Ha átböngésszük a római magyar kutatások történetét, 1 akkor nem sok adatot találunk arra vonatko... more Ha átböngésszük a római magyar kutatások történetét, 1 akkor nem sok adatot találunk arra vonatkozóan, hogy az Archivio Storico Capitolinóban hazánk történészei kutatásokat folytattak volna. Borsa Iván 1984-ben így foglalta össze e levéltárban tett látogatását: Amikor egyszeri megbeszélés erejéig meglátogattam az Archivio Capitolino di Romát (Róma város 1870 utáni iratanyagát és római közjegyzők 17. századig visszamenő köteteit őrzi), a kutatóterem előtt egy állandó jellegű tábla állt completo felirattal, így jelzik az autóbuszokon is, ha több utast nem tud felvenni. A kutatóteremnek valóban mind a 16 kutatói széke foglalt volt. Ilyen "telt házat" másutt nem láttam. 2
Vilmos Fraknói’s vast body of work was almost common knowledge even among his contemporaries, and... more Vilmos Fraknói’s vast body of work was almost common knowledge even among his contemporaries, and his necrologues invariably highlighted his rich scientific heritage. The bibliography has also provided an opportunity to examine his work in terms of scientific metrics. He published 67 monographs and an impressive 226 papers, mainly in journals. He was also a prolific contributor to encyclopaedic dictionaries, with 230 in all. So far, no attention has been paid to Vilmos Fraknói’s reviews, although several of them are very interesting and educational. He wrote a total of seventeen of them during his lifetime, so he did not often make use that kind of publication. In his reviews, Fraknói stressed the importance of archival research and source publications in Hungary and abroad, especially in Italy, which were intended not only to serve Hungarian historiography but also to serve foreign historians who wished to study the history of Hungary. His review of the Vatican archival research is particularly interesting, and he made the important point that the focus of research should be on the 14th and 15th centuries. In addition to his scientific publications, he published a substantial number of articles on other topics, almost a hundred in all. Of particular interest are his debates on scientific works, often of a topical and sectarian nature, the two most exciting of which were with Kálmán Thaly and Lajos Kossuth. More than a quarter of his non-academic publications are publicist writings, focusing largely on two periods or topics. Fraknói held strong views on Catholic autonomy and secularization. The other period, productive in journalistic terms, was the First World War. In his publicism, he did not deny his status as a historian: he collected, analysed, argued and synthesised information. His editorial work plays a major role in his oeuvre. He wrote few eulogies or necrologues, but almost all of them were about people he admired and to whom he owed a great deal, such as Flóris Rómer, Arnold Ipolyi, Lajos Haynald and Sándor Szilágyi.
Béla (III .) király (13-14), Béla (IV .) király (14-15), Béla herceg (15), Bélai apátság (16), Bé... more Béla (III .) király (13-14), Béla (IV .) király (14-15), Béla herceg (15), Bélai apátság (16), Bélik József (38-39), Benedek (Garamszent) (79-81), Benedek de Zolio zágrábi püspök (81), Benevenutus (97), Benkovich Ágoston (100-101), Bénye prépostság (117-118), Berényi Zsigmond gróf (132), Bosniai káptalan (349), Bosniai püspökség (349-350), Bosnyák István (350), Bozóki prépostság (377), Brigitta-szigeti prépostság (402), Brondilmontibus János (410-411), Brunse András (426), Budafölhévvizi prépostság (441), Budai káptalan (441-442), Budai prépostság (442), Burgio János Antal báró (477), Caraffa Károly (621), Cesarini Julian (694-696), Cholti apátság (746), Cilley grófok (762-765), Egyetemes Magyar Encyclopedia VI: Bél-Cockerill, szerk. Pollák János, Pest 1868. 5 A kiadás Ráth Károllyal közösen, a bevezetés Fraknói tollából.
József Lukcsics was born on 4 February 1875 in a small village in Transdanubia, Kerta, in a well-... more József Lukcsics was born on 4 February 1875 in a small village in Transdanubia, Kerta, in a well-to-do peasant family. In 1893, he was admitted to the seminary in Veszprém, and from 1894, as a student of the Central Seminary, he continued his theological studies at the Faculty of Theology of the Royal Hungarian University of Budapest. After his ordination Lukcsics continued his studies at the Augustineum in Vienna. While in Vienna he was already engaged in research on church history. In July 1900, after completing his studies and obtaining his doctorate, Károly Hornig, Bishop of Veszprém appointed him chaplain and theology teacher in Pápa. Bishop Hornig introduced him to Vilmos Fraknói, a priest who was by then a nationally renowned scholar. Hornig is said to have invited Fraknói for a ride in his carriage and seated the young cleric opposite him. After Lukcsics passed the exam, his journey from the parish of Pápa soon took him to Rome.
József Lukcsics replaced his predecessor, Miklós Pallay, also a priest of the diocese of Veszprém, who had assisted Fraknói with the first two volumes of the Monumenta Romana Episcopatus Vesprimiensis. For the third volume of the Monumenta, in addition to transcribing the sources, comparing them with the originals and preparing the index, Lukcsics also wrote the introduction, almost 60 pages long. He also began to revise the series of the Apostolic Chamber. In the course of the work on the volume, several leading figures of Hungarian-related studies at the Vatican (such as Á. Gilbert Zaich, Ferenc Kollányi, Antal Beke, Menyhért Érdújhelyi, Pál Tóth Szabó and Pongrác Sörös) also contributed to the work of the Vatican’s translation process, coordinated by József Lukcsics.
Lukcsics completed his research in Rome in the spring of 1904, and in September 1904 he was already employed at the University Library in Budapest, assisted in his appointment by Bishop Károly Hornig. He worked at the University Library from 1904 until 1909. In February 1909, also with the support of his bishop, he was appointed professor of Church History at the Faculty of Theology. In addition to courses in Hungarian and universal church history, he also gave seminars on Latin palaeography and diplomatic studies, as well as a seminar on ecclesiastical antiquities. One of the highlights of his teaching career was that he was Dean of the Faculty of Theology in the academic years 1912/1913 and 1917/1918. Teaching and university administration left less time for publications. On November 16, 1922, Bishop Nándor Rott of Veszprém appointed him canon and he had to give up his chair. In recognition of his merits and services, he was awarded the title of full professor of the University.
His diocesan bishop gave the newly arrived canon some responsibilities: from 1923 to 1935 he held the post of superintendent of the diocese, and also became a synod examiner and judge. In 1924 he became a member of the committee of the Veszprém County Legislature, in 1926 abbot of Kapornak, in 1927 archdeacon of Somogy, and in 1934 papal prelate.
The legate court of Tamás Bakóc (1514-1521)
The legate court was run by professionals with cur... more The legate court of Tamás Bakóc (1514-1521)
The legate court was run by professionals with curatorial experience and legal knowledge - doctorates or notarial appointments - gathered around him by Tamás (Thomas) Bakóc during most of his stay in Rome, who came not only from Italy but also from France, Germany and Dalmatia. This is not a unique phenomenon, as the legate court of Cardinal Pietro Isvalies, who had previously been in Italy, was also composed of foreigners. The small number of Hungarian collaborators also worked at the Archbishop's See of Esztergom, and generally took part in the work of the Legate's See at the same time as they were there. The persons of Andrea Cesi and Mihály Vitéz should be mentioned. Mihály Vitéz, as a Roman confessor, not only had considerable experience in curia administration, but was certainly well acquainted with the jurisprudence of the Apostolic Penitentiary, which was of great use to them. Andrea Cesi, who enjoyed the unconditional confidence of Thomas Bakóc, and whose Italian university education was combined with domestic judicial experience acquired in the Episcopal Holy See of Zagreb, was essentially the sole director of the legate court for many years. From a career point of view, he was clearly the one who benefited most from his activities here, as he was awarded the title of Grand Provost of Esztergom for his services. In addition, even Bernardo Visconti's 'adventure in Hungary' could not have been useless for him, as he returned to Rome and became a papal referendary. One of the most interesting members of the court is notary Oluf Hansen Bang, whose career has been enlightening in many ways. A young cleric, he went from Denmark, on the periphery of Europe, to Rome, one of the centres of the world at the time, to seek his fortune and from there to the service of the powerful Cardinal Thomas Bakóc, who maintained a multi-ethnic humanist court. After almost six years as a notary in Hungary, he returned to Rome with considerable experience of office, a recommendation from Cardinal Bakóc and certainly an extensive network of contacts, where he became involved in diplomacy alongside his curatorial work; his upwardly mobile career was cut short by his untimely death. Although there is no record of Oluf Bang representing Cardinal Bakóc's interests after his return to Rome, he was a member of the diplomatic corps. I must, however, mention his fellow scriptor Jean Dissoncourt, who later returned to Hungary: in 1523 he was again in Buda, accompanied by the papal legate Tommaso de Vio. The legate court of Thomas Bakóc thus brought together legal intellectuals from almost every corner of the res publica Christiana, who not only ensured the professional running of the office but also hoped to further their own careers by being close to the Cardinal, thus raising the profile of the Cardinal's court.
Pope Clement VII was informed about Suleiman the Magnificent’s plans to occupy Buda from the repo... more Pope Clement VII was informed about Suleiman the Magnificent’s plans to occupy Buda from the reports of the nuncios. The pope sent letters to the monarchs of the Christian world on 9 February 1526 to urge a prompt aid to the Kingdom of Hungary, since it was threatened by a huge Ottoman attack. As there were further grim reports from Buda, Clement VII planned to send an extraordinary nuncio, whose main duty would have been to inform the European courts about the Ottoman campaign that threatened Hungary. At first, he chose the Florentine Paolo Vettori, the captain of the papal navy, for the role; however, he died soon after his departure. Therefore, the experienced papal diplomat, Giovanni Francesco (Capino) de’ Capi was appointed. Capeno de’ Capi set off in March
1526 to France, where he entered negotiations with Francis I to form an ally against the emperor. On 22 May 1526 the League of Cognac was signed by Clement, Francis, Venice, and Milan. Consequently, Hungary’s case of an anti-Ottoman campaign was rather for the sake of covering secret diplomatic negotiations.
OMINKOVITS PÉTER 1992-ben Kőszegen kezdte meg levéltári pályafutását, a következő esztendőtől kez... more OMINKOVITS PÉTER 1992-ben Kőszegen kezdte meg levéltári pályafutását, a következő esztendőtől kezdve a Győr-Moson-Sopron Megye Soproni Levéltára mun katársa, 2011-től pedig igazgatója. E 30 esztendő alatt a magyar levéltárügy és a magyar történettudomány egyik jelentős, közismert és közkedvelt egyénisége lett, akinek szakmai tevékenysége a történeti tárgyú munkák elkészítése mellett elsősorban a levéltári forrásfeltárásra és-publikálásra, valamint a hazai és külhoni intézményi kapcsolatok kiépítésére és fenntartására irányult és irányul. E külső megjelenésében és méreteiben is imponáló, továbbá remélhetőleg tartalmában is magas színvonalúnak bizonyuló kötettel-amely három köszöntőn túl, nem kevesebb, mint 58 bel-és külföldi szerző közreműködésével elkészült 54 tanulmányt tartalmaz, jelezve Dominkovits Péter igen kiterjedt hazai és külhoni kapcsolatrendszerét-pályatársai és kollégái köszöntik őt 60. születésnapja alkalmából, és egyben tiszteletüket fejezik ki 3 évtizedes, több díjjal is elismert szakmai pályafutásának eredményei iránt.
Pope Clement VII was informed about Suleiman the Magnificent’s plans to occupy Buda from the repo... more Pope Clement VII was informed about Suleiman the Magnificent’s plans to occupy Buda from the reports of the nuncios. The pope sent letters to the monarchs of the Christian world on 9 February 1526 to urge a prompt aid to the Kingdom of Hungary, since it was threatened by a huge Ottoman attack. As there were further grim reports from Buda, Clement VII planned to send an extraordinary nuncio, whose main duty would have been to inform the European courts about the Ottoman campaign that threatened Hungary. At first, he chose the Florentine Paolo Vettori, the captain of the papal navy, for the role; however, he died soon after his departure. Therefore, the experienced papal diplomat, Giovanni Francesco (Capino) de’Capri was appointed. Capeno de’ Capi set off in March 1526 to France, where he entered negotiations with Francis I to form an ally against the emperor. On 22 May 1526 the League of Cognac was signed by the Clement, Francis, Venice, and Milan. Consequently, Hungary’s case of an anti-Ottoman campaign was rather for the sake of covering secret diplomatic negotiations.
