Ioan de Hunedoara – Governor of Hungary

At the beginning of June, the year 1446, the Hungarian diet (more correctly, the countries of the Holy Crown, ie Hungary, Croatia, Dalmatia and Slavonia, who also had representatives in the diet) chose Ioan Huniade as the kingdom regent, which he held until 1453.

The choice of Ioan de Hunedoara at the leadership of the Kingdom of Hungary was possible due to the prestige he had won, in the brilliant campaigns he led against the Turks, during which he showed high qualities during both victories and during defeats. After the Crusade of Varna (1444), which ended with a failure and the death of King Vladislav I, a strong internal political crisis was triggered in Hungary. Ioan de Hunedoara, returned from the Danube campaign, had the time to strengthen the internal situation. Thus, in the Hungarian diet of June 1, 1446, the right to succession of Ladislau was recognized, but because he was a minor, the choice of a provisional governor is decided until the king’s increase.

The great barons wanted to withdraw from the diet, as usual, to advise each other on the person to propose. The nobility of the comedy, strongly represented in the diet, opposed this desire, shouting the name of Ioan Huniade. The barons did not have much to do, Huniade becoming a regent (governor) of Hungary.

Only Huniade opposed the choice in such a high rank, which he did not crave (at least apparently). He is pointing out that all nobles are obliged to obey the decisions of the diet. Ioan de Huniade will take the oath, in Hungarian, not in the Latin, as used. Since June 13, official documents and laws are already issued on his behalf. So supported by the provincial nobility was elected unanimously governor of Hungary.

As a personal note I must note that at that time the Hungarian Kingdom was like Romania at present. Each struggle for personal interests does not fight for the country, as well as the political parties today.

We return a little earlier to understand the situation in which Hungary was.

In February 1445, the Hungarian kingdom is provisionally divided into several regions, each in front of one to three « captains », having available armed forces and being charged with maintaining order. Ioan Huniade, keeping the previous services of voivode of Transylvania and committees of Timiș, also becomes captain of the lands from Tisa (Crișana).

However, this system does not give the expected results. Ioan Huniade, on the other hand, took his new quality as seriously as possible. In the episcopal chair in Oradea, remaining vacant, he calls the old friend, Zrednai Vitéz János/Loan Vitéz de Zredna. He obliges the nobles from the same land, in a committee, to swear to obey and support in the fight against those who disturb and rob those parts of the kingdom.

One thing not exactly mentioned by some of the Romanian historians refers to one of the decisions of the April 1445 diet, by which the rights of the servants are reaffirmed to move from one domain to another, provided that they have paid for the ground, the so-called « Terragium » and other legal obligations.

The one who began the conflict, in 1445, was Frederick III. FriRyes, at that time only king of the Romans/Rex Romanorum who attacked the western counties of Hungary (at the end of the same year). As a result, his first military action as a regent was to attack the future Roman-German emperor Frederic III (from 1452), because of his refusal to release the minor king Ladislau V.

After robbing the duchies of Stiria, Carintia and Carniola, he directly threatened Vienna, but due to the difficulties in other areas of the kingdom, especially with the Ottoman Turks, Ioan Huniade was forced to sign an armistice with Frederic III, a armistice that lasted two years, withdrawing from all the territories.

According to the Transylvanian historian Liviu Cîmpeanu, the campaigns of Ioan Huniade in Austria, from 1446 (one spring and the other autumn) did not result in occupying any province, not even a fortification was occupied, but they were mere robbery raids, to determine the king of the Romans to conclude peace (or at least, at least, at least, According to the plastic expression from a later Italian report, Frederick III was afraid of Ioan Huniade, « as the devil is afraid of the holy water! ».

On the administrative and economic level, both as the voivode of Transylvania and the governor of Hungary, Ioan de Hunedoara has taken numerous measures that favored the economic development and the establishment of the order and authority in the state.

It raised the level of taxes and taxes collected, but not by pressing the servant, but by introducing new, more modern methods of cultivation and operation. He attracted to his part the Romanian cnees, to whom many dances offered as a result of the acts of bravery. Some cities on his estates gave them the right to fair. He restored and built numerous cities and castles. It has increased the diplomatic, military and economic connections with the Romanian countries. In 1453 he renounces the title of governor, but having until his death the title of Supreme Captain of Hungary.

Also as a personal note, as the first name of Huniade from John (or János/Johann) arrived in Iancu I never understood.

Text and photo sources: Tudor Duică « On June 5, 1446, the Hungarian diet chooses Ioan Huniade as regent »; Page Yes Metta « Castle Corvin Museum », article « On June 5, 1446 – Ioan de Hunedoara is elected governor of Hungary »; Camil Mureșan – Iancu de Hunedoara, ed. Scientific, 1968.