#i.mátyás

[rulers-of-hungary-tournament]

Final Result(s)

The time has come, lads and lasses! It's been a number of weeks, but we finally have our Ultimate King of Hungary (before Mohács). And who is that amazing, unparalleled ruled that has absolutely trounced every opponent (in these polls, that is)?

It's him. Of course it's him, who did you think was going to win this one, III.András?!

Anyway, we also had two bonus polls, and we'd be remiss if we didn't also mention their winners.

First off, there was the Anti-Habsburg Antiking contest. We decided to do away with the Bethlens and Bosckais (sorry to all the Bethlen, Bocskai, the other Rákoczi and Thököly stans out there) and instead just straight up pit the two most iconic candidates against each other. As a result, Rákoczi Ferenc and his moustache trounced Szapolyai János - and I don't suppose any of the others would fare better, though it would be funny to see Thököly get, like, zero votes. Anyway, we might do something with that somewhere down the line. For now, congrats, Ferenc, you're the best alternative we ever had to the Habsburgs.

The second poll was in our opinion more well-constructed, and also asked better questions: namely, who is the TRUE father of the Hungarian nation? That one was pretty decisively won by Árpád (other options included Levedi, Álmos, I.István, "nationalism wasn't invented yet, dumbass", and Other). Painting by Feszty Árpád, from around 1900, just to rub it in that "nationalism wasn't invented yet" was in fact the correct option. (Kidding. Unlike the Hungarian government of the 19th century, we are not in fact in the business of dictating people their national identities - if y'all say Árpád is the Father of the Nation, I believe you.)

But to be honest, I am not quite ready to part with this sideblog quite yet. So before I send you on your merry way, I have one last question for y'all...

[best-habsburg-monarch]

Greetings, descendants!

It seems this month is unfortunately full of farewells. First you, now Best Romanov Monarch, and soon, we, @rulers-of-hungary-tournament will conclude our tournament as well. The final round of our tournament is between I.István (Štefan I.), also known as Saint Stephen, and I.Mátyás (Matej Korvín) also known as Matthias Corvinus (who, if we are not mistaken, doesn't have the best record when it comes to relations with you). We cordially invite you and everyone else who might see this message to the final showdown, which takes place here:

https://www.tumblr.com/rulers-of-hungary-tournament/740246869349924864/final-round

signed Duchess of Nyitra

As always, we encourage everyone to go engage with the Hungarian tournament as well.

[rulers-of-hungary-tournament]

FINAL ROUND

Admin's commentary: It's impressive how thoroughly were these two able to beat everyone that ever got in their way. Now, it's the final clash of the titans, battle of the behemots... Who is the most legendary king Hungary ever had?

***

I.Mátyás (Matej I.); also known as Hunyadi Mátyás (Matej Korvín) 1458-1490

I mean, do I even have to say anything??? you know who this guy is right.

fought the Ottomans. supported arts and sciences. instituted important reforms. founded Academia Istropolitana. made Buda the capital and built the Buda Castle. gained the crown of Bohemia and stole territory from Austria. the man. the myth. the legend.

@deetherusalka said about him: "Lmao Bohemian crown snatcher, it's still so funny to me how in Czechia he's always presented as the evil himself and then everywhere else he's celebrated (which is not wrong imho! it's just funny how the narrative changes depending on perspective you learn about it)"

@durzarya said about him: #listen i love Mátyás király and i have voted for him#but my guy had some interesting policies#hilarious information about him: at 19 he captured Vlad Țepeș

@biksarddedrak said about him: #It's not even fight#It's just bloody beating#Matyás is remembered even in many historical legends as a good and just ruler#he reformed military and made the world fear Hungary#first profesional army#he managed to pay not only for the one for a THREE armies at a time#also his love with his wife Beatrice is a thing of a legends#The GOOD sort of legends#also I am completely obsessed with a way how his name is pronouced#seriously check that out it's hilarious#black army

@partialtotheperiwinkleblue said about him: "Seriously, who else has his own cartoon series and fairy tale genre?" #the goat#he did a lot of work for someone who was originally chosen as a figurehead at 14

I.István (Štefan I.) 1000-1038

unifier of the Magyar tribes and first crowned king of Hungary (the damn crown is named after him for fuck's sake)

a literal saint - though not because he was particularly nice, mostly because of the fact that he was the first Magyar leader to be a proper Christian (unlike his dad Géza, who did get baptized, but still retained some of the pagan customs); plus he actively spread Christianity among Magyars (founding of the first Hungarian bishoprics, the one church for every 10 villages rule etc.), for better or for worse

created the basis for later Hungarian administration, including the minting of first Hungarian coins and the first law code in Hungarian history

helped Byzantines conquer Bulgaria

infamous for imprisoning and blinding his cousin and successor Vazul (chronicles blame his wife's influence, but they're probably just being sexist)

