Historiography and Propaganda in the Royal Court of King Matthias: Hungarian Book Culture at the End of the Middle Ages and Beyond

Abstract

On the basis of the Chronica Hungarorum of Johannes de Thurocz, the Epitome rerum Hungaricarum of Pietro Ransano, and the Rerum Ungaricarum decades of Antonio Bonfini that were compiled within ten years, between 1488 and 1498, my paper forms a multi-dimensional image of the late 15th-century political and cultural situation in the royal court of Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary (1458–1490). The three chronicles have come down to us in a number of books: manuscripts, incunabula and early prints alike, and many of them contain lengthy cycles of images. My paper investigates the agency of these books with a special emphasis on their illustrations. Through a study of the traditions they followed and the messages their illustrations conveyed, the primary question my paper seeks to answer is whether the cultural and political polarity of the royal court inherent in the texts of the chronicles is also present in the format, style and iconography of the illustrated books that contain them. The comparison of the early copies of the three chronicles shows that the cultural and political diversity of the royal court had an impact on the books that were made and/or used within its walls. Taking into consideration their circulation and reception as well, my paper discusses the role they played in royal propaganda, and the impact they had on the European image of Hungary and the Hungarians.