Black Army of Hungary

The Black Army (Hungarian: Fekete sereg, pronounced [ˈfɛkɛtɛ ˈʃɛrɛɡ], Latin: Legio Nigra), also called the Black Legion/Regiment – were the military forces serving under the reign of King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary. The ancestor and core of this early standing mercenary army appeared in the era of his father John Hunyadi in the early 1440s. The idea of the professional standing mercenary army came from Matthias' juvenile readings about the life of Julius Caesar.^[2]

Hungary's Black Army traditionally encompasses the years from 1458 to 1494.

In the beginning, the core of the army consisted of 6,000–8,000 mercenaries.

The Black Army was not the only large standing mercenary army of Matthias Corvinus. The border castles of the north, west and east were guarded mostly by the retinues of the local nobility, financed by the nobles' own revenues; however the Ottoman frontier zone of southern Hungary had a large professional standing army which was paid by the king. Unlike the soldiers of the Black Army, these large mercenary garrisons were trained for castle defence. No other contemporary European realm would have been able to maintain two large parallel permanent forces for so long.[12]

The death of Matthias Corvinus meant the end of the Black Army. The noble estate of the parliament succeeded in reducing the tax burden by 70–80 percent, at the expense of the country's ability to defend itself,

Several theories exist about the army's name. The first recorded accounts using "black" description appear in written memoranda immediately after Corvinus' death, when the rest of the army was pillaging Hungarian, and later Austrian, villages when they were receiving no pay. One idea is that they adopted the adjective from a captain, "Black" John Haugwitz, whose nickname already earned him enough recognition to be identified with the army as a whole.^[7]

Reforms of the draft of traditional feudal and levy armies

In the first years of Matthias' rule, the structure of enlisting troops was built on the legacy of his ancestor

In case of emergency, a last chance existed for the actual king in power to mobilize the population suddenly. Every noble, no matter his social class, had to participate in person with his weaponry and all of his personal guards made available. These were the estate armies.

In the laws of 1459 of Szeged, he restored the basis of 20 serfs to induct an archer (this time it was based on the number of persons). The barons' militia portalis no longer counted in the local noble's banner but into the army of the country (led by a captain appointed by the king) and could have been sent abroad as well. He also increased the insurrectio's time of service from 15 days to three months.^[17]

From mercenaries to regularly paid soldiers

Though these efforts were sound, the way they were carried out was not in any way supervised. In 1458, Matthias borrowed as many as 500 heavy cavalry from the Bohemian king,

After Matthias's income increased periodically, simultaneously, the number of mercenaries increased as well. Historical records vary when it comes to numbers, mainly because it changed from battle to battle and most soldiers were only employed for the duration of combat or a longer conflict.^[citation needed] Reckoning the nobility's banners, the mercenaries, the soldiers of conquered Moravia and Silesia, and the troops of allied Moldavia and Wallachia, the King could have gathered an army of 90,000 men.^{[citation needed]} The nobility's participation in the battlefield was ignored by the time their support could have been redeemed in gold later on. The cities were also relieved of paying war levies if they supplied the craftsmanship and weapon production to equip the military.^{[citation needed]}

King Matthias increased the serfs' taxes; he switched the basis of taxing from the portae^{[clarification needed]} to the households, and occasionally, they collected the royal dues twice a year during wartime. Counting the vassals' tribute, the western contributions, the local nobility's war payment, the tithes, and the urban taxes, Matthias's annual income reached 650,000 florins; for comparison, the Ottoman Empire had 1,800,000 per year.^[19] In contrast to popular belief, historians have speculated for decades that the actual sum altogether could circle around 800,000 florins in a good year at the peak of Matthias's reign, but never surpassed the financial threshold of one million florins, a previously commonly accepted number.^[20] In 1467, Matthias Corvinus reformed the coin system for easier accumulation of taxes and manageable disbursements and introduced an improved dinar, which had a finer silver content (500‰) and weighed half a gram. He also re-established its ratio, where one florin of gold equaled 100 dinars of silver, which was so stable that it remained in place until the mid-16th century.^[21]

The army was divided into three parts: the cavalry, paid three florins per horse; the

... we regard the armored heavy infantry as a wall, who never give up their place, even if they are slaughtered to the last one of them, on the very spot they are standing. Light soldiers perform breakouts depending on the occasion, and when they are already tired or sense severe danger, they return behind the armoured soldiers, organizing their lines and collecting power, and stay there until, on occasion, they may break forth again. In the end, all of the infantry and shooters are surrounded by armoured and shielded soldiers, just as those were standing behind a rampart. Since, the greater pavieses, put next to each other in a circle, show the picture of a fortress, and are similar to a wall, in the protection whereof the infantry and all the ones standing in the middle, fight like from behind tower-walls or rampart, and they occasionally break out of there.

