Bohemian-Hungarian War, 1464-1471



King of Bohemia Ladislaus Postumus had died in 1457. Captain and governor Georg von Podiebrad, a prominent figure in the Bohemian Troubles 1448-1452, was elected his successor (1458). He brought Lusatia and Silesia to recognize the (traditional) dependency, of their lands, of Bohemia. Podiebrad's policy of strenthening royal authority over the nobility and the cities caused resentment on the side of the latter.
Georg von Podiebrad ruled over a country split in a Catholic community, the Utraquist community (moderate Hussites) and in the Bohemian Brethren (a community of radical Hussites). He pressurized the latter, and tolerated the Utraquists (whom he openly joined). On March 31st 1462, Pope Pius II. declared the Basel Compactates (a document which granted the Bohemian Utraquists the lay eucharist) for invalid; when Georg von Podiebrad rejected to implement papal policy, he was excommunicated in 1464.
The king openly branded a heretic, every nobleman within the Lands of the Bohemian Crown was called upon to resist him. In 1465 the Grünberg League was formed, lead by Zdenek von Sternberg, supported by the Estates of Silesia, by Moravian cities and nobles, and by Catholic Bohemian nobles; Georg von Podiebrad held most of Bohemia, but the opposition held parts of Silesia and Moravia. When the Grünberg League came under pressure, King of Matthias Corvinus lead a crusade against the heretics (Podiebrad) into Moravia; Silesia and Moravia recognized Matthias Corvinus as their respective territorial lord. In 1468 the Catholic magnates of Bohemia elected Matthias Corvinus (son-in-law of Podiebrad) King of Bohemia. An attempt by Corvinus to conquer Bohemia (1469) failed; he was taken prisoner, and released.
In 1471, Georg von Podiebrad died; he was succeeded by Piast Wladislaw (until 1516). The conflict with Hungary over Moravia continued until 1478.



EXTERNAL
FILES 		Article Georg von Podiebrad, from Wikipedia, in German; from BBKL, in German; from Lexikon des Mittelalters, in German
Article George of Podebrady, from Wikipedia
Article Matthias Corvinus, from Catholic Encyclopedia
DOCUMENTS
REFERENCE



This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted on April 1st 2004, last revised on October 30th 2008

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