@biksarddedrak said about them: "The only thing, what you actually need to know is he was crowned on 25. of December year of our Lord 1000. The absolute unit of this man managed to haggle the pope to elevate whole Panonian basin on the most easly memorabe day. (...) I. Istvám defended his right to rule from several pagan lords who wished to deposed him in the beginig of his rule. And he did it from glorious city of Nitra."

[rulers-of-hungary-tournament]

ROUND 1B, MATCH 7

***

WHAT MY PROFESSOR OF MEDIEVAL HISTORY SAID ABOUT THEM

III.Béla (Belo III.) 1172-1196

made a peace deal with the Byzantine Empire, which isn't surprising considering he seemed to be awfully fond of the Byzantines, the Byzantine emperor even wanted him to make him his successor, untill his son was born

instituted "credible locations" - don't know how exactly to translate that into English, basically monasteries and other church institutions that had the right to issue (as in, physically write out) charters, which in the Middle Ages, where there weren't that many ways to authenticate legal documents, was a big honking deal, and if you ever studied medieval history of Hungary, you must've heard about them - A LOT

also founded the royal chancellory, which was the most important administrative organ in medieval Hungary

on the other hand, he not only sired II.András, which would be bad enough on its own, but he also wanted to conquer Galicia and make András its king, an endeavour which ultimately failed

I.Mátyás (Matej I.); also known as Hunyadi Mátyás (Matej Korvín) 1458-1490

I mean, do I even have to say anything??? you know who this guy is right.

fought the Ottomans. supported arts and sciences. instituted important reforms. founded Academia Istropolitana. made Buda the capital and built the Buda Castle. gained the crown of Bohemia and stole territory from Austria. the man. the myth. the legend.

seriously he's going to win this round and it's not even going to be even close. sorry Béla.

[rulers-of-hungary-tournament]

ROUND 4, MATCH 2

Admin's commentary: Good thing László is a saint, because only God can help him now...

***

I.László (Ladislav I.) 1077-1091

as mentioned bellow, during his rule, the whole Salamon situation was sorted out, and the foreign relations were consolidated, so that's nice

or would be if he also wasn't the first king of Hungary to focus on expanding the borders of the country, he tried to conquer Croatia (using some business with his sister, who married there, as an excuse), but in his absence Hungary was attacked by Pechenegs, so he had to rush back home

finished christianization of Hungary, during his reign developing religious culture, canonization of first Hungarian saints (I.István, his son Imre, saint Svorad and Benedict), also founded new bishoprics, chapters and provostrics

lest you think he was all gung-ho about the church and would let it do whatever it wanted, he also wrote two law codes, which among other things limited the right of the church to provide asylum to criminals

he also, just like Kálman mentioned in the previous week, called up a church synod, where many important questions were settled (celibacy of the clergy, tithes etc.); overall this guy was kind of a big deal, even beyond the sainthood he later obtained?

I.Mátyás (Matej I.); also known as Hunyadi Mátyás (Matej Korvín) 1458-1490

I mean, do I even have to say anything??? you know who this guy is right.

fought the Ottomans. supported arts and sciences. instituted important reforms. founded Academia Istropolitana. made Buda the capital and built the Buda Castle. gained the crown of Bohemia and stole territory from Austria. the man. the myth. the legend.

@deetherusalka said about him: "Lmao Bohemian crown snatcher, it's still so funny to me how in Czechia he's always presented as the evil himself and then everywhere else he's celebrated (which is not wrong imho! it's just funny how the narrative changes depending on perspective you learn about it)"

@durzarya said about him: #listen i love Mátyás király and i have voted for him#but my guy had some interesting policies#hilarious information about him: at 19 he captured Vlad Țepeș

@biksarddedrak said about him: #It's not even fight#It's just bloody beating#Matyás is remembered even in many historical legends as a good and just ruler#he reformed military and made the world fear Hungary#first profesional army#he managed to pay not only for the one for a THREE armies at a time#also his love with his wife Beatrice is a thing of a legends#The GOOD sort of legends#also I am completely obsessed with a way how his name is pronouced#seriously check that out it's hilarious#black army

@partialtotheperiwinkleblue said about him: "Seriously, who else has his own cartoon series and fairy tale genre?" #the goat#he did a lot of work for someone who was originally chosen as a figurehead at 14

[rulers-of-hungary-tournament]

ROUND 3, MATCH 4

Admin's commentary: ...okay this one is just. Not fair. For once I wish the Czechs were there to balance the score, although it still would be an incredibly lopsided battle. Zmikund, my poor baby.