— Matthias Corvinus, in a letter to his father-in-law King Ferdinand I of Naples in the 1480s.^[27]

Heavy cavalry

At the height of the century, heavy cavalry was already at its peak, although it showed signs of declining tendencies. The striking power and the ability to charge without backup made it capable of forcing a decisive outcome in most battles. Although it was rarely deployed on their own, if it was, it would take square formations. Such turning points occurred at the Battle of Breadfield (1479). Usually, it made up one-sixth of the army and, with mercenary knights, was in the majority. Its armament was well prepared and of high quality except for the noble banners. This stands for proprietary arms, not the ones provided by the king.

Weaponry

• Lances: the lance was the principal assault weapon of the tilting heavy cavalry. They were up to four metres long, ranging from the classical lance type with a lengthened spearhead (often decorated with animal tails, flags or other ornaments) to the short conical spearheaded, one designed for piercing heavy armour. A buckler-like vamplate protected the hand and arm. Its stability was increased with a fastening hook (lance-arret) on the side of the horseman's cuirass.
• bastard swords also came into use. As a companion weapon, daggers of saw-toothed and flame-form type were applied (both with ring-guard) and a misericordia
  .
• Apart from these, they carried auxiliary weapons, such as Gothic maces, flanged maces, axes, crossbows (balistrero ad cavallo) and short shields similar in design to the pavise (petit pavois) for defense.^[30]

Light cavalry

The traditional hussars were introduced by Matthias; henceforth, the light cavalry is called huszár, a name derived from the word húsz ("twenty" in English), which refers to the drafting scheme where for every twenty serfs a noble owned, he had to equip a mounted soldier. After the Diet of Temesvár (Timişoara) of 1397, the light cavalry was institutionalized as an army division. According to Antonio Bonfini, this lightly armed cavalry (expeditissimus equitatus) was not allowed to be part of the regular army when the order of the battle was formed, but was placed outside it in quite separate groups and used to destroy, burn, kill and instil fear in the civilian population, while they rode ahead of the regular army.^[31] They assembled from the militia portalis, a significant number of them insurrectios, the Moldavians and Transylvanians with the first having serfs with lesser accoutrement and the latter generally regarded as good horse archers. They were divided into groups of 25 (turma) led by a captain (capitaneus gentium levis armature). Their field of operation was scouting, securing, prowling, cutting enemy supply lines, and disarraying them in battle. They also served as an additional maneuverable flank (for swooping advance attacks) to strong centers of heavy cavalry. The medieval Hungarian written sources spoke disparagingly and contemptuously of the light cavalry and the hussars in general, and during battles the texts praised only the virtues, endurance, courage, training and achievements of the knights. During the Middle Ages, Hungarian soldiers of noble origin served exclusively as heavy armoured cavalry.^[32]

Weaponry

Helmet, mail shirt, sabre, targe, spear and, in some cases, axes (including throwing axes).

• Sabres (szablya): one type followed the tradition of southern European longswords (S-shaped crossguard), while gradually transforming into an Eastern-style blended (Turkish) sabre. The other type was the so-called huszarszablya (hussarsabre), a 40 mm wide multi-layered sabre stuck with 3–6 rivets.
• Bows: the traditional Magyar composite bow and, due to heavy Eastern influence, the more powerful Turkish-Tatar bow came into play.
• Axes: throwing axes could also have had some role in light cavalry tactics. It was made from one piece of metal, with a short engraved haft. If the arc of the blade is almost flat or slightly curved, it is called the "Hungarian-type axe". A subsidiary to the aforementioned beaked pickaxe was also favoured: it had a beak-like, protruding edge, resulting in a stronger piercing effect.^[30]