It was in the late 19th century, when the Vatican Secret Archive had opened to the public, that i... more It was in the late 19th century, when the Vatican Secret Archive had opened to the public, that international research started to pay attention to the records of the “canonical procedures” (processus informativus, processus inquisitionis, processus canonicus), including their prosopographic and biographic worth, as well as their values concerning the history of given dioceses. The procedure was reformed and extended during the Council of Trent and, also, subsequently. The goal was to ensure the loyalty and capability of the future generations of bishops. Another aim was to appropriately inform the Roman curia about the conditions in the individual dioceses. From the second half of the 1620’s, the registries survive almost uninterrupted in the various files of the Vatican’s Apostolic Archives (Archivio Concistoriale, Dataria Apostolica, Nunziatura Apostolica in Vienna). The procedure did exist before the time of the Tridentinum. Based on the decisions of Session 9 of the Fifth Lateran Council, Pope Leo X issued his apostolic decree known as Supernae dispositionis arbitrio in 1514. Several elements of the papal constitution had been laid down in the unpublished reform bull of Alexander VI, containing, for the most part, prescriptions concerning the candidate’s personal qualities („circa sublimes et literatas personas”). The inspectional procedure and the consistorial report was entrusted to the cardinal-protector in charge of the given territory. Several clauses of Leo X’s decree equalled the formal expression of the general practice that evolved during the 15th century. A processus from the year 1464, agreeing in practice with the records (minutes) collected in the first half of the 16th century, placed in the Archivum Arcis (the Archive of the Castle of the Holy Angel). It is the earliest surviving document of its kind. The canonical inspection records of Juan de Cerda, Bishop of Barcelona, have been preserved for posterity by being placed among breve drafts in the Vatican Archives. We can also find sources for the enquiry of episcopal candidates outside the Vatican collections. The private family archive of the Aldobrandinis at Frascati (Villa Belvedere), for example, possesses 25 such documents from the heritage of Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini from the period between 1594 and 1620. Four of these documents (from the years 1614–1617) relate to Hungary; they include the appointment documents of Péter Pázmány to the dignity of Archbishop of Esztergom. The earliest Hungarian-related source among the documents prepared according the prescriptions of the Tridentinum is János Pyber’s 1612 procedure at Pécs, found in the Archivio Concistoriale. There had been only one earlier document of canonical enquiry, relating to Hungary, known to research, which was conducted about Tamás Tasnádi, Canon of Esztergom and Nyitra (Nitra) in Rome, in September 1518, concerning his appointment to Salona (Salonen.) (AAV Arch. Arcis, Arm. I–XVIII, n. 2858). The present paper publishes an even earlier document of canonical enquiry, found outside the Vatican, analyzing it and placing it in a historical and historiographic context. It is found in the Archivio di Stato di Modena, Archivio Segreto Estense, Camera, Amministrazione dei Principi nr. 823. (Filza di documenti vari 1494–1518). Its discovery is the merit of the Research Team Vestigia, specifically of the researcher Hajnalka Kuffart. The source is found in a mixed bunch including material relating to Ippolito d’Este, apparently collected without any organizing principle, not even arranged in a chronological order. The minutes (records) bear the date April 7th, 1502, written down by the imperial notary public Jerome, secretary to Cardinal Federico Sanseverino, concerning the case of Antonio de Perea, who was Cardinal Ippolito d’Este’s candidate to the status of Auxiliary Bishop of Eger. The witnesses heard were as follows. Consalvo de Castro, papal familiar (comestabilis sanctissimi domini nostri); Daniele Vivis, Cardinal Francesco Borgia’s secretary; Petrus Alamanus, diocesan priest at Esztergom and forty-year-old familiar of Cardinal Este; Martinus de Ezet, diocesan priest at Eger, Este’s familiar and magister domus of Cardinal Sanseverino as well as earlier familiar of Cardinal Gabriele Rangoni. Their claims about the candidate can be summarized as follows. He is from Spain, born in the Diocese of Toledo in lawful marriage; he is 32 years old, an observant Franciscan monk, consecrated presbyter, celebrates masses regularly and observing the rules; he is also an excellent preacher. As far as the Bishopric of Eger is concerned, the witnesses described it as one of the largest dioceses of Hungary, with an annual income of about ten thousand ducats. It always has an auxiliary bishop, generally chosen by the diocesan bishop from among his familiars. The auxiliary bishop Matthias of Požega (Dominus Mathiam episcopus de Popcha) had died a few years before. One witness, Malombra, recalls Bernát (Bernard), Fransiscan monk and Arcadian honorary bishop, who had been auxiliary bishop for about 22 years. The petition written by Ippolito d’Este to the Pope was copied onto the last page of the document. The petition states that the Diocese of Eger has, as a rule, two auxiliary bishops, but one of them had passed away; therefore, he would like to have Antonio de Perea appointed to a bishop’s title in the Bishopric Bugia (Bejaïa, Algeria). He would grant him 200 Florins (Guldens) per annum from his diocese’s income to ensure his living appropriate for a bishop.
The State Archive of Rome (Archivio di Stato di Roma) purchased a volume at an auction at Sotheby... more The State Archive of Rome (Archivio di Stato di Roma) purchased a volume at an auction at Sotheby’s, London, in 1970, then another one from a private individual, Muriel Fink-Errera, in 1972. Both have been preserved in a perfect condition to date, their present-day binding probably originating from the 18th century. The two volumes (Acquisiti e doni, busta 26/1. and 27/1.) contain breves of the commune type, issued in the 6th year of the pontificate of Pope Sixtus IV. Both volumes of breve registries have been so far unknown for Hungarian researchers, which is why the 16 breves they contain provides additional information, hitherto unknown, for studying the relations between Hungary and the Holy See during the reign of King Matthias of Hungary. Pope Sixtus IV wrote a breve to Ilona (Croatian: Jelena), widow of Zsigmond Frangepán (Croatian: Žigmund Frankopan), Count of Zengg (modern Senj), as well as to Count János of Korbávia (Croatian: Jan Krbavski), in which the Pope – referring to Zsigmond’s unlawful occupation of the properties of the Diocese of Arbe (modern Rab) – instructed them to abandon their activities. In an earlier breve addressed at the Chapter of Zágráb (Zagreb) and the Bishop of Zágráb, Osvát (Thuz) of Szentlászló, he discussed the case of Balázs Marócsai, Canon of Zágráb, whom he allowed to act as a full member of the Chapter – in spite of the fact that he was not a consecrated priest. The Pope sent a breve to Gábor Matucsinai, Archbishop of Kalocsa, to further the interests of the Dominican Order in Hungary, as well as to Gabriele Rangoni, Bishop of Eger and ambassador to the Pope relating to the visitation of the abandoned monasteries of Csút and Zsámbék. The breves also mention two Benedictines. János Szécsényi joined the Franciscan Order at age ten, leaving it before taking his oath and asking permission to join the Benedictine Order. The other one was Bertalan Patacsi, taking his oath in the Dominican Monastery at Pécs; however, due to the unrelievable headaches torturing him, he was granted permission by his supervisor to join any other order except the Benedictines. Still, he decided to join the Benedictines, which might have been the reason why he was sent so far from his native land. Furthermore, one finds information on the Diocese of Modrus (Croatian: Modruš), threatened by (Ottoman) Turks, the cathedral of which was granted the right of a jubilee indulgence on Assumption Day. Two of the breves, relating to financial debt, provides important pieces of evidence of Hungarian presence in Italy. In his letter to King Matthias of Hungary, Pope Sixtus IV informed the king that Ioannes Argyropoulos had once lent 300 Guldens to Péter Garázda, Dean of Pozsega (modern Požega), but the sum had not been paid back to him. Argyropoulos was an influential member of the humanist circle in Florence, regarded as one of the fathers of Neo-Platonism. He had established relationships with Hungarian humanists, too: Janus Pannonius, upon visiting Florence, met him twice and attended his lectures with great enthusiasm. Péter Garázda must have stayed in Florence between 1469 and 1471; on the one hand, he joined the humanist circles; on the other hand, he acquired valuable codices for members of Hungary’s high clergy. He himself bought, as a representational gift, three of these codices for János Zrednai, and one to the bishop Janus Pannonius. What Garázda spent this sum of 300 Ducats on is a matter of conjecture: he may have spent it on spectacularly illustrated codices or used it to cover his daily costs. Imre, son of Kelemen, Provost of Bosnia and Canon of Bács, as well as the Dean Mihály, Canon of Vác, faced problems of the same kind. They took a loan from the commercial house Medici and Pazzi by the Roman Curia, which they failed to pay back by January 30th, 1477. Imre, son of Kelemen, visited Rome several times on royal diplomatic missions; as he paid many a visit at the Camera Apostolica, the sum he borrowed might have been used to cover the taxes to be paid as fees to the Chamber. The breves that have been recovered include two letters of recommendation as well. In one of them, Pope Sixtus IV recommended a certain Antonius Aloysius, citizen of Venice, to King Matthias of Hungary and Gabriele Rangoni, Bishop of Eger, upon the request of Aloysius’s uncle Domonkos, son of Peter, papal scribe and familiar. The identity of the persons in question, however, remains ambiguous; Antonius Aloysius might have been the same person as Alvise Malombra, who was Bishop of the Diocese of Arbe (Rab) in 1484, and whose familiar relation to Rangoni can be justified. The leading figure in the other letter of recommendation is equally cryptic. When Mihály, canon-reader (lector) at Pécs, arrived at Rome on July 28th, 1477 asking for a letter of recommendation to be addressed to King Matthias of Hungary and Gabriele Rangoni, Bishop of Eger, the registry scribe found his surname illegible, replacing it with some dots. As no lectors at Pécs are known from the period between 1472 and 1478, the identification of Mihály’s person is subject to further research. The two volumes of breve registries at the State Archive of Rome seems to be a source to reveal many things which have been almost completely unknown to Hungarian researchers in Rome. Although it is the Vatican’s Apostolic Archive (Archivio Apostolico Vaticano) that undoubtedly serves as a centre of research on the history of the papacy as well on the relations between Hungary and the Holy See, these two volumes do show that several other Italian collections possess valuable and indispensable documents. In addition, the study of 15th-century breves has recently become a focus of research. In the year 2021, thanks to Sergio Pagano, Prefect of the Archivio Apostolico, the publication of a regesta containing the breves in the earliest volume of registry from the time of Paul II’s papacy marked the start of a grand series of publications. The goal of this noteworthy enterprise is to make available for researchers almost ten thousand sources, in the form of Latin regesta, which survive from the period between 1469 and 1493 in the Vatican’s breve registries. It is an important duty of Hungarian researchers in Rome to join this recently initiated project by supplementing the 15th-century Hungarian-related breves in the Vatican and other Italian collections with the ones to be found in the Carpathian Basin, as well as by publishing the individual sources in their full textual form, contributing to further research on Hungarian ecclesiastical history, not to mention more general aspects of Hungarian and international historical studies.
The volume contains a repertory of the papal documents that have survived in the territory of his... more The volume contains a repertory of the papal documents that have survived in the territory of historical Hungary, dating from 1417 to 1526. The work is an integral part of the objectives of the prestigious series Index Actorum Romanorum Pontificum ab Innocentio III in ad Martinum V electum, launched by Franco Bartoloni. During the collection, the author has considered all forms of manuscript survival, including not only the original, but also the transcriptions, copies and even manuscripts, as well as printed funeral epistles. In addition to the Diplomatic Archives (DL) and the Diplomatic Photograph Collection (DF) of the National Archives of the Hungarian National Archives, the Hevenes, Kaprina and Pray collections held at the ELTE University Library and Archives, as well as online databases, formed the basis of the collection. Using the manuscripts and editions collected during the research, a data set was compiled for each document containing the date of the document, the initial words of the context of the document, its incipit, the name of the issuing pope, the title, the manuscripts that preserve the text of the document and the editions of each document.
Of the 1 064 copies of the charter that have survived in the archives of the Carpathian Basin for more than 100 years between 1417 and 1526, 672 have been recovered. More than half of these, 344, have survived in the original. The introduction to the volume, which is also available in English at the end, deals with the analysis and evaluation of the documents processed and the problems of their survival and preservation.
