his nephew
Janus Pannonius,
Bishop of Pécs, who opposed war against the Catholic Vladislaus Jagiellon. Initially, their plan was supported by the majority of the Estates, but nobody dared to rebel against Matthias, enabling him to return to Hungary without resistance. Matthias held a Diet and promised to refrain from levying taxes without the consent of the Estates and to convoke the Diet in each year. His promises remedied most of the Estates' grievances and almost 50 barons and prelates confirmed their loyalty to him on 21 September 1471. Casimir Jagiellon invaded on 2 October 1471. With Bishop Janus Pannonius's support, he seized Nyitra (now
Nitra in Slovakia), but only two barons,
John Rozgonyi and Nicholas Perényi, joined him. Within five months Prince Casimir withdrew from Hungary, Bishop Janus Pannonius died while fleeing, and Archbishop John Vitéz was forbidden to leave his see. Matthias appointed the Silesian
Johann Beckensloer to administer the
Archdiocese of Esztergom. Vitéz died and Beckensloer succeeded him in a year. The Ottomans had meanwhile seized the Hungarian forts along the river Nertva. Matthias nominated the wealthy baron Nicholas Újlaki as King of Bosnia in 1471, entrusting the defence of the province to him.
Uzun Hassan, head of the
Aq Qoyunlu Turkmens, proposed an anti-Ottoman alliance to Matthias but he refrained from attacking the Ottoman Empire. Matthias supported the Austrian noblemen who rebelled against Emperor Frederick in 1472. The following year, Matthias, Casimir IV and Vladislaus entered into negotiations on the terms of a peace treaty, but the discussions lasted for months. Matthias tried to unify the government of Silesia, which consisted of
dozens of smaller duchies, through appointing a captain-general. However, the Estates refused to elect his candidate Duke
Frederick I of Liegnitz. : 1.
Hungary's
two-barred cross, 2.
Árpád dynasty, 3.
Bohemia, and 4.
Hunyadi family) and that of his wife
Beatrice of Naples (
Quartered: 1. and 4.
Arpad dynasty – France ancient –
Jerusalem Impaled; 2. and 3. Aragon), above them a royal crown. On the outer edge there are coat of arms of various lands, beginning from the top clockwise they are: Bohemia, Luxemburg, Lower Lusatia, Moravia, Austria, Galicia–Volhynia, Silesia, Dalmatia-Croatia,
Beszterce county Ali Bey Mihaloğlu,
Bey of Smederevo, pillaged eastern parts of Hungary, destroyed Várad, and took 16,000 prisoners with him in January 1474. The next month, the envoys of Matthias and Casimir IV signed a peace treaty and a three-year truce between Matthias and Vladislaus Jagiellon was also declared. Within a month, however, Vladislaus entered into an alliance with Emperor Frederick and Casimir IV joined them. Casimir IV and Vladislaus invaded Silesia and laid siege to Matthias in Breslau (now
Wrocław in Poland) in October. He prevented the besiegers from accumulating provisions, forcing them to raise the siege. Thereafter the Silesian Estates willingly elected Matthias's new candidate Stephen Zápolya as captain-general. The Moravian Estates elected Ctibor Tovačovský as captain-general. Matthias confirmed this decision, although Tovačovský had been Vladislaus Jagiellon's partisan. The Ottomans invaded Wallachia and Moldavia at the end of 1474. Matthias sent reinforcements under the command of
Blaise Magyar to Stephen the Great. Their united forces routed the invaders in the
Battle of Vaslui on 10 January 1475. Fearing a new Ottoman invasion, the Prince of Moldavia swore fealty to Matthias on 15 August 1475. Sultan Mehmed II proposed peace but Matthias refused him. Instead, he stormed into Ottoman territory and captured
Šabac, an important fort on the river Száva, on 15 February 1476. During the siege, Matthias barely escaped capture while he was watching the fortress from a boat. For unknown reasons, Archbishop Johann Beckensloer left Hungary, taking the treasury of the Esztergom See with him in early 1476. He fled to Vienna and offered his funds to the Emperor. Matthias accused the Emperor of having incited the Archbishop against him. Mehmed II launched a campaign against Moldavia in the summer. Although he won the