Infantry

Infantry was less important but formed a stable basis in the integrity of an army. They were organized from mixed ethnicities and were composed of heavy infantry, shielded soldiers, light infantry and fusiliers. Their characteristics include the combination of plate and mail armour and the use of the pavises (these painted willow-wood large shields were often ornamented and covered with leather and linen). The latter served multiple purposes: to hold off enemy attacks, to cover ranged infantry shooting from behind (fusiliers engage first, the archers fire constantly), and moveable hussite-style

In 1481, the Black Army's infantry was described as follows:

The third form of the army is the infantry, which divides into various orders: the common infantry, the armoured infantry, and the shield bearers. ... The armored infantry and shield bearers cannot carry their armor and shields without pages and servants, and since it is necessary to provide them with pages, each of them requires one page per armor and shield and double bounty. Then there are the handgunners ... These are very practical, set behind the shield-bearers at the start of the battle, before the armies engage, and in defense. Nearly all of the infantry and arbusiers are surrounded by armored soldiers and shield-bearers, as if they were standing behind a bastion. The large shields set together in a circle present the appearance of a fort and similar to a wall in whose defense the infantry and all those among them fight almost as if from behind bastion walls or ramparts and at the given moment break out from it.

— Matthias Corvinus's letter to Gabriele Rangoni,

Bishop of Eger^[36]

Weaponry

Various long-range weapons including bows, crossbows, and arquebuses; all sorts of melee weapons, halberds, pikes, and awl-pikes; hussite/peasant weapons such as slings and flails; hand weapons such as morning stars

and war hammers; and classical swords and sabres.

• Melee weapons:
  Friulian spears, and halberds
  were all adapted depending on the social class and nationality of the infantrymen. The 15th-century type of halberd was a transition that mixed an axe blade with an awl-pike, sometimes affixed with a "beak" that was used to pull a knight off his horse and to increase its piercing impact. They were covered with metal langlets on the side to prevent being cut in two.
• Archery: The most valuable archers were the crossbowmen. Their number in Matthias' service reached 4,000 in the 1470s. They used sabres as a secondary weapon (which was unusual for infantry in those ages). Their primary advantage was the ability to shoot heavy armour, while the disadvantages were that they required defense to protect them while moving slowly in a standing position.
• Arquebusiers: These gunpowder troops charged in the early stages of battle. Their aiming ability, price and the danger of primitive hand cannons (self-exploding) prevented them from being highly effective, especially against smaller groups of people or hand-to-hand combat. A distinctive Hungarian feature was that they did not use a fork to stabilize their guns but put it on top of the pavese instead (or in some cases, on the parapet of a wagon). Two types were simultaneously brought to practice, the schioppi (handgun) in the beginning, and later the arquebus à croc (not to be confused with cannons). Three classes of handguns were distinguished: the "bearded" light guns; forked guns; the first primitive muskets (iron tube compounded with wooden grip to be pushed against the shoulder). Their calibers varied from 16 to 24 mm.[30]

• Arsenal
• 
  Corseque
• 
  Flanged maces
• 
  Peasant flail
• 
  Pavise shield
• 
  Bastard sword
• 
  Blended crossguarded sword
• 
  Pavise and halberds
• 
  Crossbow and accessories

Mutinies

The disadvantage of having periodically or occasionally paid recruits was that if their money had not arrived on time, they simply left the battlefield, or – in a worse scenario – they revolted, as happened in several instances. Since they were the same skilled men-at-arms led by the same leaders previously fighting under the Hungarian flag, they were as difficult to eliminate as the Black Army was to its enemies.^{[citation needed]} However, they could be outnumbered, since it was always a flank or division which quit the campaign. An easier solution was to have the captain accept some lands and castles to be mortgaged in return of service (in one occasion the forts of Ricsó (Hričovský hrad) and Nagybiccse (Bytča) to František Hag).^{[citation needed]} An example of mass desertion occurred in 1481 when a group of 300 horsemen joined the opposing Holy Roman forces.^{[citation needed]} One of these recorded insurrections was conducted by Jan Švehla, who accompanied Corvinus to Slavonia in 1465 to beat the Ottomans; but when they were approaching Zagreb, Švehla asked for royal permission to officially quit the offensive with his mercenaries due to financial difficulty.^{[citation needed]} His request was denied, and as a consequence, he and two of his vice-captains left the royal banner along with their regiments.^{[citation needed]}

Following their breakaway, George of Poděbrady secretly supported their invasion into the

Csejte (Čachtice

), where they clashed. Almost all of the rioters fell, only 250 being taken prisoner. Svehla evaded capture again but was captured by peasants by the time he was too weak to fight.