***

Zsigmond (Žigmund Luxemburský) 1387-1437

also king of Bohemia and emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, elsewhere best known from what he did to Jan Hus, but we don't have enough time to unpack that, needless to say he's responsible for the bratríks (branch of hussites that went on supply raids into Hungary), so fuck him just for that

his rule in Hungary was long and eventful, after he secured the throne, his first order of business was a war with Ottomans, which ended in the catastrophic battle of Nicopolis, later another war, during which he regained Beograd, but lost Golubac, which was an important fortress

after the Hungarian nobles were found to conspire against him, he instituted harsh repressions, destroying many important noble houses, which he then tried to replace with a nobility faithful to him - but that just caused yet another conspiracy, which Zsigmond had to appease by marrying Barbara of Celle

founded the Order Of The Dragon, which is how Vlad II. Dracul and after him his son Vlad III. Dracula got their monikers

supported the rights of cities, especially in his Minor Decree, but lest our fellow medieval city kinnies start liking him too much, he was also the guy who lended several cities in Spiš to the Poles (cities formally stayed part of Hungary, but the profits from them went to the king od Poland; which is basically how it stayed untill the divisions of Poland)

he also instituted another two law codes concerning courts and army, gave himself placetum regium (right to veto reading of papal bulls on his territories, which meant he could witheld the orders of the pope itself from his people; @best-habsburg-monarch might recognize this one)... basically for better or for worse, he was a Big Damn Deal here, truly one of the most important monarchs of Hungary, just look at how long his entry is

@biksarddedrak said about him: "I want to see Zsigmund to win because well: a) catastrophic results of battle of Nicopolis weren't his fault. Those damm Frenchmen once again doomed Europe by their arrogance. Funny enough they were so scared after this battle, that it ended their support for any war with Ottomans in the future. (Forget that whole beef with Habsburgs, that comes much later.); b) ugh, well, he may king of the Romans and king f the Bohemia and temporary the most inportant ruler of Christendom, but it was the kingdom of Hungary he could trully call his own and had here full authority. And that is truly impressive because, well... Hungary was always kinda difficult to manage.; c) the dragon. The Dragon. THE DRAGON!!!; d) and also time to spice up relationship between Slovaks and Czechs right after anniversary of our divorce.

I.Mátyás (Matej I.); also known as Hunyadi Mátyás (Matej Korvín) 1458-1490

I mean, do I even have to say anything??? you know who this guy is right.

fought the Ottomans. supported arts and sciences. instituted important reforms. founded Academia Istropolitana. made Buda the capital and built the Buda Castle. gained the crown of Bohemia and stole territory from Austria. the man. the myth. the legend.

@deetherusalka said about him: "Lmao Bohemian crown snatcher, it's still so funny to me how in Czechia he's always presented as the evil himself and then everywhere else he's celebrated (which is not wrong imho! it's just funny how the narrative changes depending on perspective you learn about it)"

@durzarya said about him: #listen i love Mátyás király and i have voted for him#but my guy had some interesting policies#hilarious information about him: at 19 he captured Vlad Țepeș

@biksarddedrak said about him: #It's not even fight#It's just bloody beating#Matyás is remembered even in many historical legends as a good and just ruler#he reformed military and made the world fear Hungary#first profesional army#he managed to pay not only for the one for a THREE armies at a time#also his love with his wife Beatrice is a thing of a legends#The GOOD sort of legends#also I am completely obsessed with a way how his name is pronouced#seriously check that out it's hilarious#black army

[rulers-of-hungary-tournament]

ROUND 2, MATCH 8

Admin's commentary: ...please, people, my boy Lajos had suffered trough one curb stomp battle in his lifetime, don't make him relive his trauma.

***

WHAT MY PROFESSOR OF MEDIEVAL HISTORY SAID ABOUT THEM

I.Mátyás (Matej I.); also known as Hunyadi Mátyás (Matej Korvín) 1458-1490

I mean, do I even have to say anything??? you know who this guy is right.

fought the Ottomans. supported arts and sciences. instituted important reforms. founded Academia Istropolitana. made Buda the capital and built the Buda Castle. gained the crown of Bohemia and stole territory from Austria. the man. the myth. the legend.

seriously he's going to win this round and it's not even going to be even close. sorry Béla.

