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Kingdom of Hungary

Hungary, 1301–1526. Draft, not yet reviewed

Royal power was restored under Charles I (1308–1342), a scion of the Capetian House of Anjou. The kingdom reached the peak of its power under Louis the Great (1342–1382) who led military campaigns against Lithuania, southern Italy and other faraway territories. The expansion of the Ottoman Empire reached the kingdom under Sigismund of Luxembourg (1387–1437). The first king of Hungary without dynastic ancestry was Matthias Corvinus (1458–1490), who led several successful military campaigns and also became the King of Bohemia and the Duke of Austria.

Seat of power: Visegrád

Rulers

Wenceslaus III of Bohemia

Apostolic King of Hungary, 1301–1305

Wenceslaus III of Bohemia was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1301 to 1305. His rule was only nominal because a dozen powerful lords held sway over large territories in the kingdom. He abandoned his claim to Hungary in favour of Otto III, Duke of Bavaria on 9 October.

Portrait of Wenceslaus III of Bohemia: Szilágyi Sándor, Public domain, file

Otto V or III, Duke of Bavaria

Apostolic King of Hungary, 1305–1307

Otto III was the Duke of Lower Bavaria from 1290 to 1312 and the King of Hungary and Croatia between 1305 and 1307. Otto was crowned with the Holy Crown of Hungary in Székesfehérvár on 6 December 1305. He was not able to strengthen his rule.

Portrait of Otto V or III, Duke of Bavaria: János Thuróczy, Public domain, file

Charles I of Hungary

Apostolic King of Hungary, 1308–1342

Charles I, also known as Charles Robert, was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1308 to his death. Pope Boniface VIII acknowledged Charles as the lawful king in 1303, but Charles was unable to strengthen his position against his opponent.

Portrait of Charles I of Hungary: Márk Kálti, Public domain, file

Mary I of Hungary

Apostolic King of Hungary, 1382–1386

Mary reigned as Queen of Hungary and Croatia. Having no male siblings, Mary was crowned "king" of Hungary on 17 September 1382, seven days after Louis the Great's death. The idea of a female monarch remained unpopular among the Hungarian noblemen, the majority of whom regarded Mary's distant cousin, Charles III of Naples, as the lawful heir.

Portrait of Mary I of Hungary: János Thuróczy, Public domain, file

Charles III of Naples

Apostolic King of Hungary, 1386–1386

Charles III, also called Charles the Small or Charles of Durazzo, was king of Naples and also king of Hungary as Charles II. In 1381, Charles created the chivalric Order of the Ship.

Portrait of Charles III of Naples: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file

Sigismund

Apostolic King of Hungary, 1387–1437

As the husband of Mary, Queen of Hungary, Sigismund was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1387. In 1396, Sigismund led the Crusade of Nicopolis but was decisively defeated by the Ottoman Empire. He founded the Order of the Dragon to fight the Turks and secured the thrones of Croatia, Germany and Bohemia.

Portrait of Sigismund: Formerly attributed to Pisanello, Public domain, file

Albert II of Germany

Apostolic King of Hungary, 1437–1439

Albert II was King of the Romans and a member of the House of Habsburg. He later became King of the Romans but died in 1439 while defending Hungary from the Ottomans.

Portrait of Albert II of Germany: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file

Ladislaus the Posthumous

Apostolic King of Hungary, 1440–1457

Ladislaus the Posthumous was Duke of Austria and King of Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia. After Ladislaus's birth, his mother seized the Holy Crown of Hungary and had Ladislaus crowned king in Székesfehérvár on 15 May 1440. The Diet of Hungary declared Ladislaus's coronation invalid and elected Władysław III of Poland as king.

Portrait of Ladislaus the Posthumous: AnonymousUnknown author, Austria 15th centurydate QS:P,+1450-00-00T00:00:00Z/7, Public domain, file

Władysław III of Poland

Apostolic King of Hungary, 1440–1444

Władysław III of Poland was King of Hungary and Croatia as Vladislaus I from 1440 until his presumed death at the Battle of Varna. He was also King of Poland and Supreme Duke of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from 1434.

Portrait of Władysław III of Poland: AnonymousUnknown author, Public domain, file

Matthias Corvinus

Apostolic King of Hungary, 1458–1490

Matthias Corvinus was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1458 to 1490. After conducting several military campaigns, he was elected King of Bohemia in 1469 and adopted the title Duke of Austria in 1487. As king, Matthias waged wars against the Czech mercenaries who dominated Upper Hungary and against Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor, who claimed Hungary for himself.

Portrait of Matthias Corvinus: Andrea Mantegna, Public domain, file

Vladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary

Apostolic King of Hungary, 1490–1516

Vladislaus II was King of Bohemia from 1471 to 1516 and King of Hungary and King of Croatia from 1490 to 1516. The Diet of Hungary, which had been convoked only five times during the last thirteen years of Matthias Corvinus's rule, regained its importance. His reign in Hungary was largely stable, although Hungary was under consistent border pressure from the Ottoman Empire and went through the revolt of György Dózsa.

Portrait of Vladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary: Master of Litoměřice Altarpiece, Public domain, file

Louis II of Hungary

Apostolic King of Hungary, 1516–1526

Louis II was King of Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia from 1516 to 1526. During the greater part of his reign he was the puppet of the magnates and kept in such penury that he was often obliged to pawn his jewels to get enough food and clothing. He died during the Battle of Mohács fighting the Ottomans, whose victory led to the Ottoman annexation of large parts of Hungary.

Portrait of Louis II of Hungary: Hans Krell, Public domain, file

Culture

Picture

The Battle of Mohács took place on 29 August 1526 near Mohács, in the Kingdom of Hungary.

Image: unknown, Public domain, file

Sources

Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.