Matthias condemned him to be hanged along with the remaining few hundred prisoners. This was a rather violent act regarding the campaigns of King Matthias Corvinus. On the very next day, 31 January 1467, witnessing the executions, the garrison asked for mercy, and it was granted; and after taking Kosztolány, he also offered František Hag – officer member of the resistance group – captainship in the Black Army, since he found him skilled enough. In another case in 1474, František Hag revolted due to lack of pay, but the conflict ended without violence, and he remained Matthias' subject until his death.[16]^{[38][full citation needed][39]}

Dissolution

Before his death on 6 April 1490, King Matthias asked his captains and barons to pledge an oath to his son

Peace Treaty of Wiener Neustadt, the latter on his family ties. Furthermore, the Hungarian barons invited a third pretender, the King of Bohemia and brother of John Albert, Vladislaus II. After the barons double-crossed John Corvinus, he escaped from the capital and was moving to Pécs, when he was attacked midway at Szabaton village and suffered a defeat from which he was able to retreat. No parts of the Black Army were yet involved, as their core was stuck in Silesia and Styria. Their famed captains Blaise Magyar and Paul Kinizsi joined the pretenders' side, John Albert and Vladislaus, respectively; the latter subsequently became the recognized king.^[40]

Maximilian immediately attacked the conquered territories in Austria in 1490. The Black Army fortified itself in the occupied forts on the western border. Most of them were captured by trickery, bribery, or citizen revolt in a few weeks without any major battles. The trenchline along the river Enns, which was built by mercenary captain Wilhelm Tettauer, resisted quite successfully for a month. Due to lack of payment, some of the Black Army mercenaries, mostly Czechs, switched sides and joined the Holy Roman army of 20,000 men in invading Hungary. They advanced into the heart of Hungary and captured the city of Székesfehérvár, which he sacked, as well as the tomb of King Matthias, which was kept there. His Landsknechts were still unsatisfied with the plunder and refused to go for taking Buda. He returned to the Empire in late December but left garrisons of a few hundred soldiers in those Hungarian cities and castles he occupied.^[41]

The National Council of the barons decided to recover the lost cities, especially Székesfehérvár. The Black Army was put in reserve at Eger, but their payment of 46,000 forints was late again, so they robbed the neighboring monasteries, churches, peasants and fiefdoms. After their dues were paid, appointed captain Steven Báthory gathered an army of 40,000 soldiers and began the siege in June 1491, which lasted for a month. More minor cities were recaptured, and without further support from the German nobility, Maximilian agreed to negotiate, and in the end, he signed the Peace of Pressburg in 1491, which included ceding the Silesian lands to him.^[41] John Haugwitz never recognized this treaty and held their possessions in Silesia afterwards.^[42]

Meanwhile, the disappointed John Albert gathered an army at the eastern border of Hungary and attacked the vicinity of Kassa (Košice) and Tokaj, also in 1490. John Corvinus accepted Vladislaus as his feudal lord and helped him in his coronation (he personally handed the crown to him). Vladislaus married the widowed Queen Beatrice in order to acquire her assets of 500,000 forints. This would have allowed him to cover the expenses of the Black Army stationed in Moravia and upper Silesia and the cost of transporting them home to Upper Hungary to defend it from the Polish army of John Albert.^[41] John Filipec, on behalf of the new king, helped to convince Silesian Black Army leader John Haugwitz to return to duty in exchange for 100,000 forints. The Hungarian–Czech army of 18,000 met the Polish troops in December 1491 in the Battle of Eperjes (Prešov), which was a decisive victory for the Black Army.^[42] John Albert withdrew to Poland and renounced his claim to the throne.