@deetherusalka said about him: "Lmao Bohemian crown snatcher, it's still so funny to me how in Czechia he's always presented as the evil himself and then everywhere else he's celebrated (which is not wrong imho! it's just funny how the narrative changes depending on perspective you learn about it)"

@durzarya said about him: #listen i love Mátyás király and i have voted for him#but my guy had some interesting policies#hilarious information about him: at 19 he captured Vlad Țepeș

II.Lajos (Ľudovít II.) 1516-1526

as mentioned in his father's entry, we weren't told much about him as a person, other than the fact that the Jagiellon rule in Hungary was a shitshow and he himself died at Mohács

@biksarddedrak said about him: "Like uhhh, II. Lajos inherited a shitty country. And with a huge issue of Ottoman empire kicking down it's door. But he has my admiration, because he decide to face the problems and lost his life in a hopeless battle." #my boy Lájos was just unfortunate#he did not die in a fight rather he drowned while fleeing from the battlefield when battle was lost#his horse stumbled and Lájos fell into bog where he drown in his armour#Also also he was allegedly very pretty#also with his death could begin the habsburg rule so LETS GOO#he knew when to kick the bucket and not to stay in a way

[rulers-of-hungary-tournament]

Round 3 Roundup And Round 4 Announcement

Once again, thank you all so, so much for participating! This round was super exciting; at this point, we have pretty much eliminated all but the strongest candidates, and coming into the semifinals, the plot only thickens. At this point, the question of who some of the most popular monarchs of Hungary are is pretty much settled - we are only looking for the very best one. I.Lajos, a.k.a. Louis I. the Great, finally found his match in the founder himself. II.Ulászló's luck has run out at last as he squared off against Károly Róbert himself. I.László did to II.András pretty much that he did to that Cuman on that famous fresco. And finally, poor Zsigmond held his own against I.Mátyás as well as can anyone expect to hold his own against Matthias Corvinus himself. Coming into semifinals, our table looks like this:

[rulers-of-hungary-tournament]

Best Habsburg Monarch: Hungarian Edition Finally Commences

Are you still here with us? I deeply apologize for the delay, lads and ladies. Anyway, the titular tournament of this blog may be over, but we still aren't quite done yet. Consider this a little addendum to the Best Monarch Of Hungary (Before Mohács). Afterwards, I was thinking about doing a little Best Monarch Of Hungary, Period or Ultimate Monarch Of Hungary poll, where we would pit the winner of this tournament against I.Mátyás. Anyway, the rules are much the same as in the titular tournament, i.e.:

New rounds of the main poll on Sundays; again, there may or may not be bonus polls, posted whenever the admin gets an idea for one.

You know how it goes by now. One-on-one duels, bracket, 4 rounds. 16 contestant in Round 1, 8 in Round 2, 4 in Seminfinals and 2 in Finals.

This time, we are including Hungarian AND German AND Czech names (Slovaks will understand; we are, after all, in the period of Biblical Czech and czechoslovak togetherness). We apologize to any Croats, Romanians etc. out there, but representing everyone would make the naming system too unwieldy. We are still using primarily Hungarian language for the consistency, but we are aware that considering the period discussed, this is much more controversial than it was in the original.

These guys are probably going to be more well-known overall, but just in case, I am having a What Did They Do For Us section, taken from the Habsburg Encyclopedia, my notes, and if necessary, other sources (I may use Wikipedia here, sorry).

Again, we most ardently encourage propaganda and antipropaganda, as well as spreading the news of this bracket, with a single caveat: @best-habsburg-monarch DNI, sorry. Please, don't endorse or reblog this bracket - we'd like to give our electorate the chance to speak for themselves. Not to say you cannot participate if you are a fan, or hell even the admin of Best Habsburg Monarch! Just do so as a private blog, that's all we ask.

TAGS:

#main bracket - polls and recaps of the main bracket #main bracket recap - recaps of the rounds of the main bracket #bonus polls - well, bonus polls #memes - well, memes #about us - what others say about this bracket (with our response or otherwise) #housekeeping - other posts, mainly about how this poll works, updates etc.

(PICTURE SOURCES:

Thumbnail: https://mindentudasboltja.hu/Tabula-Hungariae-Lazarus-1528

Profile Pic: https://www.hungarianconservative.com/articles/culture_society/legends-tales-and-the-doctrine-of-the-holy-crown-of-hungary/)