Matthias Corvinus und seine Zeit

The reign of Matthias Corvinus (1458–1490) is not only regarded as a last heyday of the medieval Hungarian state, but marks a most turbulent period of transition from medieval to modern times for the whole of (East Central) Europe. The interests of Corvinus were directed both to the East, where he tried to stop the advance of the Ottomans, who had taken Constantinople in 1453, and to the West, where he sought to unite Bohemia and the hereditary lands of the Habsburgs with Hungary in order to create a first "Danube Monarchy". In addition, the king promoted art and culture, attracted Italian humanists and native scholars to his court and collected Latin as well as Greek manuscripts. These political, diplomatic, religious and cultural aspects of the rule of Corvinus are highlighted in the contributions of this book; also analysed is the perception of the king and his time in western and eastern sources as well as in historiography of the 19th and 20th centuries. Focusing on Corvinus’ time from East to West and vice versa, the volume addresses both medieval studies on Western Europe as well as on Eastern Europe.