The repertory is followed by a series of indexes: first an index of persons and places, then a list of DL and DF numbers and a list of manuscripts without these, and finally an alphabetical index of the incipits.
A repertory of Curia officials has also been compiled by examining the original documents in the volume. The work is thus intended as a contribution to the collection of prosopographies and biographies of the persons who worked in the Papal Curia offices, which was begun decades ago by Thomas Frenz, a renowned professor of diplomacy and palaeography at the University of Passau.
The relationship between the Veszprém diocese and the Roman Curia during the late middle ages
Re... more The relationship between the Veszprém diocese and the Roman Curia during the late middle ages
Regarding both the takings and the population, the Veszprém diocese belonged to the major Hungarian dioceses and it maintained diverse and complex relations with the Roman Curia. Like the other Hungarian dioceses, the Veszprém diocese also lacked the permanent Roman representation, however besides their main assignment, confessors and diplomats originating from its territory or related due to their benefice were often at the disposal of the residents of the diocese. Contacts were predominantly incidental and occasional. In case of personal administration, origin from the diocese was not important, people arriving in Rome – exploiting the multifunctional nature of the Eternal City – could arrange a number of cases, apart from their own even other people’s affairs. The intensity of the relationships of the dioceses with the Holy See were not uniform, they could be influenced by the social composition of their population, the urbanization and the number of the ecclesiastical benefices. The number of the applicants from the Veszprém diocese to the Dataria was definitely overrepresented compared to the proportion of the population, this was probably due to the demographical features and the network of settlements, the multitude of ecclesiastical institutions and the related beneficiary and legal cases. The high proportion of the confessionale-type applications may be explained by the urbanization and the economic potential which was higher than the national average. Examining the relationships of the medieval Veszprém diocese with the Holy See, we can state that compared to its position in the Hungarian ecclesiastical hierarchy it was very intense and diverse – even in the late middle ages.
Előszó "Sapienti sat…"-talán Plautusnak ezek a Perzsa című vígjátékából vett szavai jutnak az olv... more Előszó "Sapienti sat…"-talán Plautusnak ezek a Perzsa című vígjátékából vett szavai jutnak az olvasó eszébe, ha kezébe veszi a győri Brenner János Hittudományi Főiskola idei tanulmánykötetét és megnézi annak tartalomjegyzékét. "Dictum sapienti sat est"-mondja Sagaristio a komédiában, azaz a bölcsnek elegendőek az elmondottak, neki nincs szüksége bővebb magyarázatra, további fejtegetésekre, utasításokra, neki ennyi is megteszi. Az idei tanulmánykötet igen széles spektrumot ad, amely hűen tükrözi az intézményben folyó színes, változatos tudományos munkát. Teológiai, filozófiai, pedagógiai, egyházjogi, egyháztörténeti és egyházzenei témákban született tanulmányokat olvashatnak az érdeklődők. A tanulmánykötet megszületésében résztvevő írók mind-mind arra törekedtek, hogy szakterületüknek vagy érdeklődési körüknek egy részletét, egy lényeges, vagy számukra különösen is fontos szegletét a lehető legalaposabban és legrészletesebben bemutassák. Nyilván lehetetlen vállalkozás egy témát a maga teljességében kibontani egy tanulmányban, hiszen ennek a műfajnak szűkösek a keretei. Inkább az iránytű szerepét töltik be; megmutatják a kereső olvasónak, hogy milyen irányba kell haladnia ahhoz, hogy az adott területen célba érjen. Azt akarja, hogy az olvasó, azaz az utazó úgy vegye kezébe ezt a kötetet, mint egy térképet vagy mint egy iránytűt, egy olyan eszközt, amely segítségévé válhat, hogy kitűzött céljához elérjen. És a bölcsnek ennyi elegendő. Vagy túl elitista lenne ez a megfogalmazás? Plautus szavait kérdőjellel is elláthatjuk. "Sapienti sat?" Valóban ért ennyiből is az olvasó? Vagy úgy is kérdezhetnénk: egy ilyen apró kóstoló is elég (amennyiben a latin sapiens, bölcs, a sapere, azaz ízlelni, kóstolni igéből származik)? Nem, egy kóstolóval senki nem lakik jól, még egy gourmet sem, viszont utóbbinak egy amuse-bouche is elég, hogy eldöntse, van-e értelme folytatni a lakomát, vagy jobb asztalt bontani. A tanulmánykötet egyfelől halvány visszfénye akar lenni a szerzők kemény, áldozatos munkájának, amelyet szakterületükön végeznek, másfelől kedvcsináló kíván lenni, amely arra csábítja olvasóit, hogy az adott témában tovább keressenek, kutassanak. Kinek szól hát ez a kötet? Ha a címben szereplő idézetet vesszük alapul, akkor csak a "bölcseknek". Ám ahogyan azt Shakespeare Ahogy tetszik című vígjátékából is tudjuk: "A bolond bölcsnek tartja magát, de a bölcs tudja magáról, hogy bolond". Címzettjei tehát azok a "bolondok" lehetnek, akik elég bölcsek ahhoz, hogy megfelelő módon forgassák? Úgy fogalmaznám át a címben szereplő gondolatot, hogy olyan olvasóknak íródott, akiknek a leírtak elegendőek ahhoz, hogy tudják, merre induljanak tovább a tanulmányok olvasása után és elégtelen azoknak, akik úgy érzik, hogy a kötet olvasása nekik elegendő.
The study summarizes the biography and activity of the Danish cleric, already known in the former... more The study summarizes the biography and activity of the Danish cleric, already known in the former literature, but with plenty of new sources and recent literature. Oluf Hansen Bang (around 1480-1522) left Denmark as a young cleric to try his luck in one of the centres of that time: in Rome. He took service there with Tamás Bakóc, the powerful cardinal who had a multi-ethnic humanist court: he became the scribe and notary of the legate's court of judicature. After almost six years of notary work in the Hungarian Kingdom, with serious practical experience, the recommendation of Cardinal Bakóc and undoubtedly with a wide network of relations he returned to Rome. There, beside his court work, he latched on to the diplomatic world: his promising and rising career broke with his early death.
Cardinal Pietro Isvalies, the Bishop of Veszprém
During his Hungarian legate between 1501 and 15... more Cardinal Pietro Isvalies, the Bishop of Veszprém
During his Hungarian legate between 1501 and 1503 Cardinal Isvalies spent his time negotiating concerning an anti-Turkish coalition. But also organised the matters of the jubilee for the benefit of a possible crusade. Both the cardinal’s benefices, including the episcopacy of Veszprém, the abbacy of Pécsvárad and Szekszárd, and his office of the cardinal protector in Rome for the Jagellonian kingdoms resulted in his surviving connections to Hungary even after he moved back to Italy.
A Magyarországon megjelenő monasztikus rendek, így a bencés és a ciszterci kerülték a népesebb te... more A Magyarországon megjelenő monasztikus rendek, így a bencés és a ciszterci kerülték a népesebb településeket, a városokban először a kolduló rendek telepedtek meg. Éppen ezért nem meglepő, hogy Győr városában két szerzetesrendi közösség élt: egy ferences és egy domonkos, melyeket egy lovagrend, a johannita egészített ki.
Ha átböngésszük a római magyar kutatások történetét, 1 akkor nem sok adatot találunk arra vonatko... more Ha átböngésszük a római magyar kutatások történetét, 1 akkor nem sok adatot találunk arra vonatkozóan, hogy az Archivio Storico Capitolinóban hazánk történészei kutatásokat folytattak volna. Borsa Iván 1984-ben így foglalta össze e levéltárban tett látogatását: Amikor egyszeri megbeszélés erejéig meglátogattam az Archivio Capitolino di Romát (Róma város 1870 utáni iratanyagát és római közjegyzők 17. századig visszamenő köteteit őrzi), a kutatóterem előtt egy állandó jellegű tábla állt completo felirattal, így jelzik az autóbuszokon is, ha több utast nem tud felvenni. A kutatóteremnek valóban mind a 16 kutatói széke foglalt volt. Ilyen "telt házat" másutt nem láttam. 2
Vilmos Fraknói’s vast body of work was almost common knowledge even among his contemporaries, and... more Vilmos Fraknói’s vast body of work was almost common knowledge even among his contemporaries, and his necrologues invariably highlighted his rich scientific heritage. The bibliography has also provided an opportunity to examine his work in terms of scientific metrics. He published 67 monographs and an impressive 226 papers, mainly in journals. He was also a prolific contributor to encyclopaedic dictionaries, with 230 in all. So far, no attention has been paid to Vilmos Fraknói’s reviews, although several of them are very interesting and educational. He wrote a total of seventeen of them during his lifetime, so he did not often make use that kind of publication. In his reviews, Fraknói stressed the importance of archival research and source publications in Hungary and abroad, especially in Italy, which were intended not only to serve Hungarian historiography but also to serve foreign historians who wished to study the history of Hungary. His review of the Vatican archival research is particularly interesting, and he made the important point that the focus of research should be on the 14th and 15th centuries. In addition to his scientific publications, he published a substantial number of articles on other topics, almost a hundred in all. Of particular interest are his debates on scientific works, often of a topical and sectarian nature, the two most exciting of which were with Kálmán Thaly and Lajos Kossuth. More than a quarter of his non-academic publications are publicist writings, focusing largely on two periods or topics. Fraknói held strong views on Catholic autonomy and secularization. The other period, productive in journalistic terms, was the First World War. In his publicism, he did not deny his status as a historian: he collected, analysed, argued and synthesised information. His editorial work plays a major role in his oeuvre. He wrote few eulogies or necrologues, but almost all of them were about people he admired and to whom he owed a great deal, such as Flóris Rómer, Arnold Ipolyi, Lajos Haynald and Sándor Szilágyi.
Béla (III .) király (13-14), Béla (IV .) király (14-15), Béla herceg (15), Bélai apátság (16), Bé... more Béla (III .) király (13-14), Béla (IV .) király (14-15), Béla herceg (15), Bélai apátság (16), Bélik József (38-39), Benedek (Garamszent) (79-81), Benedek de Zolio zágrábi püspök (81), Benevenutus (97), Benkovich Ágoston (100-101), Bénye prépostság (117-118), Berényi Zsigmond gróf (132), Bosniai káptalan (349), Bosniai püspökség (349-350), Bosnyák István (350), Bozóki prépostság (377), Brigitta-szigeti prépostság (402), Brondilmontibus János (410-411), Brunse András (426), Budafölhévvizi prépostság (441), Budai káptalan (441-442), Budai prépostság (442), Burgio János Antal báró (477), Caraffa Károly (621), Cesarini Julian (694-696), Cholti apátság (746), Cilley grófok (762-765), Egyetemes Magyar Encyclopedia VI: Bél-Cockerill, szerk. Pollák János, Pest 1868. 5 A kiadás Ráth Károllyal közösen, a bevezetés Fraknói tollából.
József Lukcsics was born on 4 February 1875 in a small village in Transdanubia, Kerta, in a well-... more József Lukcsics was born on 4 February 1875 in a small village in Transdanubia, Kerta, in a well-to-do peasant family. In 1893, he was admitted to the seminary in Veszprém, and from 1894, as a student of the Central Seminary, he continued his theological studies at the Faculty of Theology of the Royal Hungarian University of Budapest. After his ordination Lukcsics continued his studies at the Augustineum in Vienna. While in Vienna he was already engaged in research on church history. In July 1900, after completing his studies and obtaining his doctorate, Károly Hornig, Bishop of Veszprém appointed him chaplain and theology teacher in Pápa. Bishop Hornig introduced him to Vilmos Fraknói, a priest who was by then a nationally renowned scholar. Hornig is said to have invited Fraknói for a ride in his carriage and seated the young cleric opposite him. After Lukcsics passed the exam, his journey from the parish of Pápa soon took him to Rome.
József Lukcsics replaced his predecessor, Miklós Pallay, also a priest of the diocese of Veszprém, who had assisted Fraknói with the first two volumes of the Monumenta Romana Episcopatus Vesprimiensis. For the third volume of the Monumenta, in addition to transcribing the sources, comparing them with the originals and preparing the index, Lukcsics also wrote the introduction, almost 60 pages long. He also began to revise the series of the Apostolic Chamber. In the course of the work on the volume, several leading figures of Hungarian-related studies at the Vatican (such as Á. Gilbert Zaich, Ferenc Kollányi, Antal Beke, Menyhért Érdújhelyi, Pál Tóth Szabó and Pongrác Sörös) also contributed to the work of the Vatican’s translation process, coordinated by József Lukcsics.