Battle of Valea Albă on 26 July 1476, the lack of provisions forced him to retreat. Matthias sent auxiliary troops to Moldavia under the command of Vlad Dracula, whom he had released, and
Stephen Báthory The allied forces defeated an Ottoman army at the
Siret River in August. With Hungarian and Moldavian support, Vlad Dracula was reinstalled as Prince of Wallachia but he was killed fighting against his opponent
Basarab Laiotă. Matthias's bride
Beatrice of Naples arrived in Hungary in late 1476. Matthias married her in Buda on 22 December 1476. The Queen soon established a rigid etiquette, making direct contacts between the King and his subjects more difficult. According to Bonfini, Matthias also "improved his board and manner of life, introduced sumptuous banquets, disdaining humility at home and beautified the dining rooms" after his marriage. According to a contemporaneous record, around that time Matthias's revenues amounted about 500,000 florins, half of which derived from the tax of the royal treasury and the extraordinary tax. Matthias concluded an alliance with the
Teutonic Knights and the
Bishopric of Ermland against Poland in March 1477. However, instead of Poland, he declared war on Emperor Frederick after he learnt that the Emperor had confirmed Vladislaus Jagiellon's position as King of Bohemia and
Prince-elector. Matthias invaded
Lower Austria and imposed a blockade on Vienna. Vladislaus Jagiellon denied to support the Emperor, forcing him to seek reconciliation with Matthias. With the mediation of
Pope Sixtus IV, Venice, and
Ferdinand I of Naples, Matthias concluded a peace treaty with Frederick III, which was signed on 1 December 1477. The Emperor promised to confirm Matthias as the lawful ruler of Bohemia and to pay him an indemnity of 100,000 florins. They met in
Korneuburg where Frederick III installed Matthias as King of Bohemia and Matthias swore loyalty to the Emperor. Negotiations between the envoys of Matthias and Vladislaus Jagiellon accelerated during the next few months. The first draft of a treaty was agreed upon on 28 March 1478, and the text was completed by the end of 1477. The treaty authorized both monarchs to use the title of King of Bohemia although Vladislaus could omit to style Matthias as such in their correspondence, and the
Lands of the Bohemian Crown were divided between them. Vladislaus ruled in Bohemia proper and Matthias in Moravia, Silesia and Lusatia. They solemnly ratified the peace treaty at their meeting in Olomouc on 21 July 1478.
War for Austria (1479–1487) of Matthias Corvinus, guarded by
Black Army heavy infantry.
Matthias Church, Budapest. The damaged art relic was renovated in 1893. Emperor Frederick only paid off half of the indemnity due to Matthias according to their treaty of 1477. Matthias concluded a treaty with the
Swiss Confederacy on 26 March 1479, hindering the recruitment of Swiss mercenaries by the Emperor. He also entered into an alliance with
Archbishop of Salzburg Bernhard II of Rohr, who allowed him to take possession of the fortresses of the Archbishopric in
Carinthia,
Carniola and
Styria. An Ottoman army supported by
Basarab Țepeluș of Wallachia invaded Transylvania and set fire to Szászváros (now
Orăștie in Romania) in late 1479. Stephen Báthory and
Paul Kinizsi annihilated the marauders in the
Battle of Breadfield on 13 October 1479. Matthias united the command of all forts along the Danube to the west of Belgrade in the hand of Paul Kinizsi to improve the defence of the southern frontier. Matthias sent reinforcements to Stephen the Great, who invaded pro-Ottoman Wallachia in early 1480; Matthias launched a campaign as far as
Sarajevo in Bosnia in November. He set up five defensive provinces, or banates, centred around the forts of
Szörényvár (now Drobeta-Turnu Severin in Romania),
Belgrade,
Šabac,
Srebrenik, and
Jajce. The next year, Matthias initiated a criminal case against the Frankapans, the
