Symbolic Actions and Anti-royal Propaganda during a Political Crisis

Authors

  • Dragoş Gh. Năstăsoiu Central European University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21638/spbu02.2021.111

Abstract

On Christmas Eve 1402, Hungarian noblemen gathered in the Cathedral of Nagyvárad, where St. Ladislas’ tomb was located, and swore an oath on the holy king’s relics. They proclaimed thus their allegiance to King Ladislas of Naples and conspired against the ruling King Sigismund of Luxemburg. By swearing oath on St. Ladislas’ relics, the conspirators united their minds and forces around the ideal figure of the holy king and knight, who became the symbol of a political cause and the embodiment of the kingdom which King Sigismund was no longer suited to represent. The symbolic gesture of oath-swearing on St. Ladislas’ relics took place in the midst of a three-year political crisis (1401-1403) that seized the Kingdom of Hungary as a consequence of the barons’ dissatisfaction with King Sigismund’s measures, which jeopardized their wealth and political influence. By relying on both written accounts and visual sources, the present paper examines the utilizing by Hungarian noblemen during this political crisis of important political and spiritual symbols associated with the Kingdom of Hungary. These included: the cults, relics, and visual representations of St. Ladislas, the Hungarian Holy Crown, or the kingdom’s heraldry. The propagandistic usage of these spiritual and political symbols was reinforced by their insertion into elaborated rituals and symbolic actions, such as coronations or oath-swearing on relics. These activated the link between secular and religious spheres, their performers hoping to attract the divine approval. By discussing such instances, the present paper seeks to illustrate how the ideal figure of St. Ladislas became the catalyzing force behind a political cause.

Keywords:

St. Ladislas, King Ladislas of Naples, Medieval Hungary, Cult of Saints, Relics, Symbolic Actions, Heraldry, Anti-royal Propaganda, Hungarian Political Crisis of 1401-1403

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.
 

Author Biography

Dragoş Gh. Năstăsoiu , Central European University

Researcher

References

Литература

Ančić M. Od tradicije ‘sedam pobuna’ do dragovoljnih mletačkih podanika. Razvojna putanja Zadra u prvome desetljeću 15. Stoljeća. Povijesni prilozi, 2009, vol. 28, issue 37, pp. 43-96.

Bak J. M. Coronations. Medieval and Early Modern Monarchic Ritual. Berkley, University of California Press, 1990, 257 p.

Bak J. M. Holy Lance, Holy Crown, Holy Dexter: Sanctity of Insignia in Medieval East Central Europe. Studying Medieval Rulers and Their Subjects. Central Europe and Beyond. Ed. by B. Nagy, G. Klaniczay. Burlington, Ashgate, 2010, pp. 56-65.

Bak J. M. Königtum und Stände in Ungarn im 14.-16. Jahrhundert. Wiesbaden, Steiner, 1973, 195 p.

Bak J. M., Pálffy G. Crown and Coronation in Hungary 1000-1916 A. D. Budapest, MTA BTK TTI-MNM, 2020.

Bard I. N. Aristocratic Revolts and the Late Medieval Hungarian State, A. D. 1382-1408. PhD diss. Washington D. C., University of Washington, 1978, 418 p.

Berend N. Oath-taking in Hungary. A Window on Medieval Social Interaction. Central and Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages. A Cultural History. Ed. by P. Górecki, N. van Deusen. London, I. B. Tauris, 2009, pp. 42-49, 227-230.

Bertényi I. Címerváltozatok a középkori Magyarországon. Levéltári közlemények, 1998, vol. 59, issue 1, pp. 3-80.

Bunyitay V. A váradi püspökség története alapításától a jelenkorig, Vol. 1, A váradi püspökok a püspökség alapításától 1566. évig. Nagyvárad, no publisher, 1883, 473 p.

Burkhardt J. Ein Königreich im Wandel: Ungarn um 1400. Biuletyn Polskiej Misji Historycznej. Bulletin der Polnischen Historischen Mission, 2016, issue 11, pp. 407-437.