Lukcsics completed his research in Rome in the spring of 1904, and in September 1904 he was already employed at the University Library in Budapest, assisted in his appointment by Bishop Károly Hornig. He worked at the University Library from 1904 until 1909. In February 1909, also with the support of his bishop, he was appointed professor of Church History at the Faculty of Theology. In addition to courses in Hungarian and universal church history, he also gave seminars on Latin palaeography and diplomatic studies, as well as a seminar on ecclesiastical antiquities. One of the highlights of his teaching career was that he was Dean of the Faculty of Theology in the academic years 1912/1913 and 1917/1918. Teaching and university administration left less time for publications. On November 16, 1922, Bishop Nándor Rott of Veszprém appointed him canon and he had to give up his chair. In recognition of his merits and services, he was awarded the title of full professor of the University.
His diocesan bishop gave the newly arrived canon some responsibilities: from 1923 to 1935 he held the post of superintendent of the diocese, and also became a synod examiner and judge. In 1924 he became a member of the committee of the Veszprém County Legislature, in 1926 abbot of Kapornak, in 1927 archdeacon of Somogy, and in 1934 papal prelate.
The legate court of Tamás Bakóc (1514-1521)
The legate court was run by professionals with cur... more The legate court of Tamás Bakóc (1514-1521)
The legate court was run by professionals with curatorial experience and legal knowledge - doctorates or notarial appointments - gathered around him by Tamás (Thomas) Bakóc during most of his stay in Rome, who came not only from Italy but also from France, Germany and Dalmatia. This is not a unique phenomenon, as the legate court of Cardinal Pietro Isvalies, who had previously been in Italy, was also composed of foreigners. The small number of Hungarian collaborators also worked at the Archbishop's See of Esztergom, and generally took part in the work of the Legate's See at the same time as they were there. The persons of Andrea Cesi and Mihály Vitéz should be mentioned. Mihály Vitéz, as a Roman confessor, not only had considerable experience in curia administration, but was certainly well acquainted with the jurisprudence of the Apostolic Penitentiary, which was of great use to them. Andrea Cesi, who enjoyed the unconditional confidence of Thomas Bakóc, and whose Italian university education was combined with domestic judicial experience acquired in the Episcopal Holy See of Zagreb, was essentially the sole director of the legate court for many years. From a career point of view, he was clearly the one who benefited most from his activities here, as he was awarded the title of Grand Provost of Esztergom for his services. In addition, even Bernardo Visconti's 'adventure in Hungary' could not have been useless for him, as he returned to Rome and became a papal referendary. One of the most interesting members of the court is notary Oluf Hansen Bang, whose career has been enlightening in many ways. A young cleric, he went from Denmark, on the periphery of Europe, to Rome, one of the centres of the world at the time, to seek his fortune and from there to the service of the powerful Cardinal Thomas Bakóc, who maintained a multi-ethnic humanist court. After almost six years as a notary in Hungary, he returned to Rome with considerable experience of office, a recommendation from Cardinal Bakóc and certainly an extensive network of contacts, where he became involved in diplomacy alongside his curatorial work; his upwardly mobile career was cut short by his untimely death. Although there is no record of Oluf Bang representing Cardinal Bakóc's interests after his return to Rome, he was a member of the diplomatic corps. I must, however, mention his fellow scriptor Jean Dissoncourt, who later returned to Hungary: in 1523 he was again in Buda, accompanied by the papal legate Tommaso de Vio. The legate court of Thomas Bakóc thus brought together legal intellectuals from almost every corner of the res publica Christiana, who not only ensured the professional running of the office but also hoped to further their own careers by being close to the Cardinal, thus raising the profile of the Cardinal's court.
Pope Clement VII was informed about Suleiman the Magnificent’s plans to occupy Buda from the repo... more Pope Clement VII was informed about Suleiman the Magnificent’s plans to occupy Buda from the reports of the nuncios. The pope sent letters to the monarchs of the Christian world on 9 February 1526 to urge a prompt aid to the Kingdom of Hungary, since it was threatened by a huge Ottoman attack. As there were further grim reports from Buda, Clement VII planned to send an extraordinary nuncio, whose main duty would have been to inform the European courts about the Ottoman campaign that threatened Hungary. At first, he chose the Florentine Paolo Vettori, the captain of the papal navy, for the role; however, he died soon after his departure. Therefore, the experienced papal diplomat, Giovanni Francesco (Capino) de’ Capi was appointed. Capeno de’ Capi set off in March
1526 to France, where he entered negotiations with Francis I to form an ally against the emperor. On 22 May 1526 the League of Cognac was signed by Clement, Francis, Venice, and Milan. Consequently, Hungary’s case of an anti-Ottoman campaign was rather for the sake of covering secret diplomatic negotiations.
OMINKOVITS PÉTER 1992-ben Kőszegen kezdte meg levéltári pályafutását, a következő esztendőtől kez... more OMINKOVITS PÉTER 1992-ben Kőszegen kezdte meg levéltári pályafutását, a következő esztendőtől kezdve a Győr-Moson-Sopron Megye Soproni Levéltára mun katársa, 2011-től pedig igazgatója. E 30 esztendő alatt a magyar levéltárügy és a magyar történettudomány egyik jelentős, közismert és közkedvelt egyénisége lett, akinek szakmai tevékenysége a történeti tárgyú munkák elkészítése mellett elsősorban a levéltári forrásfeltárásra és-publikálásra, valamint a hazai és külhoni intézményi kapcsolatok kiépítésére és fenntartására irányult és irányul. E külső megjelenésében és méreteiben is imponáló, továbbá remélhetőleg tartalmában is magas színvonalúnak bizonyuló kötettel-amely három köszöntőn túl, nem kevesebb, mint 58 bel-és külföldi szerző közreműködésével elkészült 54 tanulmányt tartalmaz, jelezve Dominkovits Péter igen kiterjedt hazai és külhoni kapcsolatrendszerét-pályatársai és kollégái köszöntik őt 60. születésnapja alkalmából, és egyben tiszteletüket fejezik ki 3 évtizedes, több díjjal is elismert szakmai pályafutásának eredményei iránt.
Pope Clement VII was informed about Suleiman the Magnificent’s plans to occupy Buda from the repo... more Pope Clement VII was informed about Suleiman the Magnificent’s plans to occupy Buda from the reports of the nuncios. The pope sent letters to the monarchs of the Christian world on 9 February 1526 to urge a prompt aid to the Kingdom of Hungary, since it was threatened by a huge Ottoman attack. As there were further grim reports from Buda, Clement VII planned to send an extraordinary nuncio, whose main duty would have been to inform the European courts about the Ottoman campaign that threatened Hungary. At first, he chose the Florentine Paolo Vettori, the captain of the papal navy, for the role; however, he died soon after his departure. Therefore, the experienced papal diplomat, Giovanni Francesco (Capino) de’Capri was appointed. Capeno de’ Capi set off in March 1526 to France, where he entered negotiations with Francis I to form an ally against the emperor. On 22 May 1526 the League of Cognac was signed by the Clement, Francis, Venice, and Milan. Consequently, Hungary’s case of an anti-Ottoman campaign was rather for the sake of covering secret diplomatic negotiations.
It was in the late 19th century, when the Vatican Secret Archive had opened to the public, that i... more It was in the late 19th century, when the Vatican Secret Archive had opened to the public, that international research started to pay attention to the records of the “canonical procedures” (processus informativus, processus inquisitionis, processus canonicus), including their prosopographic and biographic worth, as well as their values concerning the history of given dioceses. The procedure was reformed and extended during the Council of Trent and, also, subsequently. The goal was to ensure the loyalty and capability of the future generations of bishops. Another aim was to appropriately inform the Roman curia about the conditions in the individual dioceses. From the second half of the 1620’s, the registries survive almost uninterrupted in the various files of the Vatican’s Apostolic Archives (Archivio Concistoriale, Dataria Apostolica, Nunziatura Apostolica in Vienna). The procedure did exist before the time of the Tridentinum. Based on the decisions of Session 9 of the Fifth Lateran Council, Pope Leo X issued his apostolic decree known as Supernae dispositionis arbitrio in 1514. Several elements of the papal constitution had been laid down in the unpublished reform bull of Alexander VI, containing, for the most part, prescriptions concerning the candidate’s personal qualities („circa sublimes et literatas personas”). The inspectional procedure and the consistorial report was entrusted to the cardinal-protector in charge of the given territory. Several clauses of Leo X’s decree equalled the formal expression of the general practice that evolved during the 15th century. A processus from the year 1464, agreeing in practice with the records (minutes) collected in the first half of the 16th century, placed in the Archivum Arcis (the Archive of the Castle of the Holy Angel). It is the earliest surviving document of its kind. The canonical inspection records of Juan de Cerda, Bishop of Barcelona, have been preserved for posterity by being placed among breve drafts in the Vatican Archives. We can also find sources for the enquiry of episcopal candidates outside the Vatican collections. The private family archive of the Aldobrandinis at Frascati (Villa Belvedere), for example, possesses 25 such documents from the heritage of Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini from the period between 1594 and 1620. Four of these documents (from the years 1614–1617) relate to Hungary; they include the appointment documents of Péter Pázmány to the dignity of Archbishop of Esztergom. The earliest Hungarian-related source among the documents prepared according the prescriptions of the Tridentinum is János Pyber’s 1612 procedure at Pécs, found in the Archivio Concistoriale. There had been only one earlier document of canonical enquiry, relating to Hungary, known to research, which was conducted about Tamás Tasnádi, Canon of Esztergom and Nyitra (Nitra) in Rome, in September 1518, concerning his appointment to Salona (Salonen.) (AAV Arch. Arcis, Arm. I–XVIII, n. 2858). The present paper publishes an even earlier document of canonical enquiry, found outside the Vatican, analyzing it and placing it in a historical and historiographic context. It is found in the Archivio di Stato di Modena, Archivio Segreto Estense, Camera, Amministrazione dei Principi nr. 823. (Filza di documenti vari 1494–1518). Its discovery is the merit of the Research Team Vestigia, specifically of the researcher Hajnalka Kuffart. The source is found in a mixed bunch including material relating to Ippolito d’Este, apparently collected without any organizing principle, not even arranged in a chronological order. The minutes (records) bear the date April 7th, 1502, written down by the imperial notary public Jerome, secretary to Cardinal Federico Sanseverino, concerning the case of Antonio de Perea, who was Cardinal Ippolito d’Este’s candidate to the status of Auxiliary Bishop of Eger. The witnesses heard were as follows. Consalvo de Castro, papal familiar (comestabilis sanctissimi domini nostri); Daniele Vivis, Cardinal Francesco Borgia’s secretary; Petrus Alamanus, diocesan priest at Esztergom and forty-year-old familiar of Cardinal Este; Martinus de Ezet, diocesan priest at Eger, Este’s familiar and magister domus of Cardinal Sanseverino as well as earlier familiar of Cardinal Gabriele Rangoni. Their claims about the candidate can be summarized as follows. He is from Spain, born in the Diocese of Toledo in lawful marriage; he is 32 years old, an observant Franciscan monk, consecrated presbyter, celebrates masses regularly and observing the rules; he is also an excellent preacher. As far as the Bishopric of Eger is concerned, the witnesses described it as one of the largest dioceses of Hungary, with an annual income of about ten thousand ducats. It always has an auxiliary bishop, generally chosen by the diocesan bishop from among his familiars. The auxiliary bishop Matthias of Požega (Dominus Mathiam episcopus de Popcha) had died a few years before. One witness, Malombra, recalls Bernát (Bernard), Fransiscan monk and Arcadian honorary bishop, who had been auxiliary bishop for about 22 years. The petition written by Ippolito d’Este to the Pope was copied onto the last page of the document. The petition states that the Diocese of Eger has, as a rule, two auxiliary bishops, but one of them had passed away; therefore, he would like to have Antonio de Perea appointed to a bishop’s title in the Bishopric Bugia (Bejaïa, Algeria). He would grant him 200 Florins (Guldens) per annum from his diocese’s income to ensure his living appropriate for a bishop.