The Black Army was sent to the south region to fight the Ottoman invasions. While waiting for their wages, they sought plunder in the nearby villages. The National Council ordered Paul Kinizsi to stop the plundering at all costs. He arrived in Szegednic-Halászfalu in late August 1492, where he dispersed the Black Army led by Haugwitz. Of the 8,000 members, 2,000 were able to escape to western

Nándorfehérvár (Belgrade) under the leadership of Balthasar Tettauer, brother of Wilhelm Tettauer. They were so frustrated about their financial status that they allied with Ottoman Mihaloğlu Ali Bey to secretly hand over the fort to his sultan, Bayezid II. When their plan surfaced, Paul Kinizsi intervened in May 1494 before their act could take place. He arrested the captain and his troops for treason and starved them to death.^[1]

Battles and respective captains of the Black Army

List of battles and respective captains of the Black Army

Campaign color codes Against the Czechs Against the Holy Roman Empire Against the Ottomans Against the Moldavians Against the Papal State Against Saxony Against Venice Against the Kingdom of Poland Against the Hussites War/ Type Size Date Location Captain(s) commissioned Outcome Cz. ۩ 1488 ۩ Głogów, Duchy of Silesia John Haugwitz[44] Wilhelm Tettauer Francis Haraszthy[30] Victory HRE ỗ← 1484 Leitzersdorf, Archduchy of Austria Stephen Dávidházy Tobias von Boskowitz und Černahora[25] Victory (Details) HRE ۩ 1484 Korneuburg, Archduchy of Austria Stephen Dávidházy†[45] Tobiáš of Boskovice and Černá Hora[25] Victory Cz. Pl. ۩ 1474 Wrocław, Duchy of Silesia Matthias Corvinus[46] Melchior Löbel Jan II the Mad[47] Victory Cz. ỗ← 1468 Margravate of Moravia Matthias Corvinus[48] Victory Cz. ỗ← 1469 Hradiště, Margravate of Moravia Matthias Corvinus[48] Defeat HRE ۩ 1485 Vienna, Archduchy of Austria Matthias Corvinus[25] Victory (Details) HRE ۩ 1487 Wiener-Neustadt, Archduchy of Austria Matthias Corvinus Emeric Zápolya[49] Wilhelm Tettauer[50] Bartholomew Drágffy of Beltiug Jacob Szekler Ladislaus Kanizsay Peter Geréb of Vingard Matthias Geréb of Vingard Stephen V Báthory [51] Victory (Details) HRE ۩ 1480 Radkersburg, Duchy of Styria Stephen Zápolya[52] Jacob Szekler[53] Victory HRE ۩ 1482 Hainburg, Archduchy of Austria Stephen Zápolya Wilhelm Tettauer[45] Defeat (Details) HRE ۩ 1482 Hainburg, Archduchy of Austria Matthias Corvinus Stephen Zápolya[37] Victory ( Details ) Ott. ỗ← 1479 Breadfield, Kingdom of Hungary Paul Kinizsi Stephen V Báthory Vuk Grgurević Basarab Laiotă cel Bătrân Victory (Details) Mld ỗ← 1467 Principality of Moldavia Matthias Corvinus Stephen V Báthory Defeat (Details) Ott. ỗ← 1475 Principality of Moldavia Michael Fants[53] (modest armed support for the main Moldavian core) Victory (Details) Ott. ۩ 1463 Bosnia Matthias Corvinus John Kállay V. George Parlagi Paul Kállay I.[54] Provost Gaspar Bak of Berend[55] Matthias Geréb of Vingard[56] Victory (Details) Ott. ۩ 1464 Bosnia Emeric Zápolya[57] Jacob Szekler [58] Victory Ott. ۩ 1464 Bosnia Matthias Corvinus Emeric Zápolya[59] Victory Ott. ۩ 1464 Bosnia Matthias Corvinus Emeric Zápolya Count Sigismund Szentgyörgyi Berthold Elderbach Monyorókeréki Nicholas Székely Szentgyörgyi Ladislaus Kanizsay [59] Defeat Ott. ỗ← 1476 of Bosnia Vlad Țepes[60] Sir Richard Champleyn[1] Victory Ott. ỗ← ≠ 1481 ≠ Kingdom of Napoli Blaise Magyar[61] Victory ( Details ) Pope ỗ← ≠ 1488 Kingdom of Napoli Relief troops for his father-in-law the Neapolitan King[61] Victory Sax. ỗ← ≠ 1487 Sankt Pölten, Archduchy of Austria Matthias Corvinus[62] Victory (Details) HRE ỗ← 1459 Körmend, Kingdom of Hungary Simon Nagy Szentmártoni Michael Rozgonyi†[63][nb 2] Defeat HRE ỗ← 1459 Upper Pannonia, Kingdom of Hungary Simon Nagy Szentmártoni[63][nb 2] Victory HRE ۩ 1484 Bruck, Archduchy of Austria Stephen Dávidházy[50] Victory Ott. ỗ← 1484 Temesvár, Kingdom of Hungary Paul Kinizsi[66] Victory Ott. ỗ← 1463 Temesvár, Kingdom of Hungary Ladislaus Pongrácz[67] Victory Ott. ỗ← 1476 Pančevo, Despotate of Serbia Béla Nagy Ambrus Nagy Peter Dóczy Ladislaus Dóczy Francis Dóczy Emeric Nifor Jan Chepely Vuk Grgurević[67][68] Demeter Jaksics