Cutolo A. Re Ladislao d’Angiò Durazzo. Naples, Arturo Berisio Editore, 1969, 541 p.

de Thurocz J. Chronica Hungarorum. Vol. 1 Textus. Ed. by E. Galántai and J. Kristó. Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1985, 332 p.

Deér J. Die Heilige Krone Ungarns. Vienna, Böhlau, 1966, 301 p.

Engel P. The Realm of St Stephen. A History of Medieval Hungary, 895-1526. London, I. B. Tauris, 2001, 452 p.

Fedeles T. Az uralkodó, a Szentszék és a magyar főpapok Luxemburgi Zsigmond korában. Mesterek és tanítványok 2. Tanulmányok a bölcsészet- és társadalomtudományok területéről. Ed. by D. Czefrener, G. Böhm, T. Fedeles. Pécs, A Pécsi Tudományegyetem Bölcsészettudományi Kar Tudományos Diákköri Tanácsának kiadványa, 2018, pp. 81-145.

Fejér G. Codex diplomaticvs Hungariae ecclesiasticvs ac civilis. Buda, Typis Typogr. Regiae Vniversitatis Vngaricae, 1829-1844.

Fügedi E. Coronation in Medieval Hungary. Studies in Medieval and Renaissance History, 1980, New Series, issue 3, pp. 159-189.

Gaglione M. ‘Converà ti que aptengas la flor.’ Profili di sovrani angioini, da Carlo I a Renato (1266-1442). Milan, Lampi di stampa, 2009, 792 p.

Hahn C. Strange Beauty. Issues in the Making and Meaning of Reliquaries, 400-circa 1204. University Park, The Pennsylvania State University Press, 2001, 302 p.

Hahn C. The Spectacle of the Charismatic Body. Patrons, Artists, and Body-part Reliquaries. Treasures of Heaven. Saints, Relics, and Devotion in Medieval Europe. Ed. by M. Bagnoli, H. A. Klein, C. Griffith Mann, J. Robinson. London, The British Museum Press, 2011, pp. 163-172.

Hóman B. Gli Angioini di Napoli in Ungheria 1290-1403. Rome, Reale Accademia d’Italia, 1938, 580 p.

Ipolyi A., Nagy E., Véghely D. Codex Diplomaticus Patrius Hungaricus. Hazai Okmánytár. Vol. 7. Budapest, Kocsi Sándor, 1880, 496 p.

Kerny T. Reliquienbüste des hl. Ladislaus. Sigismundus rex et imperator. Kunst und Kultur zur Zeit Sigismunds von Luxemburg, 1387-1437. Ausstellungskatalog. Ed. by I. Takács. Mainz, Philipp von Zabern, 2006, pp. 378-382.

Kerny T. Szent László tiszteletének kutatástörténete (1977-2007). Arrabona, 2008, vol. 46, issue. 1 pp. 15-35.

Klaniczay G. A Szent László kultusz kialakulása. Nagyvárad és Bihar a korai középkorban. Tanulmányok Biharország történetéről. Ed. by A. Zsoldos. Nagyvárad, Varadinum, 2014, pp. 7-39.

Klaniczay G. La noblesse et le culte des saints dynastiques sous les rois angevins. La noblesse dans les territoires Angevins à la fin du Moyen Âge. Actes du colloque international organisé par l’Université d’Angers, Angers-Saumur, 3-6 juin 1998. Ed. by N. Coulet, J.-M. Matz. Rome, École française de Rome, 2000, pp. 511-526.

Kristóf L. A., Lukácsi Z., Patonay L. Szent király, lovágkirály. A Szent László-herma és koponyaereklye vizsgálatai. Győr, Győri Hittudományi Főiskola, 2017, 247 p.

Kumorovitz B. L. A magyar címer kettőskeresztje. Turul, 1941, vol. 55, issues 3-4, pp. 45-62.

László Gy. Szent László győri ereklyetartó mellszobráról. Arrabona, 1966, issue 7, pp. 157-209.

Makó Lupescu M. Between the Sacred and Profane: The Trial by Hot Iron Ceremony Based on the Regestrum Varadinense. Mediaevalia Transilvanica, 1999, vol. 3, issues 1-2, pp. 5-26.