The State Archive of Rome (Archivio di Stato di Roma) purchased a volume at an auction at Sotheby... more The State Archive of Rome (Archivio di Stato di Roma) purchased a volume at an auction at Sotheby’s, London, in 1970, then another one from a private individual, Muriel Fink-Errera, in 1972. Both have been preserved in a perfect condition to date, their present-day binding probably originating from the 18th century. The two volumes (Acquisiti e doni, busta 26/1. and 27/1.) contain breves of the commune type, issued in the 6th year of the pontificate of Pope Sixtus IV. Both volumes of breve registries have been so far unknown for Hungarian researchers, which is why the 16 breves they contain provides additional information, hitherto unknown, for studying the relations between Hungary and the Holy See during the reign of King Matthias of Hungary. Pope Sixtus IV wrote a breve to Ilona (Croatian: Jelena), widow of Zsigmond Frangepán (Croatian: Žigmund Frankopan), Count of Zengg (modern Senj), as well as to Count János of Korbávia (Croatian: Jan Krbavski), in which the Pope – referring to Zsigmond’s unlawful occupation of the properties of the Diocese of Arbe (modern Rab) – instructed them to abandon their activities. In an earlier breve addressed at the Chapter of Zágráb (Zagreb) and the Bishop of Zágráb, Osvát (Thuz) of Szentlászló, he discussed the case of Balázs Marócsai, Canon of Zágráb, whom he allowed to act as a full member of the Chapter – in spite of the fact that he was not a consecrated priest. The Pope sent a breve to Gábor Matucsinai, Archbishop of Kalocsa, to further the interests of the Dominican Order in Hungary, as well as to Gabriele Rangoni, Bishop of Eger and ambassador to the Pope relating to the visitation of the abandoned monasteries of Csút and Zsámbék. The breves also mention two Benedictines. János Szécsényi joined the Franciscan Order at age ten, leaving it before taking his oath and asking permission to join the Benedictine Order. The other one was Bertalan Patacsi, taking his oath in the Dominican Monastery at Pécs; however, due to the unrelievable headaches torturing him, he was granted permission by his supervisor to join any other order except the Benedictines. Still, he decided to join the Benedictines, which might have been the reason why he was sent so far from his native land. Furthermore, one finds information on the Diocese of Modrus (Croatian: Modruš), threatened by (Ottoman) Turks, the cathedral of which was granted the right of a jubilee indulgence on Assumption Day. Two of the breves, relating to financial debt, provides important pieces of evidence of Hungarian presence in Italy. In his letter to King Matthias of Hungary, Pope Sixtus IV informed the king that Ioannes Argyropoulos had once lent 300 Guldens to Péter Garázda, Dean of Pozsega (modern Požega), but the sum had not been paid back to him. Argyropoulos was an influential member of the humanist circle in Florence, regarded as one of the fathers of Neo-Platonism. He had established relationships with Hungarian humanists, too: Janus Pannonius, upon visiting Florence, met him twice and attended his lectures with great enthusiasm. Péter Garázda must have stayed in Florence between 1469 and 1471; on the one hand, he joined the humanist circles; on the other hand, he acquired valuable codices for members of Hungary’s high clergy. He himself bought, as a representational gift, three of these codices for János Zrednai, and one to the bishop Janus Pannonius. What Garázda spent this sum of 300 Ducats on is a matter of conjecture: he may have spent it on spectacularly illustrated codices or used it to cover his daily costs. Imre, son of Kelemen, Provost of Bosnia and Canon of Bács, as well as the Dean Mihály, Canon of Vác, faced problems of the same kind. They took a loan from the commercial house Medici and Pazzi by the Roman Curia, which they failed to pay back by January 30th, 1477. Imre, son of Kelemen, visited Rome several times on royal diplomatic missions; as he paid many a visit at the Camera Apostolica, the sum he borrowed might have been used to cover the taxes to be paid as fees to the Chamber. The breves that have been recovered include two letters of recommendation as well. In one of them, Pope Sixtus IV recommended a certain Antonius Aloysius, citizen of Venice, to King Matthias of Hungary and Gabriele Rangoni, Bishop of Eger, upon the request of Aloysius’s uncle Domonkos, son of Peter, papal scribe and familiar. The identity of the persons in question, however, remains ambiguous; Antonius Aloysius might have been the same person as Alvise Malombra, who was Bishop of the Diocese of Arbe (Rab) in 1484, and whose familiar relation to Rangoni can be justified. The leading figure in the other letter of recommendation is equally cryptic. When Mihály, canon-reader (lector) at Pécs, arrived at Rome on July 28th, 1477 asking for a letter of recommendation to be addressed to King Matthias of Hungary and Gabriele Rangoni, Bishop of Eger, the registry scribe found his surname illegible, replacing it with some dots. As no lectors at Pécs are known from the period between 1472 and 1478, the identification of Mihály’s person is subject to further research. The two volumes of breve registries at the State Archive of Rome seems to be a source to reveal many things which have been almost completely unknown to Hungarian researchers in Rome. Although it is the Vatican’s Apostolic Archive (Archivio Apostolico Vaticano) that undoubtedly serves as a centre of research on the history of the papacy as well on the relations between Hungary and the Holy See, these two volumes do show that several other Italian collections possess valuable and indispensable documents. In addition, the study of 15th-century breves has recently become a focus of research. In the year 2021, thanks to Sergio Pagano, Prefect of the Archivio Apostolico, the publication of a regesta containing the breves in the earliest volume of registry from the time of Paul II’s papacy marked the start of a grand series of publications. The goal of this noteworthy enterprise is to make available for researchers almost ten thousand sources, in the form of Latin regesta, which survive from the period between 1469 and 1493 in the Vatican’s breve registries. It is an important duty of Hungarian researchers in Rome to join this recently initiated project by supplementing the 15th-century Hungarian-related breves in the Vatican and other Italian collections with the ones to be found in the Carpathian Basin, as well as by publishing the individual sources in their full textual form, contributing to further research on Hungarian ecclesiastical history, not to mention more general aspects of Hungarian and international historical studies.
The volume contains a repertory of the papal documents that have survived in the territory of his... more The volume contains a repertory of the papal documents that have survived in the territory of historical Hungary, dating from 1417 to 1526. The work is an integral part of the objectives of the prestigious series Index Actorum Romanorum Pontificum ab Innocentio III in ad Martinum V electum, launched by Franco Bartoloni. During the collection, the author has considered all forms of manuscript survival, including not only the original, but also the transcriptions, copies and even manuscripts, as well as printed funeral epistles. In addition to the Diplomatic Archives (DL) and the Diplomatic Photograph Collection (DF) of the National Archives of the Hungarian National Archives, the Hevenes, Kaprina and Pray collections held at the ELTE University Library and Archives, as well as online databases, formed the basis of the collection. Using the manuscripts and editions collected during the research, a data set was compiled for each document containing the date of the document, the initial words of the context of the document, its incipit, the name of the issuing pope, the title, the manuscripts that preserve the text of the document and the editions of each document.
Of the 1 064 copies of the charter that have survived in the archives of the Carpathian Basin for more than 100 years between 1417 and 1526, 672 have been recovered. More than half of these, 344, have survived in the original. The introduction to the volume, which is also available in English at the end, deals with the analysis and evaluation of the documents processed and the problems of their survival and preservation.
The repertory is followed by a series of indexes: first an index of persons and places, then a list of DL and DF numbers and a list of manuscripts without these, and finally an alphabetical index of the incipits.
A repertory of Curia officials has also been compiled by examining the original documents in the volume. The work is thus intended as a contribution to the collection of prosopographies and biographies of the persons who worked in the Papal Curia offices, which was begun decades ago by Thomas Frenz, a renowned professor of diplomacy and palaeography at the University of Passau.
The relationship between the Veszprém diocese and the Roman Curia during the late middle ages
Re... more The relationship between the Veszprém diocese and the Roman Curia during the late middle ages
Regarding both the takings and the population, the Veszprém diocese belonged to the major Hungarian dioceses and it maintained diverse and complex relations with the Roman Curia. Like the other Hungarian dioceses, the Veszprém diocese also lacked the permanent Roman representation, however besides their main assignment, confessors and diplomats originating from its territory or related due to their benefice were often at the disposal of the residents of the diocese. Contacts were predominantly incidental and occasional. In case of personal administration, origin from the diocese was not important, people arriving in Rome – exploiting the multifunctional nature of the Eternal City – could arrange a number of cases, apart from their own even other people’s affairs. The intensity of the relationships of the dioceses with the Holy See were not uniform, they could be influenced by the social composition of their population, the urbanization and the number of the ecclesiastical benefices. The number of the applicants from the Veszprém diocese to the Dataria was definitely overrepresented compared to the proportion of the population, this was probably due to the demographical features and the network of settlements, the multitude of ecclesiastical institutions and the related beneficiary and legal cases. The high proportion of the confessionale-type applications may be explained by the urbanization and the economic potential which was higher than the national average. Examining the relationships of the medieval Veszprém diocese with the Holy See, we can state that compared to its position in the Hungarian ecclesiastical hierarchy it was very intense and diverse – even in the late middle ages.
Előszó "Sapienti sat…"-talán Plautusnak ezek a Perzsa című vígjátékából vett szavai jutnak az olv... more Előszó "Sapienti sat…"-talán Plautusnak ezek a Perzsa című vígjátékából vett szavai jutnak az olvasó eszébe, ha kezébe veszi a győri Brenner János Hittudományi Főiskola idei tanulmánykötetét és megnézi annak tartalomjegyzékét. "Dictum sapienti sat est"-mondja Sagaristio a komédiában, azaz a bölcsnek elegendőek az elmondottak, neki nincs szüksége bővebb magyarázatra, további fejtegetésekre, utasításokra, neki ennyi is megteszi. Az idei tanulmánykötet igen széles spektrumot ad, amely hűen tükrözi az intézményben folyó színes, változatos tudományos munkát. Teológiai, filozófiai, pedagógiai, egyházjogi, egyháztörténeti és egyházzenei témákban született tanulmányokat olvashatnak az érdeklődők. A tanulmánykötet megszületésében résztvevő írók mind-mind arra törekedtek, hogy szakterületüknek vagy érdeklődési körüknek egy részletét, egy lényeges, vagy számukra különösen is fontos szegletét a lehető legalaposabban és legrészletesebben bemutassák. Nyilván lehetetlen vállalkozás egy témát a maga teljességében kibontani egy tanulmányban, hiszen ennek a műfajnak szűkösek a keretei. Inkább az iránytű szerepét töltik be; megmutatják a kereső olvasónak, hogy milyen irányba kell haladnia ahhoz, hogy az adott területen célba érjen. Azt akarja, hogy az olvasó, azaz az utazó úgy vegye kezébe ezt a kötetet, mint egy térképet vagy mint egy iránytűt, egy olyan eszközt, amely segítségévé válhat, hogy kitűzött céljához elérjen. És a bölcsnek ennyi elegendő. Vagy túl elitista lenne ez a megfogalmazás? Plautus szavait kérdőjellel is elláthatjuk. "Sapienti sat?" Valóban ért ennyiből is az olvasó? Vagy úgy is kérdezhetnénk: egy ilyen apró kóstoló is elég (amennyiben a latin sapiens, bölcs, a sapere, azaz ízlelni, kóstolni igéből származik)? Nem, egy kóstolóval senki nem lakik jól, még egy gourmet sem, viszont utóbbinak egy amuse-bouche is elég, hogy eldöntse, van-e értelme folytatni a lakomát, vagy jobb asztalt bontani. A tanulmánykötet egyfelől halvány visszfénye akar lenni a szerzők kemény, áldozatos munkájának, amelyet szakterületükön végeznek, másfelől kedvcsináló kíván lenni, amely arra csábítja olvasóit, hogy az adott témában tovább keressenek, kutassanak. Kinek szól hát ez a kötet? Ha a címben szereplő idézetet vesszük alapul, akkor csak a "bölcseknek". Ám ahogyan azt Shakespeare Ahogy tetszik című vígjátékából is tudjuk: "A bolond bölcsnek tartja magát, de a bölcs tudja magáról, hogy bolond". Címzettjei tehát azok a "bolondok" lehetnek, akik elég bölcsek ahhoz, hogy megfelelő módon forgassák? Úgy fogalmaznám át a címben szereplő gondolatot, hogy olyan olvasóknak íródott, akiknek a leírtak elegendőek ahhoz, hogy tudják, merre induljanak tovább a tanulmányok olvasása után és elégtelen azoknak, akik úgy érzik, hogy a kötet olvasása nekik elegendő.
