Jan Jiskra z Brandýsa: zachránce uherského trůnu Ladislava Pohrobka 1440–1445
John Jiskra of Brandýs – the Saviour of the Hungarian Throne of Ladislaus the Posthumous 1440–1445

Summary/Abstract: The personality of a Moravian warrior Jan Jiskra of Brandýs has gone down in the history of many countries. His military career represents an extraordinary rise to power. In 1440, he entered into the services of the Queen Dowager Elizabeth as an experienced warrior who had proved himself successfully in the services of Elizabeth’s father, the Emperor Sigismund and her husband Albrecht, a Holy Roman Emperor and the King of Hungary and Bohemia. The Queen defended her recently born son Ladislaus the Posthumous and his rights to the Hungarian throne. Her rival was a Polish King Wladyslaw III who accepted the proposal of the Hungarian delegation on March 3, 1440, and became a King of Hungary, too. Within the set civil war, Jiskra with army was sent to east to protect Elizabeth’s allies. He occupied many castles and towns, mainly Prešov. In June 1441, he was besieged in Košice by the army of Jan Čapek of Sány, the supreme hetman of King Wladyslaw. The troops from Prešov and other towns rushed to help Jiskra at the critical moment. After his victory took over the town of Kežmarok in the Spiš region. For his achievements Jiskra was appointed in January the captain of Upper Hungary by Queen Elizabeth. He continued to strenghten his acquired position. During August and September 1442, Jiskra conquered many castles. In autumn 1442, the peace negotiations were held between Queen Elizabeth and King Wladyslaw. The negotiations ended up with the signing of the peace treaty on December 14, 1442. Queen Elizabeth died a few days after and Jiskra shielded himself by the authority of Frederick IV, the Holy Roman Emperor, who was the guardian of infant Ladislaus the Posthumous. Campaigns his enemies against the Ottoman Turcs 1443–1444 helped him to manage his territory relatively peacefully. Wladyslaw’s army was defeated by the Turcs at the Battle of Varna in Bulgaria on November 10, 1444. Since then, King Wladyslaw was missing. During new fights, Jiskra strenghtened his position and thus the position of four-year old Ladislaus the Posthumous who was generally proclaimed the King of Hungary in May 1445. The Hungarian aristocracy elected seven main hetmen to lead the country until the sovereign’s coming of age and Jiskra was one of them. For Jiskra, this day was a triumph and the confirmation of his successul five-year stay in the Kingdom of Hungary. He was considered to be an important personality who co-created the policy of his time.

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