Istoriografia română şi maghiară referitoare la Ioan de Hunedoara (II)
John Hunyadi in Romanian and Hungarian Historiography (II)

Summary/Abstract: John Hunyadi was the founder of a dynasty with a short but glorious life. Several anti-Ottoman campaigns, the occupation of Vienna, a sustained activity of patron of arts, the introduction of Renaissance art into a gothic environment, and the attempt to create a university are all linked to the name of this dynasty, and have become the distinguishing landmarks of one of the most glorious times in the history of the Hungarian Kingdom. John Hunyadi succeeded making his way in a social hierarchy difficult to penetrate as a homo novus, and acceded to the highest position in the kingdom also owing to favorable political circumstances. Who that man was and where he had come from were questions also asked by his contemporaries. The answers varied according to the period and the particular interests of the time. His contemporaries were less preoccupied with his ethnicity than with his origin, from which the social status of the family could be deduced. Adversaries employed this latter aspect in order to discredit the Hunyadi family in the eyes of Hungarian aristocracy. On the contrary, attempts were made at the court of King Matthias to substantiate an old and aristocratic origin. With the emergence of national historiographies, accent was laid on national aspects, and the Hungarians, the Romanians and the Serbs started to regard them as scions of their own nations. The present paper makes an analysis of these historiographies and offers an interesting look into the various ideologies and research methods employed.

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