Zrinskis and other leading Croatian and Slavonian magnates for their alleged participation in the 1471 conspiracy. Most barons were pardoned as soon as they consented to the introduction of a new land tax. In 1481, for a loan of 100,000 florins, Matthias seized the town of
Mautern in Styria and
Sankt Pölten in Lower Austria from Friedrich Mauerkircher, one of the two candidates to the
Bishopric of Passau. Sultan Mehmed II died on 3 May 1481. A civil war ensued in the Ottoman Empire between his sons
Bayezid II and
Cem. Defeated, Cem fled to
Rhodes, where the
Knights Hospitaller kept him in custody. Matthias claimed Cem's custody in the hope of using him to gain concessions from Bayezid, but Venice and
Pope Innocent VIII strongly opposed this plan. In late 1481, Hungarian auxiliary troops supported Matthias's father-in-law Ferdinand I of Naples to reoccupy
Otranto, which had been lost to the Ottomans the year before. Although the "Black Army" had already laid siege to
Hainburg an der Donau in January 1482, Matthias officially declared a new war on Emperor Frederick three months later. He directed the siege in person from the end of June and the town fell to him in October. In the next three months, Matthias also captured
Sankt Veit an der Glan,
Enzersdorf an der Fischa, and
Kőszeg. The papal legate, Bartolomeo Maraschi tried to mediate a peace treaty between Matthias and the Emperor, but Matthias refused. Instead, he signed a five-year truce with Sultan Bayezid. Matthias's marriage to Beatrice of Naples did not produce sons; he tried to strengthen the position of his illegitimate son
John Corvinus. The child received Sáros Castle and inherited the extensive domains of his grandmother Elizabeth Szilágyi with his father's consent. Matthias also forced Victor of Poděbrady to renounce the
Duchy of Troppau in Silesia in favour of John Corvinus in 1485. Queen Beatrice opposed Matthias's favouritism towards his son. Even so, Matthias nominated her eight-year-old nephew
Ippolito d'Este Archbishop of Esztergom. The Pope refused to confirm the child's appointment for years. The "Black Army" encircled Vienna in January 1485. The siege lasted for five months and ended with the triumphal entry of Matthias, at the head of 8,000 veterans, into Vienna on 1 June 1485. The King soon moved the royal court to the newly conquered town. He summoned the Estates of Lower Austria to Vienna and forced them to swear loyalty to him. Upon the monarch's initiative, the Diet of 1485 passed the so-called
Decretum maius, a systematic law-code which replaced many previous contradictory decrees. The law-code introduced substantial reforms in the administration of justice; the Palatine's eyre and the extraordinary county assemblies were abolished, which strengthened the position of the county courts. Matthias also decreed that in cases of the monarch's absence or minority, the Palatine was authorized to rule as Regent. Emperor Frederick persuaded six of the seven Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire to proclaim his son
Maximilian King of the Romans on 16 February 1486. The Emperor, however, had failed to invite the King of Bohemia, either Matthias or Vladislaus Jagiellon, to the assembly. In an attempt to prevail on Vladislaus to protest, Matthias invited him to a personal meeting. Although they formed an alliance in
Jihlava in September, the Estates of Bohemia refused to confirm it and Vladislaus recognized Maximilian's election. In the meantime Matthias continued his war against the Emperor. The "Black Army" seized several towns in Lower Austria, including
Laa an der Thaya, and
Stein in 1485 and 1486. He set up his chancery for Lower Austria in 1486, but he never introduced a separate seal for this realm. Matthias assumed the title of Duke of Austria at the Diet of the Lower Austrian Estates in
Ebenfurth in 1487. He appointed Stephen Zápolya captain-general,
Urban Nagylucsei administrator of the