Francis Arifti Jan Adei Sebastian Abraham Michael Pétsei Markus Henei Ladislaus Henei[69] Victory Ott. ỗ← 1482 Zrenjanin, Despotate of Serbia Paul Kinizsi Peter Dóczy Vuk Grgurević[67] Victory Cz. ỗ← 1469 Vilémov, Kingdom of Bohemia Matthias Corvinus (surrender)[nb 3] Defeat Cz. ỗ← 1469 Margravate of Moravia Matthias Corvinus[72] Defeat Cz. ۩ 1469 Margravate of Moravia Matthias Corvinus[73] Victory Ott. ỗ← 1481 Bosnasaray, Ottoman Empire Matthias Corvinus[74] Vuk Grgurević Victory Ven. ỗ← 1479 Veglia, Principality of Krk Blaise Magyar Defeat Pl. ۩ 1471 Nitra, Kingdom of Hungary Matthias Corvinus Emeric Zápolya[nb 4] Victory Pl. ۩ 1473 Michalovce, Kingdom of Hungary Matthias Corvinus Demeter Jaksics Michael Csupor† [79] Victory Pl. ۩ 1473 Humenné, Kingdom of Hungary Matthias Corvinus [79] Victory hss ۩ 1460 Salgó Castle, Kingdom of Hungary Matthias Corvinus[43] Victory hss ۩ 1460 Zagyvafő Castle, Kingdom of Hungary Matthias Corvinus[43] Victory hss ۩ 1459 Sajónémeti, Kingdom of Hungary Matthias Corvinus[80] Victory hss ۩ ≠ 1459 Hlohovec, Kingdom of Hungary Sebastian Rozgonyi bishop Ladislaus Héderváry[76] Victory hss ۩ ≠ 1458 Vadna, Kingdom of Hungary Sebastian Rozgonyi bishop Ladislaus Héderváry[80] Victory hss ۩ 1459 Sárospatak, Kingdom of Hungary Sebastian Rozgonyi bishop Ladislaus Héderváry Blaise Magyar[80] Victory hss ۩ ≠ 1460 Gyöngyöspata, Kingdom of Hungary Matthias Corvinus Sebastian Rozgonyi bishop Ladislaus Héderváry[80] Victory hss ۩ ≠ 1458 Jasov, Kingdom of Hungary Sebastian Rozgonyi[81] Victory hss ۩ ≠ 1458 Nižná Myšľa, Kingdom of Hungary Sebastian Rozgonyi bishop Ladislaus Héderváry Blaise Magyar[82] Victory hss ۩ 1462 Kežmarok Castle, Kingdom of Hungary Stephen Zápolya[80] Victory hss ۩ ≠ 1458 Sečovce, Kingdom of Hungary Sebastian Rozgonyi Blaise Magyar[82] Victory hss ỗ← 1458 Rimavská Seč, Kingdom of Hungary Sebastian Rozgonyi[80] Victory Mld ۩ 1462 Voivodate of Wallachia Vlad Țepes[83] (Hungarian garrison) Victory Mld ۩ ≠ 1465 Voivodate of Wallachia (Hungarian garrison)[26] Defeat Ott. ۩ ≠ 1474 Várad, Kingdom of Hungary unknown, bishopric castle personnel[nb 5] Def. Vic. Cz. ỗ← 1488 Thomaswalde, Duchy of Silesia John Haugwitz[85] Victory hss ۩ ≠ 1458 Plaveč, Kingdom of Hungary Emeric Zápolya[86] Victory Pl. ۩ ≠ 1474 Árva, Kingdom of Hungary Matthias Corvinus[87] Victory[nb 6] Pl. ۩ ≠ 1474 Likavka, Kingdom of Hungary Matthias Crovinus[87] Victory HRE ۩ 1480 Maribor, Duchy of Styria Stephen Zápolya Wilhelm Tettauer[88] Defeat Ott. HRE ۩ ≠ [nb 7] 1480 Neumarkt in Steiermark, Archduchy of Austria John Haugwitz[90] Victory HRE ۩ ≠ 1477 Stein, Archduchy of Austria Johann Zeleny of Schonau[91] Defeat HRE ۩ ≠ 1477 Gozzoburg, Archduchy of Austria Johann Zeleny of Schonau[91] Defeat HRE ۩ 1486 Eggenburg, Archduchy of Austria Matthias Corvinus Bartholomew Drágffy of Beltiug[51] Victory HRE ۩ 1486 Laa an der Thaya, Archduchy of Austria Matthias Corvinus[92] Victory HRE ۩ 1486 Retz, Archduchy of Austria Matthias Corvinus[92] Victory (Details) HRE ۩ 1485 Kaiserebersdorf, Archduchy of Austria Matthias Corvinus Tobias von Boskowitz und Černahora[85] Victory (Details) HRE ۩ 1485 Pitten, Archduchy of Austria Matthias Corvinus[93] Victory Key † : Denotes captain deceased in battle ۩ : Denotes a siege (the dates at sieges concerns to the end of siege) ỗ← : Denotes an open field battle ≠ : Denotes a minor conflict involving less than 5,000 Hungarian units Cz. : Czechs HRE : Holy Roman Empire Ott. : Ottomans Mld : Moldavians Pope : Papal State Sax. : Saxony Ven. : Venice Pl. : Kingdom of Poland hss : Hussites HUN : Hungary Post-Matthias Against Hungary War/ Type Size Date Location Captain(s) commissioned Outcome HRE ۩ ≠ 1490 Ernsthofen, Kingdom of Hungary Wilhelm Tettauer[41] Defeat HRE ۩ 1491 Székesfehérvár, Kingdom of Hungary Stephen V Báthory[41] (supporting army) Victory Pl. ỗ← 1491 Prešov, Hungary Stephen Zápolya John Haugwitz[42] (supporting army) Victory HUN ỗ← 1492 Szegednic, Halászfalu; Kingdom of Hungary John Haugwitz[42] Defeat HRE ỗ← ≠ 1493 Thaya, Holy Roman Empire John Haugwitz†[42] Defeat HUN ۩ ≠ 1494 Belgrade, Kingdom of Hungary Balthasar Tettauer†[1] Defeat