Marosi E. Magyarországi művészet 1300-1470 körül. Vol. 2. Budapest, Akadémiai Kiadó, 1987, 937 p.

Mocciola L. La presa di Napoli di Carlo III Durazzo nel pannello del Metropolitan Museum: nuove ipotesi. La battaglia nel Rinascimento meridionale. Moduli narrativi tra parole e immagini. Ed. by G. Abbamonte, J. Barreto, T. D’Urso, A. Perriccioli Saggese, F. Senatore. Rome: Viella, 2011, pp. 57-67.

Montgomery S. B. The Saint and the King. Relics, Reliquaries and Late Medieval Coronation in Aachen and Székesfehérvár. Matter of Faith. An Interdisciplinary Study of Relics and Relic Veneration in the Medieval Period. Ed. by J. Robinson, L. de Beer. London, The British Museum Press, 2014, pp. 32-39.

Montgomery S. B., Bauer A. A. Caput sancti regis Ladislai: The Reliquary Bust of Saint Ladislas and Holy Kingship in Late Medieval Hungary. Decorations for the Holy Dead. Visual Embellishments on Tombs and Shrines of Saints. Ed. by S. Lamia, E. Valdez del Álamo. Turnhout, Brepols, 2002, pp. 77-90.

Năstăsoiu D.-Gh. Between Personal Devotion and Political Propaganda: Iconographic Aspects in the Representation of the sancti reges Hungariae in Church Mural Painting (14th Century – Early-16th Century). PhD diss. Budapest, Central European University, 2018, 542 p.

Rácz L. Rulers’ Oaths in the Kingdom of Hungary and in the Principality of Transylvania. Le Serement. I. Signes et Fonctions. Ed. by R. Verdier. Paris, Éditions du C. N. R. S., 1992, pp.. 425-437.

Solymosi L. Szent László király sírja, kultusza és szentté avatása. Szent király, lovágkirály. A Szent László-herma és koponyaereklye vizsgálatai. Ed. by L. A. Kristóf, Z. Lukácsi, L. Patonay. Győr, Győri Hittudományi Főiskola, 2017, pp. 16-39.

Szentpétery I. Az országos tanács 1401-ben. Századok, 1904, 38, pp. 759-767.

Szőcs T. A nádori intézmény korai története 1000-1342. Budapest, MTA Támogatott Kutatócsoportok Irodája, 2014, 331 p.

Šišić F. Nekoliko isprava iz početka XV st. Starine, 1938, vol. 39, pp. 129-320.

Tóth E., Szelényi K. The Holy Crown of Hungary. Kings and Coronations. Budapest, Kossuth Publishing, 2000, 79 p.

Tóth N. C. A Magyar Királyság nádora. A nádori és helytartói intézmény története (1342-1562). DSc diss. Budapest, MTA-HIM-Szegedi Tudományegyetem-Magyar Országos Levéltár, 2017, 304 p.

von Bogyai T. Über die Forschungsgeschichte der heiligen Krone. Insignia Regni Hungariae. Studien zur Machtsymbolik des mittelalterlichen Ungarn. Ed. by Zs. Lovag. Budapest, Ungarischen Nationalmuseum, 1983, vol. 1, pp. 65-89.

Zajtay I. Le Registre de Varad. Un monument judiciaire du début du XIIIe siècle. Revue historique de droit français et étranger, 1954, issue 31, pp. 527-562.

Zupka D. Ritual and Symbolic Communication in Medieval Hungary under the Árpád Dynasty (1000-1301). Leiden, Brill, 2016, 224 p.

Downloads

Published

2023-09-05

How to Cite

Năstăsoiu , D. G. . (2023). Symbolic Actions and Anti-royal Propaganda during a Political Crisis. Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. History, 66(1), 179–192. https://doi.org/10.21638/spbu02.2021.111

Issue

Vol. 66 No. 1 (2021)

Section

World History

License

Articles of "Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. History" are open access distributed under the terms of the License Agreement with Saint Petersburg State University, which permits to the authors unrestricted distribution and self-archiving free of charge.