King Matthias

You have asked that I send you word from the capital on the recent passing of our great king, Matthias Corvinus, called Matthias the Just by many, and who, you may be surprised to hear, was proud of being named the Master of Dissimulation, even by those who may not have fully appreciated his gifts. Under him, Hungary has reached the very height of its power, and I fear for the nation without him, whatever his faults. He leaves, as you know, no legitimate heir (though there is a rumor that his blood flows in the veins of a child who cannot of course be named in his father's place).

Matthias' own father, the old regent, was no true indicator of the son's greatness, for how could we know then that the youth we elected to succeed the childless Ladislas V would prove so noble an heir? Janos Hunyadi, though he served well as regent for half a dozen years, was hardly the ruler that his son became. Even the Emperor Frederick III had to finally recognize Matthias as the true king of all of Hungary, and so he reigned these 28 years since. That he was a native, born of the land, was one of the many reasons for which he was treasured by us all. We are proud of our heritage, and Matthias, whatever else you may say of him, served the cause of Hungary well.

His court at Buda, and then here at Vienna these last five years, rivalled any found in Italy. Just to gaze at the palace is to appreciate his sense and good taste in using only the best Italian ar

Related Essays

Plato and King: Crito and A Letter from Birmingham Jail Considering they were written thousands of years apart, it is uncanny how similar Plato's Crito and Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail" are .... (1035 4 )

King Lear .... in innovative productions of classical drama such as Coriolanus, Macbeth, Agamemnon, and its most recent production in New York at the Clark Theatre, King Lear .... (677 3 )

Martin Luther King, Jr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s book Why We Can't Wait was published in 1963 when Dr. King was a civil rights leader in Birmingham, Alabama. .... (1032 4 )

Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Strength to Love In Martin Luther King Jr.'s Strength to love, the Civil Rights leader offers a number of his sermons on everything from communism and Christianity to Indian .... (707 3 )

Sermons of Martin Luther King, Jr. In Strength to Love, we are treated to the sermons of Martin Luther King, Jr. However, within his religious sermons King often has .... (941 4 )

Rodney King The 1991 beating of California motorist Rodney King will have an impact on law enforcement for years to come. The videotape of the .... (1994 8 )

I think especially of lines such as these: You attacked me and claimed that a bear was my mother, I am ferocious therefore and rough. A Pannonian bear was indeed my wet-nurse, But, Gryllus, your mother was not a bear but a bitch. I find it unfortunate that so amusing a talent should have ignored his muse to meddle in politics. Perhaps he would have lived a long and happy life if he had stuck to his quill and his work in the church, but he felt it necessary to try to overthrow Matthias; his tragedy was in underestimating the depth of the king's support. Could he not have seen that the man who kept the Turks at bay, added Moravia and Lusatia and Silesia to the kingdom, and assembled one of the greatest independent armies in Europe was not a man to be lightly pushed aside because of the hurt feelings of a few noblemen? Certainly Matthias did not treat us as well as we had a right to expect. In proclaiming his protection for the serfs and peasants of the land, he was, I do admit, far too high-handed with us. To expect us to pay taxes like any commoners, especially when he did not consult us for this support, was a great insult. However, you must remember that war is an expensive business and we were, at least, not e

Category: Personal - K