The study summarizes the biography and activity of the Danish cleric, already known in the former... more The study summarizes the biography and activity of the Danish cleric, already known in the former literature, but with plenty of new sources and recent literature. Oluf Hansen Bang (around 1480-1522) left Denmark as a young cleric to try his luck in one of the centres of that time: in Rome. He took service there with Tamás Bakóc, the powerful cardinal who had a multi-ethnic humanist court: he became the scribe and notary of the legate's court of judicature. After almost six years of notary work in the Hungarian Kingdom, with serious practical experience, the recommendation of Cardinal Bakóc and undoubtedly with a wide network of relations he returned to Rome. There, beside his court work, he latched on to the diplomatic world: his promising and rising career broke with his early death.
Cardinal Pietro Isvalies, the Bishop of Veszprém
During his Hungarian legate between 1501 and 15... more Cardinal Pietro Isvalies, the Bishop of Veszprém
During his Hungarian legate between 1501 and 1503 Cardinal Isvalies spent his time negotiating concerning an anti-Turkish coalition. But also organised the matters of the jubilee for the benefit of a possible crusade. Both the cardinal’s benefices, including the episcopacy of Veszprém, the abbacy of Pécsvárad and Szekszárd, and his office of the cardinal protector in Rome for the Jagellonian kingdoms resulted in his surviving connections to Hungary even after he moved back to Italy.
A Magyarországon megjelenő monasztikus rendek, így a bencés és a ciszterci kerülték a népesebb te... more A Magyarországon megjelenő monasztikus rendek, így a bencés és a ciszterci kerülték a népesebb településeket, a városokban először a kolduló rendek telepedtek meg. Éppen ezért nem meglepő, hogy Győr városában két szerzetesrendi közösség élt: egy ferences és egy domonkos, melyeket egy lovagrend, a johannita egészített ki.
A Vatikáni Levéltár (Archivio Segreto Vaticano) megnyitása óta a magyar történeti kutatás középko... more A Vatikáni Levéltár (Archivio Segreto Vaticano) megnyitása óta a magyar történeti kutatás középkori érdeklődése leginkább a kérvény- és bullaregisztrumok, valamint az Apostoli Kamara fondjai felé fordult. A diplomáciai levelezés és az állami adminisztrációval kapcsolatos bizalmas rendelkezések számára létrehozott, a pápa titkárai által kiállított új irattípus, a bréve összegyűjtése, feltárása és kiadása ugyanakkor nem keltett komolyabb érdeklődést. A Vatikáni Levéltárban a Trienti Zsinat szervezeti reformjai előtt kiadott brévék – a kérvény- és a bullaregisztrumok összefüggő sorozataival szemben – szétszórtan helyezkednek el. A brévék többségét a levéltár ősi része, az úgynevezettArmadi őrzi. A Dataria Apostolica levéltárában a kérvényükre bréve formában választ várók iratait kellett kigyűjteni(Brevia Lateranensia). Az Angyalvár levéltára (Archivum Arcis) elsősorban a Szentszék hazatért követeinek eredeti ajánlóleveleit rejtik. VII. Kelemen pápának e kötetben kiadott, 1523 és 1526 között kelt 150 irata a magyar történelem egyik legizgalmasabb korszakába ad betekintést. Megismerkedhetünk a szentszéki és a magyar diplomácia működésével, és azzal, hogyan is próbált a pápa segíteni a végveszélybe sodródott Magyarországon. A kötet használatát a sorozati elvárásokkal összhangban gazdag apparátus (kritikai és tárgyi jegyzetek, bibliográfia, hely- és tárgynévmutató), valamint angol nyelvű összefoglaló segíti.
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Papers by Gábor Nemes
József Lukcsics replaced his predecessor, Miklós Pallay, also a priest of the diocese of Veszprém, who had assisted Fraknói with the first two volumes of the Monumenta Romana Episcopatus Vesprimiensis. For the third volume of the Monumenta, in addition to transcribing the sources, comparing them with the originals and preparing the index, Lukcsics also wrote the introduction, almost 60 pages long. He also began to revise the series of the Apostolic Chamber. In the course of the work on the volume, several leading figures of Hungarian-related studies at the Vatican (such as Á. Gilbert Zaich, Ferenc Kollányi, Antal Beke, Menyhért Érdújhelyi, Pál Tóth Szabó and Pongrác Sörös) also contributed to the work of the Vatican’s translation process, coordinated by József Lukcsics.
Lukcsics completed his research in Rome in the spring of 1904, and in September 1904 he was already employed at the University Library in Budapest, assisted in his appointment by Bishop Károly Hornig. He worked at the University Library from 1904 until 1909. In February 1909, also with the support of his bishop, he was appointed professor of Church History at the Faculty of Theology. In addition to courses in Hungarian and universal church history, he also gave seminars on Latin palaeography and diplomatic studies, as well as a seminar on ecclesiastical antiquities. One of the highlights of his teaching career was that he was Dean of the Faculty of Theology in the academic years 1912/1913 and 1917/1918. Teaching and university administration left less time for publications. On November 16, 1922, Bishop Nándor Rott of Veszprém appointed him canon and he had to give up his chair. In recognition of his merits and services, he was awarded the title of full professor of the University.
His diocesan bishop gave the newly arrived canon some responsibilities: from 1923 to 1935 he held the post of superintendent of the diocese, and also became a synod examiner and judge. In 1924 he became a member of the committee of the Veszprém County Legislature, in 1926 abbot of Kapornak, in 1927 archdeacon of Somogy, and in 1934 papal prelate.
The legate court was run by professionals with curatorial experience and legal knowledge - doctorates or notarial appointments - gathered around him by Tamás (Thomas) Bakóc during most of his stay in Rome, who came not only from Italy but also from France, Germany and Dalmatia. This is not a unique phenomenon, as the legate court of Cardinal Pietro Isvalies, who had previously been in Italy, was also composed of foreigners. The small number of Hungarian collaborators also worked at the Archbishop's See of Esztergom, and generally took part in the work of the Legate's See at the same time as they were there. The persons of Andrea Cesi and Mihály Vitéz should be mentioned. Mihály Vitéz, as a Roman confessor, not only had considerable experience in curia administration, but was certainly well acquainted with the jurisprudence of the Apostolic Penitentiary, which was of great use to them. Andrea Cesi, who enjoyed the unconditional confidence of Thomas Bakóc, and whose Italian university education was combined with domestic judicial experience acquired in the Episcopal Holy See of Zagreb, was essentially the sole director of the legate court for many years. From a career point of view, he was clearly the one who benefited most from his activities here, as he was awarded the title of Grand Provost of Esztergom for his services. In addition, even Bernardo Visconti's 'adventure in Hungary' could not have been useless for him, as he returned to Rome and became a papal referendary. One of the most interesting members of the court is notary Oluf Hansen Bang, whose career has been enlightening in many ways. A young cleric, he went from Denmark, on the periphery of Europe, to Rome, one of the centres of the world at the time, to seek his fortune and from there to the service of the powerful Cardinal Thomas Bakóc, who maintained a multi-ethnic humanist court. After almost six years as a notary in Hungary, he returned to Rome with considerable experience of office, a recommendation from Cardinal Bakóc and certainly an extensive network of contacts, where he became involved in diplomacy alongside his curatorial work; his upwardly mobile career was cut short by his untimely death. Although there is no record of Oluf Bang representing Cardinal Bakóc's interests after his return to Rome, he was a member of the diplomatic corps. I must, however, mention his fellow scriptor Jean Dissoncourt, who later returned to Hungary: in 1523 he was again in Buda, accompanied by the papal legate Tommaso de Vio. The legate court of Thomas Bakóc thus brought together legal intellectuals from almost every corner of the res publica Christiana, who not only ensured the professional running of the office but also hoped to further their own careers by being close to the Cardinal, thus raising the profile of the Cardinal's court.
1526 to France, where he entered negotiations with Francis I to form an ally against the emperor. On 22 May 1526 the League of Cognac was signed by Clement, Francis, Venice, and Milan. Consequently, Hungary’s case of an anti-Ottoman campaign was rather for the sake of covering secret diplomatic negotiations.
the history of given dioceses. The procedure was reformed and extended during the Council of Trent and, also, subsequently. The goal was to ensure the loyalty and capability of the future generations of bishops. Another aim was to appropriately inform the Roman curia about the conditions in the individual dioceses. From the second half of the 1620’s, the registries survive almost uninterrupted in the various files of the Vatican’s Apostolic Archives (Archivio Concistoriale, Dataria Apostolica, Nunziatura Apostolica in Vienna).
The procedure did exist before the time of the Tridentinum. Based on the decisions of Session 9 of the Fifth Lateran Council, Pope Leo X issued his apostolic decree known as Supernae dispositionis arbitrio in 1514. Several elements of the papal constitution had been laid down in the unpublished reform bull of Alexander VI, containing, for the most part, prescriptions concerning the candidate’s personal qualities („circa sublimes et literatas personas”). The inspectional procedure and the consistorial report was
entrusted to the cardinal-protector in charge of the given territory. Several clauses of Leo X’s decree equalled the formal expression of the general practice that evolved during the 15th century. A processus from the year 1464, agreeing in practice with the records (minutes) collected in the first half of the 16th century, placed in the Archivum Arcis (the Archive of the Castle of the Holy Angel). It is the earliest surviving document of its kind. The canonical inspection records of Juan de Cerda, Bishop of Barcelona, have been preserved for posterity by being placed among breve drafts in
the Vatican Archives.
We can also find sources for the enquiry of episcopal candidates outside the Vatican collections. The private family archive of the Aldobrandinis at Frascati (Villa Belvedere), for example, possesses 25 such documents from the heritage of Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini from the period between 1594 and 1620. Four of these documents (from the years 1614–1617) relate to Hungary; they include the appointment documents of Péter Pázmány to the dignity of Archbishop of Esztergom. The earliest Hungarian-related source among the documents prepared according the prescriptions of the Tridentinum is János Pyber’s 1612 procedure at Pécs, found in the Archivio Concistoriale. There had been only one earlier document of canonical enquiry, relating to Hungary, known to research, which was conducted about Tamás Tasnádi, Canon of Esztergom and Nyitra (Nitra) in Rome, in September 1518, concerning his appointment to Salona (Salonen.) (AAV Arch. Arcis, Arm. I–XVIII, n. 2858).
The present paper publishes an even earlier document of canonical enquiry, found outside the Vatican, analyzing it and placing it in a historical and historiographic context. It is found in the Archivio di Stato di Modena, Archivio Segreto Estense, Camera, Amministrazione dei Principi nr. 823. (Filza di documenti vari 1494–1518). Its discovery is the merit of the Research Team Vestigia, specifically of the researcher Hajnalka Kuffart. The source is found in a mixed bunch including material relating to Ippolito d’Este, apparently collected without any organizing principle, not even arranged in a chronological order.
The minutes (records) bear the date April 7th, 1502, written down by the imperial notary public Jerome, secretary to Cardinal Federico Sanseverino, concerning the case of Antonio de Perea, who was Cardinal Ippolito d’Este’s candidate to the status of Auxiliary Bishop of Eger. The witnesses heard were as follows. Consalvo de Castro, papal familiar (comestabilis
sanctissimi domini nostri); Daniele Vivis, Cardinal Francesco Borgia’s secretary; Petrus Alamanus, diocesan priest at Esztergom and forty-year-old familiar of Cardinal Este; Martinus de Ezet, diocesan priest at Eger, Este’s familiar and magister domus of Cardinal Sanseverino as well as earlier familiar of Cardinal Gabriele Rangoni.
Their claims about the candidate can be summarized as follows. He is from Spain, born in the Diocese of Toledo in lawful marriage; he is 32 years old, an observant Franciscan monk, consecrated presbyter, celebrates masses regularly and observing the rules; he is also an excellent preacher. As far as the Bishopric of Eger is concerned, the
witnesses described it as one of the largest dioceses of Hungary, with an annual income of about ten thousand ducats. It always has an auxiliary bishop, generally chosen by the diocesan bishop from among his familiars. The auxiliary bishop Matthias of Požega (Dominus Mathiam episcopus de Popcha) had died a few years before. One witness,
Malombra, recalls Bernát (Bernard), Fransiscan monk and Arcadian honorary bishop, who had been auxiliary bishop for about 22 years.
