The story of Hungary 23

The story of Hungary 23

Meanwhile, Mary, the wife of Sigismund, died in 1395. It was to her

that Sigismund owed his throne, and now that she was no more, there was

nothing to keep up the ties of affection between the people and their

restless and inconstant king. Sigismund hoped to dazzle the nation

by the glory of a successful war. In 1396 he marched the assembled

crusaders to Nicopolis against the Turks. The king, surrounded by the

chief captains of the army, was merrily feasting when the news was

brought that Bajazet, the “Lightning,” was approaching. Both armies

were eager for the contest. The French knights, in spite of Sigismund’s

protests, claimed the privilege of the first attack. Ignorant of the

Turkish system of fighting, which consisted in sending the weakest and

least-disciplined troops to the fore, to bear the brunt of the first

attack, the French rushed with their united strength upon the enemy.

The attack, as usual, was favorable to the French arms, but hardly had

they dispersed the inferior troops when they found themselves face

to face with the serried ranks of the Spahis and Janissaries. The

hot-blooded Frenchmen were no match for these incomparable soldiers,

and a large portion of them fell on the battle-field while the

remainder were taken prisoners. This discomfiture had a depressing

effect on the other crusaders, and their army scattered in disorderly

flight. Sigismund, himself, escaped only with great difficulty, and

took refuge on a ship on the Danube which brought him to Constantinople.

 

This unlucky campaign proved a fresh source of trouble to the country,

for the king, keenly feeling the disgrace of his defeat, stayed away

from Hungary for over half a year. The southern part of Hungary

was again in rebellion and many, believing in the false report of

the king’s death, were desirous of proceeding to the election of a

successor. The king, apprehensive of losing his throne, came back and,

in his own fashion, rewarded his friends and punished his opponents.

 

In order to add to the number of his adherents he distributed amongst

them, in defiance of an ancient law, the crown-lands. He filled the

highest positions in the state with foreigners. This was more than

the Hungarian lords would submit to, especially after the disgraceful

defeat the king had just suffered on the battle-field. The impatient

magnates, weary of his inglorious rule, entered upon a conspiracy to

overthrow the king. On the 28th of April, 1401, a number of the great

lords of the land assembled at Buda and requested the attendance of

the king, in order to take counsel on affairs of state. The Garays,

the unflinching adherents of the king, knew what was going to happen,

but did not dare to divulge or oppose the plans of the conspirators.

Sigismund appeared among the assembled magnates, but only to find

out, too late, that he was, in fact, their prisoner. He was taken

to Visegrád and confined in its castle. Another king had now to be

elected. Three claimants were on the field—Ladislaus Jagello, William

of Austria, and Ladislaus, the son of Charles the Little. It was

fortunate, however, for the king that no election could be agreed upon;

and, while the magnates were taking counsel with each other, the Garays

succeeded in liberating the king and took him to Siklós, one of their

own fortified castles. His followers, meanwhile, took up arms in his

cause and succeeded in placing him again on the throne, after he had

been a prisoner for four months. But before doing so they obtained

his promise not to punish or molest the conspirators. Michael Garay

was generously rewarded for his exertions on behalf of Sigismund; he

received annually a pension of one thousand ducats, and was appointed

to the dignity of a palatine. The severe lesson was of benefit to the

king. He appeared totally changed after his experience in prison.

He faithfully kept the promise he had given, and did not molest the

rebellious lords, but rather sought their friendship, and, making

union with them, seriously endeavored by legal means to improve the

government of the country.

 

He had hardly seized the reins of government with firm hands, when the

cry of battle called him again away. Having no son, Sigismund tried

to secure the throne for his daughter Elizabeth. She was affianced to

Albert of Austria, and the king prevailed upon one hundred and ten

lords to sign a document by which his daughter’s husband would, after

the king’s demise, become entitled to wear the crown of St. Stephen.

The Neapolitan party was roused into rebellion by this arrangement,

and Ladislaus of Naples penetrated into the interior of the country.

The primate of the realm, the archbishop of Gran, sided with the

rebels and placed the crown of Hungary upon the head of the invading

foreigner. Sigismund, who was just then amongst the Czechs, whose

crown he coveted, hastened home upon learning the peril with which

he was menaced. The followers of Ladislaus were soon put down, and,

being assured of the king’s pardon, they all gave in their submission.

Ladislaus, fearful lest the fate of his father, Charles the Little,

should overtake him, left the country, and henceforth dared not to

question the right of Sigismund to the crown. In the course of the

years that followed some wise measures were introduced concerning the

privileges and franchises of the cities, and regulating the relations

of the Church of Hungary to the Vatican. The Pope having been the most

zealous partisan of Ladislaus of Naples, a law was enacted putting an

end to the Pope’s right of interference in the affairs of the Hungarian

Church.