Notes

1. ^ Žebrák (Hungarian: Zsebrák) is a distinctive historical and military term deriving from the same Czech word meaning beggar. It refers to Czech booty-hunters ravaging the northern regions of Hungary in the 15th century (but would submit themselves to any service for proper pay).^[37]
2. ^ ^{a b} Matthias I was proclaimed king by the Estates, but he had to wage war against Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor who claimed the throne for himself.^[64] Several magnates, such as the Újlaki family, the Garai family and the Szentgyörgy family, supported the emperor's claim and proclaimed him king against King Matthias; the emperor rewarded the brothers Sigismund and John of Szentgyörgy and Bazin with the hereditary noble title "count of the Holy Roman Empire" in 1459 and they thus were entitled to use red sealing wax.^[64][65] Although the Counts Szentgyörgyi commenced using their title in their deeds, in the Kingdom of Hungary, public law did not distinguish them from other nobles. The tide turned when they were pleased by Matthias' promises, changed their affiliation and joined forces with him. The second battle thus was successful in defending the Hungarian crown and the integrity of the nobility. The precise location of the battle is unknown since the historical records only guess where it could have situated.
3. King of Bohemia shortly after.^[70][71]
4. Sixtus IV's emissary in Kraków who intervened and urged the maintenance of peace.^[78]
   Based upon the aforementioned, the causes of retreat might be (any or multiple):
   • Famine caused by siege
   • Casimir's disappointment with his former Hungarian allies and frustration that the project became more difficult to carry out
   • Agreement of military matters with Matthias on diplomatic grounds (status quo)
   • Mediation of the pope and his calling for peace
   • Casimir's fear of being captured and Matthias' fear of triggering a possible "official" war with Casimir IV (reason for letting them retreat)
   • Intrigue of the
     nobility
     to both sides
5. ^ On 7 February 1474, Mihaloğlu Ali Bey's unexpected attack took the town by storm. Ahead of his 7,000 horsemen, he broke through its wooden fences and pillaged the town, burned the houses and took the population as prisoners. Their goal was to rob the treasury of the episcopate, but were resisted by the refugees and clergy in the bishop's castle (at the time the bishop's rank was absent, and no records mention the identity of a possible captain). The town fell but the castle stood, forcing the Turks to give up the fight after one day of siege. While retreating, they devastated the surrounding areas.^[84]
6. Chynadiyovo surrendered without resistance. The remaining stronghold of Árva had been fortified and Komorovszki defended it himself. The standoff resulted in Matthias' offer of 8,000 gold florins in exchange for the castles, which Komorovszki accepted. He even agreed to let his mercenaries join the Black Army.^[87]
7. Neumarkt in Steiermark, which was still in the hands of the Holy Roman Emperor. The inhabitants sought protection against the Ottomans and so let Haugwitz's army into the city, successfully repelling the siege. After the relief of the beleaguerment, the Hungarians continued to hold the city until the death of Matthias in 1490^[89]