Archdiocese of Vienna, and entrusted the defence of the occupied towns and forts to Hungarian and Bohemian captains, but otherwise continued to employ Emperor Frederick's officials who accepted his rule. Wiener Neustadt, the last town resisting Matthias in Lower Austria, fell to him on 17 August 1487. He started negotiations with Duke Albert III of Saxony, who arrived at the head of the imperial army to fight for Emperor Frederick III. They signed a six-month armistice in Sankt Pölten on 16 December 1487, which ended the war. Matthias offered Emperor Frederick and his son prince Maximilian, the return of Austrian provinces and Vienna, if they would renounce the treaty of 1463 and accept Matthias as Frederick's designated heir and probable the inheritor of the title of Holy Roman Emperor. Before this was settled though, Matthias died in Vienna in 1490. King Matthias was happy to be described as "the second Attila". The
Chronica Hungarorum by
Johannes Thuróczy published in 1488, set the goal of glorifying
Attila, which was undeservedly neglected, moreover, he introduced the famous "Scourge of God" characterization to the later Hungarian writers, because the earlier chronicles remained hidden for a long time. Thuróczy worked hard to endear Attila, the Hun king with an effort far surpassing his predecessor chroniclers. He made Attila a model for his victorious ruler, King Matthias who had Attila's abilities, with this he almost brought "the hammer of the world" to life.
Last years (1487–1490) According to the contemporaneous
Philippe de Commines, Matthias's subjects feared their king in the last years of his life because he rarely showed mercy towards those he suspected of treachery. He had Archbishop Peter Váradi imprisoned in 1484 and ordered the execution of Chancellor of Bohemia Jaroslav Boskovic in 1485. He also imprisoned Nicholas Bánfi, a member of a magnate family, in 1487, although he had earlier avoided punishing the old aristocracy. Bánfi's imprisonment seems to have been connected to his marriage to a daughter of
John the Mad,
Duke of Glogau because Matthias tried to seize this duchy for John Corvinus. John the Mad entered into an alliance with the
Duke of Münsterberg Henry of Poděbrady, and declared a war on Matthias on 9 May. Six months later, the Black Army invaded and occupied his duchy. In the meantime, the citizens of
Ancona, a town in the
Papal States, hoisted Matthias's flag in the hope he would protect them against Venice. Pope Innocent VIII soon protested, but Matthias refused to reject the overture and stated that the link between him and the town would never harm the interests of the Holy See. He also sent an auxiliary troop to his father-in-law, who was waging a war against the Holy See and Venice. The 1482 truce between Hungary and the Ottoman Empire was prolonged for two years in 1488. On this occasion, it was stipulated that the Ottomans were to refrain from invading Wallachia and Moldavia. The following year, Matthias granted two domains to Stephen the Great of Moldavia in Transylvania. Matthias, who suffered from
gout, could not walk and was carried in a
litter after March 1489. Hereafter, his succession caused bitter conflicts between Queen Beatrice and John Corvinus. Matthias asked Beatrice's brother
Alfonso,
Duke of Calabria, to persuade her not to strive for the Crown and stated that the "Hungarian people are capable of killing up unto the last man rather than submit to the government of a woman". To strengthen his illegitimate son's position, Matthias even proposed withdrawing from Austria and confirming Emperor Frederick's right to succeed him if the Emperor was willing to grant Croatia and Bosnia to John Corvinus with the title of king. Matthias participated in the lengthy
Palm Sunday ceremony in Vienna in 1490 although he had felt so ill that morning that he could not eat breakfast. Around noon, he tasted a fig that proved to be rotten and he became very agitated and suddenly felt faint. The next day he was unable to speak. After two days of suffering, Matthias died in the morning of 6 April. According to Professor
Frigyes Korányi, Matthias died of a stroke; Dr. Herwig Egert does not exclude the possibility of poisoning. Matthias's funeral was held in
St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna and he was buried in
Székesfehérvár Cathedral on 24 or 25 April 1490. ==Patronage==