Őstulok vagy bölény? : Az itáliai nemesek és a magyarországi fenevad (Adalékok a középkori magyarország faunájához) = Wild bull (bos primigenius) or bison (bison iubatus)? : Italian nobles and Hungary’s wild beast (data on the fauna of medieval Hungary)

Hungarian medievalists are not as fortunate as their counterparts in western Europe when it comes to writing about the everyday lives of people. It seems that in medieval Hungary, reports offering insights into everyday life were compiled only in small numbers. Thankfully, however, historians have access to illuminating archaeological findings. The primary aim of this study is to offer direction to archaeologists by publishing a previously unknown account in full. The source in question is to be found in the State Archives in Mantua; it was written by Lodovico da Bagno, familiaris of Hippolit Estei (archbishop of Eger), and was addressed to Isabella d’Este, marchioness of Mantua and one of the most fascinating individuals of the era. In his collection of regesta, Lipót Óváry mentioned that in the game park of Tamás Bakócz, archbishop of Esztergom, there lived a peculiar beast, whose image Bagno had already sent to Federico II of Gonzaga, who subsequently became Marquis of Mantua. Based on the original document and other source extracts, we may discount the idea that the animal was a wild bull (bos primigenius). Instead, the animal seen by the Italian nobleman is highly likely to have been a maned bison (bison iubatus). The correspondence of this Italian resident of Hungary reveals many other facets of cultural history, because on several occasions people living for shorter or longer periods in Hungary were asked to send horses, falcons and animal furs to Italy

A nándorfehérvári győzelem és Itália = The victory of Nándorfehérvár and Italy

Generally in Catholic world, thus in Italy as well, the practice of ringing the bells refers to a battle in which the Christian army defeated the Ottoman troops according to Hungarian historical tradition. The contemporaries supposed that three remarkable people gained the victory: Cardinal Carvajal, the Fransiscan friar János Kapesztránói from Abruzzo, and János Hunyadi who repelled the attack and who was regarded as the wealthiest Hungarian aristocrat. Italian sources attach great importance to the siege of 1456; therefore this study is intended to reconstruct the route through which the news about the triumph reached the peninsula. The victory of Nándorfehérvár proved a momentous occasion, because Mehmed II, sultan of the Ottoman Empire, made it obvious by occupying Byzantium that Europe had to reckon with an active expansionism. The Christian world could not get over the shock of 1453, and in spite of the several bright plans, the concentration of the Christian rulers’ forces turned out to be a forlorn undertaking. Arranging the crusade seemed hopeless, because – apart from Pope Callixtus III – only those were concerned about the crusade who were directly in danger. This explains why the reports on the victory of Nándorfehérvár were sent out so urgently after the siege: the supporters of the crusade (i.e. Carvajal, Kapesztránó and Hunyadi) knew that the success would make the forces into a whole against the Ottoman Empire, but the necessary steps should be taken immediately. From the point of view of Italy, the triumph at Nándorfehérvár did not mean the continuation of the crusade but the relief, because at that time it was quite possible the Ottoman army would overrun Europe. Nowadays we know that it was not probable, but the loss of Byzantium, the getting more active expansionism of Mehmed II in Europe and the threat of the unknown enemy exaggerated the power of the Ottoman Empire