The petition written by Ippolito d’Este to the Pope was copied onto the last page of the document. The petition states that the Diocese of Eger has, as a rule, two auxiliary bishops, but one of them had passed away; therefore, he would like to have Antonio de Perea appointed to a bishop’s title in the Bishopric Bugia (Bejaïa, Algeria). He would grant him 200 Florins (Guldens) per annum from his diocese’s income to ensure his living appropriate for a bishop.
Pope Sixtus IV wrote a breve to Ilona (Croatian: Jelena), widow of Zsigmond Frangepán (Croatian: Žigmund Frankopan), Count of Zengg (modern Senj), as well as to Count János of Korbávia (Croatian: Jan Krbavski), in which the Pope – referring to Zsigmond’s unlawful occupation of the properties of the Diocese of Arbe (modern
Rab) – instructed them to abandon their activities. In an earlier breve addressed at the Chapter of Zágráb (Zagreb) and the Bishop of Zágráb, Osvát (Thuz) of Szentlászló, he discussed the case of Balázs Marócsai, Canon of Zágráb, whom he allowed to act as a full member of the Chapter – in spite of the fact that he was not a consecrated priest. The Pope sent a breve to Gábor Matucsinai, Archbishop of Kalocsa, to further
the interests of the Dominican Order in Hungary, as well as to Gabriele Rangoni, Bishop of Eger and ambassador to the Pope relating to the visitation of the abandoned monasteries of Csút and Zsámbék. The breves also mention two Benedictines. János
Szécsényi joined the Franciscan Order at age ten, leaving it before taking his oath and asking permission to join the Benedictine Order. The other one was Bertalan Patacsi, taking his oath in the Dominican Monastery at Pécs; however, due to the unrelievable headaches torturing him, he was granted permission by his supervisor to join any other order except the Benedictines. Still, he decided to join the Benedictines, which might have been the reason why he was sent so far from his native land. Furthermore,
one finds information on the Diocese of Modrus (Croatian: Modruš), threatened by (Ottoman) Turks, the cathedral of which was granted the right of a jubilee indulgence on Assumption Day.
Two of the breves, relating to financial debt, provides important pieces of evidence of Hungarian presence in Italy. In his letter to King Matthias of Hungary, Pope Sixtus IV informed the king that Ioannes Argyropoulos had once lent 300 Guldens to Péter Garázda, Dean of Pozsega (modern Požega), but the sum had not been paid back to him. Argyropoulos was an influential member of the humanist circle in Florence, regarded as one of the fathers of Neo-Platonism. He had established relationships with
Hungarian humanists, too: Janus Pannonius, upon visiting Florence, met him twice and attended his lectures with great enthusiasm. Péter Garázda must have stayed in Florence between 1469 and 1471; on the one hand, he joined the humanist circles; on the other hand, he acquired valuable codices for members of Hungary’s high clergy. He himself bought, as a representational gift, three of these codices for János Zrednai, and
one to the bishop Janus Pannonius. What Garázda spent this sum of 300 Ducats on is a matter of conjecture: he may have spent it on spectacularly illustrated codices or used it to cover his daily costs. Imre, son of Kelemen, Provost of Bosnia and Canon of Bács, as well as the Dean Mihály, Canon of Vác, faced problems of the same kind. They took a loan
from the commercial house Medici and Pazzi by the Roman Curia, which they failed to pay back by January 30th, 1477. Imre, son of Kelemen, visited Rome several times on royal diplomatic missions; as he paid many a visit at the Camera Apostolica, the sum he borrowed might have been used to cover the taxes to be paid as fees to the Chamber.
The breves that have been recovered include two letters of recommendation as well. In one of them, Pope Sixtus IV recommended a certain Antonius Aloysius, citizen of Venice, to King Matthias of Hungary and Gabriele Rangoni, Bishop of Eger, upon the request of Aloysius’s uncle Domonkos, son of Peter, papal scribe and familiar. The identity of the persons in question, however, remains ambiguous; Antonius
Aloysius might have been the same person as Alvise Malombra, who was Bishop of the Diocese of Arbe (Rab) in 1484, and whose familiar relation to Rangoni can be justified. The leading figure in the other letter of recommendation is equally cryptic. When Mihály, canon-reader (lector) at Pécs, arrived at Rome on July 28th, 1477 asking for a letter of recommendation to be addressed to King Matthias of Hungary
and Gabriele Rangoni, Bishop of Eger, the registry scribe found his surname illegible, replacing it with some dots. As no lectors at Pécs are known from the period between 1472 and 1478, the identification of Mihály’s person is subject to further research.
The two volumes of breve registries at the State Archive of Rome seems to be a source to reveal many things which have been almost completely unknown to Hungarian researchers in Rome. Although it is the Vatican’s Apostolic Archive (Archivio Apostolico Vaticano) that undoubtedly serves as a centre of research on the history of the papacy as well on the relations between Hungary and the Holy See, these two volumes
do show that several other Italian collections possess valuable and indispensable documents. In addition, the study of 15th-century breves has recently become a focus of research. In the year 2021, thanks to Sergio Pagano, Prefect of the Archivio Apostolico, the publication of a regesta containing the breves in the earliest volume of registry from
the time of Paul II’s papacy marked the start of a grand series of publications. The goal of this noteworthy enterprise is to make available for researchers almost ten thousand sources, in the form of Latin regesta, which survive from the period between 1469 and 1493 in the Vatican’s breve registries. It is an important duty of Hungarian researchers
in Rome to join this recently initiated project by supplementing the 15th-century Hungarian-related breves in the Vatican and other Italian collections with the ones to be found in the Carpathian Basin, as well as by publishing the individual sources in their full textual form, contributing to further research on Hungarian ecclesiastical history, not to mention more general aspects of Hungarian and international historical studies.
Of the 1 064 copies of the charter that have survived in the archives of the Carpathian Basin for more than 100 years between 1417 and 1526, 672 have been recovered. More than half of these, 344, have survived in the original. The introduction to the volume, which is also available in English at the end, deals with the analysis and evaluation of the documents processed and the problems of their survival and preservation.
The repertory is followed by a series of indexes: first an index of persons and places, then a list of DL and DF numbers and a list of manuscripts without these, and finally an alphabetical index of the incipits.
A repertory of Curia officials has also been compiled by examining the original documents in the volume. The work is thus intended as a contribution to the collection of prosopographies and biographies of the persons who worked in the Papal Curia offices, which was begun decades ago by Thomas Frenz, a renowned professor of diplomacy and palaeography at the University of Passau.
Regarding both the takings and the population, the Veszprém diocese belonged to the major Hungarian dioceses and it maintained diverse and complex relations with the Roman Curia. Like the other Hungarian dioceses, the Veszprém diocese also lacked the permanent Roman representation, however besides their main assignment, confessors and diplomats originating from its territory or related due to their benefice were often at the disposal of the residents of the diocese. Contacts were predominantly incidental and occasional. In case of personal administration, origin from the diocese was not important, people arriving in Rome – exploiting the multifunctional nature of the Eternal City – could arrange a number of cases, apart from their own even other people’s affairs. The intensity of the relationships of the dioceses with the Holy See were not uniform, they could be influenced by the social composition of their population, the urbanization and the number of the ecclesiastical benefices. The number of the applicants from the Veszprém diocese to the Dataria was definitely overrepresented compared to the proportion of the population, this was probably due to the demographical features and the network of settlements, the multitude of ecclesiastical institutions and the related beneficiary and legal cases. The high proportion of the confessionale-type applications may be explained by the urbanization and the economic potential which was higher than the national average. Examining the relationships of the medieval Veszprém diocese with the Holy See, we can state that compared to its position in the Hungarian ecclesiastical hierarchy it was very intense and diverse – even in the late middle ages.
During his Hungarian legate between 1501 and 1503 Cardinal Isvalies spent his time negotiating concerning an anti-Turkish coalition. But also organised the matters of the jubilee for the benefit of a possible crusade. Both the cardinal’s benefices, including the episcopacy of Veszprém, the abbacy of Pécsvárad and Szekszárd, and his office of the cardinal protector in Rome for the Jagellonian kingdoms resulted in his surviving connections to Hungary even after he moved back to Italy.
József Lukcsics replaced his predecessor, Miklós Pallay, also a priest of the diocese of Veszprém, who had assisted Fraknói with the first two volumes of the Monumenta Romana Episcopatus Vesprimiensis. For the third volume of the Monumenta, in addition to transcribing the sources, comparing them with the originals and preparing the index, Lukcsics also wrote the introduction, almost 60 pages long. He also began to revise the series of the Apostolic Chamber. In the course of the work on the volume, several leading figures of Hungarian-related studies at the Vatican (such as Á. Gilbert Zaich, Ferenc Kollányi, Antal Beke, Menyhért Érdújhelyi, Pál Tóth Szabó and Pongrác Sörös) also contributed to the work of the Vatican’s translation process, coordinated by József Lukcsics.
Lukcsics completed his research in Rome in the spring of 1904, and in September 1904 he was already employed at the University Library in Budapest, assisted in his appointment by Bishop Károly Hornig. He worked at the University Library from 1904 until 1909. In February 1909, also with the support of his bishop, he was appointed professor of Church History at the Faculty of Theology. In addition to courses in Hungarian and universal church history, he also gave seminars on Latin palaeography and diplomatic studies, as well as a seminar on ecclesiastical antiquities. One of the highlights of his teaching career was that he was Dean of the Faculty of Theology in the academic years 1912/1913 and 1917/1918. Teaching and university administration left less time for publications. On November 16, 1922, Bishop Nándor Rott of Veszprém appointed him canon and he had to give up his chair. In recognition of his merits and services, he was awarded the title of full professor of the University.
His diocesan bishop gave the newly arrived canon some responsibilities: from 1923 to 1935 he held the post of superintendent of the diocese, and also became a synod examiner and judge. In 1924 he became a member of the committee of the Veszprém County Legislature, in 1926 abbot of Kapornak, in 1927 archdeacon of Somogy, and in 1934 papal prelate.
The legate court was run by professionals with curatorial experience and legal knowledge - doctorates or notarial appointments - gathered around him by Tamás (Thomas) Bakóc during most of his stay in Rome, who came not only from Italy but also from France, Germany and Dalmatia. This is not a unique phenomenon, as the legate court of Cardinal Pietro Isvalies, who had previously been in Italy, was also composed of foreigners. The small number of Hungarian collaborators also worked at the Archbishop's See of Esztergom, and generally took part in the work of the Legate's See at the same time as they were there. The persons of Andrea Cesi and Mihály Vitéz should be mentioned. Mihály Vitéz, as a Roman confessor, not only had considerable experience in curia administration, but was certainly well acquainted with the jurisprudence of the Apostolic Penitentiary, which was of great use to them. Andrea Cesi, who enjoyed the unconditional confidence of Thomas Bakóc, and whose Italian university education was combined with domestic judicial experience acquired in the Episcopal Holy See of Zagreb, was essentially the sole director of the legate court for many years. From a career point of view, he was clearly the one who benefited most from his activities here, as he was awarded the title of Grand Provost of Esztergom for his services. In addition, even Bernardo Visconti's 'adventure in Hungary' could not have been useless for him, as he returned to Rome and became a papal referendary. One of the most interesting members of the court is notary Oluf Hansen Bang, whose career has been enlightening in many ways. A young cleric, he went from Denmark, on the periphery of Europe, to Rome, one of the centres of the world at the time, to seek his fortune and from there to the service of the powerful Cardinal Thomas Bakóc, who maintained a multi-ethnic humanist court. After almost six years as a notary in Hungary, he returned to Rome with considerable experience of office, a recommendation from Cardinal Bakóc and certainly an extensive network of contacts, where he became involved in diplomacy alongside his curatorial work; his upwardly mobile career was cut short by his untimely death. Although there is no record of Oluf Bang representing Cardinal Bakóc's interests after his return to Rome, he was a member of the diplomatic corps. I must, however, mention his fellow scriptor Jean Dissoncourt, who later returned to Hungary: in 1523 he was again in Buda, accompanied by the papal legate Tommaso de Vio. The legate court of Thomas Bakóc thus brought together legal intellectuals from almost every corner of the res publica Christiana, who not only ensured the professional running of the office but also hoped to further their own careers by being close to the Cardinal, thus raising the profile of the Cardinal's court.
