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Knight of the week
Sir John of Felsenbau:
By the way...I have finally found the coat of arms for the knight who accompanied Marshal on the 2 year tournament circuit, as well as another knight who was close to Marshal. I am currently working on the shields and surcoats and will post them here when I am done.
Sir James A:
--- Quote from: Sir John of Felsenbau on 2011-12-31, 15:59:23 ---By the way...I have finally found the coat of arms for the knight who accompanied Marshal on the 2 year tournament circuit, as well as another knight who was close to Marshal. I am currently working on the shields and surcoats and will post them here when I am done.
--- End quote ---
That is great. I look forward to seeing them.
Frater de Beaumanoir:
I like this concept. What does it take to recommend a Knight of the Week? Can we?
Sir John of Felsenbau:
I just concentrate on medieval knights, preferably ones that have proved themselves. It's more of the history of the knights that I'm into. Every now and then I throw in a curve ball to lighten things up.
Sir John of Felsenbau:
This week's Knight of the week: "Sir Matthias Corvinus" : Born in 1443, he was the second son of John Hunyadi (who had risen in the ranks to become Regent of Hungary.) Matthias began following his father's campaigns when he was only 12.
A story that young Matthias was commissioned by his mother to take a ring to the then king of Hungary and Holy Roman Emperor: Zsigmond of Luxemburg. On the way Matthias stopped for a nap and was awaked by a servant telling Matthias that the ring had been taken by a crow and she was flying away with it in her bill. Matthias killed the crow with his last arrow, and when he was given a coat of arms he chose to have a raven with a ring in it's mouth as his emblem. "Corvinus" is latin for crow.
In 1455 he was married when he was only 12 years old, but she died before the marriage could be consumated. Matthias was knighted in 1456 at the Siege of Belgrade. After his fathers death the same year, there was a power struggle with treatchery on both sides. Matthias was taken for safety's sake by George, Governor of Bohemia. In 1458 he married his daughter and shortly after was elected King of Hungary, the first Hugarian blooded king in more than 150 years! They called him the "Raven King" after his emblem. In 1468 Matthias was elected King of Bohemia and in 1476, married his 3rd wife. But the union was childless. Ferdinand I of Naples declared war against the Emperor on 1481. Matthias captured all of the fortresses in Frederick's hereditary domain and in 1485 made a triumpal enrty into Vienna. At times Matthias had Vlad III (the impalier) Prince of Wallachia as his vassel. [I will be doing a knight of the week on him too eventually.]
He held the titles: (deep breath) of King of Hungary, Bohemia, Dalmatia, Rama, Serbia, Lodomeria, Cumania and Bulgaria; Prince of Silesia and Luxembourg; Duke of Austria; Margrave nof Moravia and Lusatia. (whew)
Matthias, who had long been crippled by gout, expired very suddenly in 1490, just before Easter. Under King Matthias, Hungary became one of the most powerful nations of Europe. He was undisputedly the greatest man of his day, and one of the greatest monarchs who ever reigned. He often dressed up as a beggar and wandered the streets to see firsthand how the nobles of his realm treated his people and corrected any misdoings that he found. To this day, Hungarians consider him the greatest of all Kinbgs, and they sing of his siege of Vienna in their national anthem today.
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