 

The king formed again new marriage ties, and took Barbara, the daughter

of Count Arminius Cilley, the powerful lord of the Styrian castle of

Cilli, for his wife. The new queen added but little to his happiness.

The king established the order of the dragon in commemoration of his

wedding. The insignia of the order were a red cross with a gold dragon

who twisted his tail in a circular shape around his own neck. The

membership was confined to twenty-four, who bound themselves to defend

the Christian faith against the Turks. The king and queen were the

first members of the order, the remaining members were selected from

among the highest dignitaries of the land. A high distinction fell

to the lot of the king of Hungary on the 20th of September, 1410.

Ruprecht, who had been elevated to the imperial throne of Germany,

after the deposition of Wenceslaus the drunkard (the half insane

brother of Sigismund), was now dead. Wenceslaus was now striving

to regain the lost dignity, but in this he was opposed by his own

brother Sigismund. The electoral princes voted for the latter. This

was the first time that a similar distinction had been conferred upon

the wearer of the crown of St. Stephen. The nation felt proud of the

exaltation of their king, but the nation as well as the king found

subsequently ample reason to regret their premature rejoicing. Indeed

the fears of St. Ladislaus and Louis the Great, who had declined the

imperial crown lest they might, accepting it, be caused to neglect the

affairs of Hungary, proved but too well founded. The business of the

emperor required his presence elsewhere, and while he was absent for

years from the country, matters at home visibly went to rack and ruin.

The emperor-king could not spare time to attend to the most important

duty of his reign, the driving back of the Turks, and, there can be no

doubt, that it was owing less to the civil wars of that period than

the lukewarmness of Sigismund in the face of the Ottoman advances

during the last years of his reign, that it became possible for the

Moslem power to obtain possession, a century later, of the stronghold

of Christianity. The signs of the coming life-and-death struggle

became already apparent—and once the struggle begun there was no way

to destroy the Ottoman power, nor could a favorable opportunity, once

missed, return again.

 

The fortunes of war were once more propitious to the Hungarians—in

their war against Venice—but for several years afterwards history

records nothing but a long series of uninterrupted disasters. The

war with Venice was carried on to get possession of the littoral

islands and cities. Venice was shamefully beaten, and the peace-suing

ambassadors of the proud city of St. Mark had to undergo the

humiliation of seeing before their very eyes nineteen of their flags

torn to pieces in the streets of Buda. But the new banners of Venice

were soon destined to be victoriously planted on the Hungarian littoral

territory, and Sigismund was compelled to sign a peace by which the

nation lost her seacoast possessions. And while the power of Venice

was curtailing the country in the south, the richest towns in the

north were being lost through the recklessness of Sigismund. In order

to extricate himself from financial embarrassments he hypothecated

to Ladislaus, the king of Poland, thirteen of the wealthiest cities

of the Szepes country, which was largely settled by German merchants

and tradesmen. These places remained hypothecated until the first

partition of Poland, 1772, when Hungary was reinstated in the full

possession of the mortgaged towns. After arranging these affairs the

king went abroad, where he remained for six years. During his absence

the country, owing to the despotic rule of Barbara, his queen, became a

prey to disorder. It would cover pages unprofitably to give a detailed

account of the private affairs of the wanton queen, and, passing over

these, we shall accompany her royal husband on his journey to the

Council of Constance.

 

The condition of the Church of Rome was at that period a most

lamentable one. The question of reforms within the Church became from

day to day more pressing. Wycliffe, the Englishman, had the boldness to

assume the rôle of a heretic. John Huss, the rector of the university

of Prague, soon became a zealous propagator of his teachings. The

majority of the inhabitants of Bohemia embraced the new tenets,

assuming, after their leader, the name of “Hussites.” One of the chief

objects of the Council of Constance—1414-1418—was to extirpate heresy,

and to exterminate its votaries. Numerous ecclesiastical and lay lords

gathered at Constance to advise together under the guidance of the

emperor-king, who presided. The attending Hungarian magnates deemed

it due to their fame and dignity to indulge in the most extravagant

luxury. The emperor-king felt constrained to eclipse his subjects in

sumptuous display on such an occasion, and, in order to accomplish

this, he had to sell Brandenburg to Frederick of Hohenzollern, and

there can be no doubt that through this sale he unwittingly contributed

to the future greatness of the present imperial dynasty in Germany. We

will not attempt to describe here the Council of Constance, but need

only mention that it was the treachery and bad faith of Sigismund which

caused the tragic end and martyrdom of John Huss. His disciples vowed

vengeance, and Hungary, of all the dominions of the emperor-king, was,

during many years, most exposed to their cruel devastations.

 

After an absence of six years, during which Sigismund had visited

Germany, France, Italy, and England, he at length returned to Hungary.

He found the country unsettled, and menaced on two sides by powerful

enemies. Having sent his wife, the cause of the internal disorders,

to prison, he led an army against the Turks, who were threatening the