1526 to France, where he entered negotiations with Francis I to form an ally against the emperor. On 22 May 1526 the League of Cognac was signed by Clement, Francis, Venice, and Milan. Consequently, Hungary’s case of an anti-Ottoman campaign was rather for the sake of covering secret diplomatic negotiations.
the history of given dioceses. The procedure was reformed and extended during the Council of Trent and, also, subsequently. The goal was to ensure the loyalty and capability of the future generations of bishops. Another aim was to appropriately inform the Roman curia about the conditions in the individual dioceses. From the second half of the 1620’s, the registries survive almost uninterrupted in the various files of the Vatican’s Apostolic Archives (Archivio Concistoriale, Dataria Apostolica, Nunziatura Apostolica in Vienna).
The procedure did exist before the time of the Tridentinum. Based on the decisions of Session 9 of the Fifth Lateran Council, Pope Leo X issued his apostolic decree known as Supernae dispositionis arbitrio in 1514. Several elements of the papal constitution had been laid down in the unpublished reform bull of Alexander VI, containing, for the most part, prescriptions concerning the candidate’s personal qualities („circa sublimes et literatas personas”). The inspectional procedure and the consistorial report was
entrusted to the cardinal-protector in charge of the given territory. Several clauses of Leo X’s decree equalled the formal expression of the general practice that evolved during the 15th century. A processus from the year 1464, agreeing in practice with the records (minutes) collected in the first half of the 16th century, placed in the Archivum Arcis (the Archive of the Castle of the Holy Angel). It is the earliest surviving document of its kind. The canonical inspection records of Juan de Cerda, Bishop of Barcelona, have been preserved for posterity by being placed among breve drafts in
the Vatican Archives.
We can also find sources for the enquiry of episcopal candidates outside the Vatican collections. The private family archive of the Aldobrandinis at Frascati (Villa Belvedere), for example, possesses 25 such documents from the heritage of Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini from the period between 1594 and 1620. Four of these documents (from the years 1614–1617) relate to Hungary; they include the appointment documents of Péter Pázmány to the dignity of Archbishop of Esztergom. The earliest Hungarian-related source among the documents prepared according the prescriptions of the Tridentinum is János Pyber’s 1612 procedure at Pécs, found in the Archivio Concistoriale. There had been only one earlier document of canonical enquiry, relating to Hungary, known to research, which was conducted about Tamás Tasnádi, Canon of Esztergom and Nyitra (Nitra) in Rome, in September 1518, concerning his appointment to Salona (Salonen.) (AAV Arch. Arcis, Arm. I–XVIII, n. 2858).
The present paper publishes an even earlier document of canonical enquiry, found outside the Vatican, analyzing it and placing it in a historical and historiographic context. It is found in the Archivio di Stato di Modena, Archivio Segreto Estense, Camera, Amministrazione dei Principi nr. 823. (Filza di documenti vari 1494–1518). Its discovery is the merit of the Research Team Vestigia, specifically of the researcher Hajnalka Kuffart. The source is found in a mixed bunch including material relating to Ippolito d’Este, apparently collected without any organizing principle, not even arranged in a chronological order.
The minutes (records) bear the date April 7th, 1502, written down by the imperial notary public Jerome, secretary to Cardinal Federico Sanseverino, concerning the case of Antonio de Perea, who was Cardinal Ippolito d’Este’s candidate to the status of Auxiliary Bishop of Eger. The witnesses heard were as follows. Consalvo de Castro, papal familiar (comestabilis
sanctissimi domini nostri); Daniele Vivis, Cardinal Francesco Borgia’s secretary; Petrus Alamanus, diocesan priest at Esztergom and forty-year-old familiar of Cardinal Este; Martinus de Ezet, diocesan priest at Eger, Este’s familiar and magister domus of Cardinal Sanseverino as well as earlier familiar of Cardinal Gabriele Rangoni.
Their claims about the candidate can be summarized as follows. He is from Spain, born in the Diocese of Toledo in lawful marriage; he is 32 years old, an observant Franciscan monk, consecrated presbyter, celebrates masses regularly and observing the rules; he is also an excellent preacher. As far as the Bishopric of Eger is concerned, the
witnesses described it as one of the largest dioceses of Hungary, with an annual income of about ten thousand ducats. It always has an auxiliary bishop, generally chosen by the diocesan bishop from among his familiars. The auxiliary bishop Matthias of Požega (Dominus Mathiam episcopus de Popcha) had died a few years before. One witness,
Malombra, recalls Bernát (Bernard), Fransiscan monk and Arcadian honorary bishop, who had been auxiliary bishop for about 22 years.
The petition written by Ippolito d’Este to the Pope was copied onto the last page of the document. The petition states that the Diocese of Eger has, as a rule, two auxiliary bishops, but one of them had passed away; therefore, he would like to have Antonio de Perea appointed to a bishop’s title in the Bishopric Bugia (Bejaïa, Algeria). He would grant him 200 Florins (Guldens) per annum from his diocese’s income to ensure his living appropriate for a bishop.
Pope Sixtus IV wrote a breve to Ilona (Croatian: Jelena), widow of Zsigmond Frangepán (Croatian: Žigmund Frankopan), Count of Zengg (modern Senj), as well as to Count János of Korbávia (Croatian: Jan Krbavski), in which the Pope – referring to Zsigmond’s unlawful occupation of the properties of the Diocese of Arbe (modern
Rab) – instructed them to abandon their activities. In an earlier breve addressed at the Chapter of Zágráb (Zagreb) and the Bishop of Zágráb, Osvát (Thuz) of Szentlászló, he discussed the case of Balázs Marócsai, Canon of Zágráb, whom he allowed to act as a full member of the Chapter – in spite of the fact that he was not a consecrated priest. The Pope sent a breve to Gábor Matucsinai, Archbishop of Kalocsa, to further
the interests of the Dominican Order in Hungary, as well as to Gabriele Rangoni, Bishop of Eger and ambassador to the Pope relating to the visitation of the abandoned monasteries of Csút and Zsámbék. The breves also mention two Benedictines. János
Szécsényi joined the Franciscan Order at age ten, leaving it before taking his oath and asking permission to join the Benedictine Order. The other one was Bertalan Patacsi, taking his oath in the Dominican Monastery at Pécs; however, due to the unrelievable headaches torturing him, he was granted permission by his supervisor to join any other order except the Benedictines. Still, he decided to join the Benedictines, which might have been the reason why he was sent so far from his native land. Furthermore,
one finds information on the Diocese of Modrus (Croatian: Modruš), threatened by (Ottoman) Turks, the cathedral of which was granted the right of a jubilee indulgence on Assumption Day.
Two of the breves, relating to financial debt, provides important pieces of evidence of Hungarian presence in Italy. In his letter to King Matthias of Hungary, Pope Sixtus IV informed the king that Ioannes Argyropoulos had once lent 300 Guldens to Péter Garázda, Dean of Pozsega (modern Požega), but the sum had not been paid back to him. Argyropoulos was an influential member of the humanist circle in Florence, regarded as one of the fathers of Neo-Platonism. He had established relationships with
Hungarian humanists, too: Janus Pannonius, upon visiting Florence, met him twice and attended his lectures with great enthusiasm. Péter Garázda must have stayed in Florence between 1469 and 1471; on the one hand, he joined the humanist circles; on the other hand, he acquired valuable codices for members of Hungary’s high clergy. He himself bought, as a representational gift, three of these codices for János Zrednai, and
one to the bishop Janus Pannonius. What Garázda spent this sum of 300 Ducats on is a matter of conjecture: he may have spent it on spectacularly illustrated codices or used it to cover his daily costs. Imre, son of Kelemen, Provost of Bosnia and Canon of Bács, as well as the Dean Mihály, Canon of Vác, faced problems of the same kind. They took a loan
from the commercial house Medici and Pazzi by the Roman Curia, which they failed to pay back by January 30th, 1477. Imre, son of Kelemen, visited Rome several times on royal diplomatic missions; as he paid many a visit at the Camera Apostolica, the sum he borrowed might have been used to cover the taxes to be paid as fees to the Chamber.
The breves that have been recovered include two letters of recommendation as well. In one of them, Pope Sixtus IV recommended a certain Antonius Aloysius, citizen of Venice, to King Matthias of Hungary and Gabriele Rangoni, Bishop of Eger, upon the request of Aloysius’s uncle Domonkos, son of Peter, papal scribe and familiar. The identity of the persons in question, however, remains ambiguous; Antonius
Aloysius might have been the same person as Alvise Malombra, who was Bishop of the Diocese of Arbe (Rab) in 1484, and whose familiar relation to Rangoni can be justified. The leading figure in the other letter of recommendation is equally cryptic. When Mihály, canon-reader (lector) at Pécs, arrived at Rome on July 28th, 1477 asking for a letter of recommendation to be addressed to King Matthias of Hungary
and Gabriele Rangoni, Bishop of Eger, the registry scribe found his surname illegible, replacing it with some dots. As no lectors at Pécs are known from the period between 1472 and 1478, the identification of Mihály’s person is subject to further research.
The two volumes of breve registries at the State Archive of Rome seems to be a source to reveal many things which have been almost completely unknown to Hungarian researchers in Rome. Although it is the Vatican’s Apostolic Archive (Archivio Apostolico Vaticano) that undoubtedly serves as a centre of research on the history of the papacy as well on the relations between Hungary and the Holy See, these two volumes
do show that several other Italian collections possess valuable and indispensable documents. In addition, the study of 15th-century breves has recently become a focus of research. In the year 2021, thanks to Sergio Pagano, Prefect of the Archivio Apostolico, the publication of a regesta containing the breves in the earliest volume of registry from
the time of Paul II’s papacy marked the start of a grand series of publications. The goal of this noteworthy enterprise is to make available for researchers almost ten thousand sources, in the form of Latin regesta, which survive from the period between 1469 and 1493 in the Vatican’s breve registries. It is an important duty of Hungarian researchers
in Rome to join this recently initiated project by supplementing the 15th-century Hungarian-related breves in the Vatican and other Italian collections with the ones to be found in the Carpathian Basin, as well as by publishing the individual sources in their full textual form, contributing to further research on Hungarian ecclesiastical history, not to mention more general aspects of Hungarian and international historical studies.
Of the 1 064 copies of the charter that have survived in the archives of the Carpathian Basin for more than 100 years between 1417 and 1526, 672 have been recovered. More than half of these, 344, have survived in the original. The introduction to the volume, which is also available in English at the end, deals with the analysis and evaluation of the documents processed and the problems of their survival and preservation.
The repertory is followed by a series of indexes: first an index of persons and places, then a list of DL and DF numbers and a list of manuscripts without these, and finally an alphabetical index of the incipits.
A repertory of Curia officials has also been compiled by examining the original documents in the volume. The work is thus intended as a contribution to the collection of prosopographies and biographies of the persons who worked in the Papal Curia offices, which was begun decades ago by Thomas Frenz, a renowned professor of diplomacy and palaeography at the University of Passau.
Regarding both the takings and the population, the Veszprém diocese belonged to the major Hungarian dioceses and it maintained diverse and complex relations with the Roman Curia. Like the other Hungarian dioceses, the Veszprém diocese also lacked the permanent Roman representation, however besides their main assignment, confessors and diplomats originating from its territory or related due to their benefice were often at the disposal of the residents of the diocese. Contacts were predominantly incidental and occasional. In case of personal administration, origin from the diocese was not important, people arriving in Rome – exploiting the multifunctional nature of the Eternal City – could arrange a number of cases, apart from their own even other people’s affairs. The intensity of the relationships of the dioceses with the Holy See were not uniform, they could be influenced by the social composition of their population, the urbanization and the number of the ecclesiastical benefices. The number of the applicants from the Veszprém diocese to the Dataria was definitely overrepresented compared to the proportion of the population, this was probably due to the demographical features and the network of settlements, the multitude of ecclesiastical institutions and the related beneficiary and legal cases. The high proportion of the confessionale-type applications may be explained by the urbanization and the economic potential which was higher than the national average. Examining the relationships of the medieval Veszprém diocese with the Holy See, we can state that compared to its position in the Hungarian ecclesiastical hierarchy it was very intense and diverse – even in the late middle ages.
During his Hungarian legate between 1501 and 1503 Cardinal Isvalies spent his time negotiating concerning an anti-Turkish coalition. But also organised the matters of the jubilee for the benefit of a possible crusade. Both the cardinal’s benefices, including the episcopacy of Veszprém, the abbacy of Pécsvárad and Szekszárd, and his office of the cardinal protector in Rome for the Jagellonian kingdoms resulted in his surviving connections to Hungary even after he moved back to Italy.