Name variations

International usage of historical names

Hungarian (surname, given name)	English (given name, surname)	Ethnolect (given name, surname)
Hunyadi Mátyás (Mátyás király)	Mat(t)hias Rex, Mat(t)hias Corvin, Mat(t)hias Corvinus, Mat(t)hias Hunyadi, Mat(t)hias Korwin	Czech: Matyáš Korvín, Croatian: Matijaš Korvin, German: Matthias Corvinus, Medieval Latin: Mattias Corvinus, Polish: Maciej Korwin, Romanian: Matia/Matei/Mateiaş Corvin, Serbian: Матија Корвин/Matija Korvin, Slovak: Matej Korvín, Slovene: Matija Korvin, Russian: Матьяш Корвин/Matyash Corvin
Magyar Balázs	Balázs/Balazs Magyar, Blaž the Magyar	Croatian:Blaž Mađar, Slovak: Blažej Maďar, Spanish:Blas Magyar, German:Blasius Magyar, Italian:Biagio Magiaro
Kinizsi Pál	Paul/Pál Kinizsi	Romanian:Pavel Chinezul, Slovak: Pavol Kiniži, Spanish:Pablo Kinizsi
(S)Zápolya(i) Imre, S)Zapolya(i) Imre, Szipolyai Imre	Emeric Zapolya, Emeric Zapolyai, Emeric Szapolya, Emeric Szapolyai, Emrich of Zapolya	Polish: Emeryk Zápolya, Slovak: Imrich Zápoľský, Spanish: Emérico Szapolyai (de Szepes), German: Stefan von Zips
Gis(z)kra János	John Giskra, John Jiskra	Czech: Jan Jiskra z Brandýsa, German: Johann Giskra von Brandeis, Italian:Giovanni Gressa, Slovak: Ján Jiskra z Brandýsa
Löbl Menyhért	Melchior Löbel, Melchior Loebel, Melchior Löbl, Melchior Loebl	German: Melchior Löbel
Haugwitz János	John Haugwitz	German: Johann Haugwitz, Czech: Hanuš Haugvic z Biskupic
Báthory István, Báthori István	Stephen V Báthory, Stephen Báthory of Ecsed	Romanian: Ștefan Báthory, German: Stephan Báthory von Ecsed, Italian: Stefano Batore, Slovak: Štefan Bátory
Csupor Miklós	Nicolaus Chiupor, Nicolaus Csupor	Romanian: Nicolae Ciupor
Jaksics Demeter	Demetrius Jaksic	Serbian: Dmitar Jakšić
Újlaki Miklós	Nicholaus of Ujlak, Nicholaus Iločki	Croatian: Nikola Iločki
Hag Ferenc	František Hag	Czech: František z Háje, German: Franz von Hag
Tettauer Vilmos	Wilhelm Tettauer	Czech: Vilém Tetour z Tetova

See also

• Austrian–Hungarian War (1477–88)
• Bohemian–Hungarian War (1468–78)
• Battle of Leitzersdorf
• Growth of the Ottoman Empire
• Hussite Wars
• Siege of Hainburg
• Second siege of Hainburg
• Siege of Kaiserebersdorf
• Siege of Retz
• Siege of Vienna (1485)
• Siege of Wiener Neustadt
• Wagon fort

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External links

Media related to Black Army of Hungary at Wikimedia Commons

• Tactics and structure of the Black Army