Editing Battle of Mohács (section)

===Decline of the royal power in Hungary (1490–1526)===
After the death of the [[Absolute monarchy|absolutist]] King [[Matthias Corvinus]] in 1490, the Hungarian [[magnate#Hungary|magnate]]s, who did not want another heavy-handed king, procured the accession of the notoriously weak-willed King [[Vladislaus II of Hungary|Vladislaus]] of [[Bohemia]], who reigned as King Vladislaus II of Hungary from 1490 to 1516. He was known as King Dobře (or ''Dobzse'' in Hungarian orthography), meaning "all right", for his habit of accepting, without question, every petition and document laid before him.<ref name="britannica1">{{cite encyclopedia|url= https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/276730/Hungary#tab=active~checked%2Citems~checked&title=Hungary%20--%20Britannica%20Online%20Encyclopedia |title= Hungary|encyclopedia= Britannica Online Encyclopedia |access-date= 21 November 2008| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081227020406/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/276730/Hungary | archive-date= 27 December 2008 | url-status = live}}</ref> The freshly-elected King Vladislaus II donated most of the Hungarian royal estates, [[régale]]s, and [[royalties]] to the nobility. Thus the king tried to stabilize his new reign and preserve his popularity among the magnates.

Given the naive fiscal and land policy of the royal court, the central power began to experience severe financial difficulties, largely due to the enlargement of feudal lands at royal expense. The noble estate of the parliament succeeded in reducing their tax burden by 70–80%, at the expense of the country's ability to defend itself.<ref>Francis Fukuyama: Origins of Political Order: From Pre-Human Times to the French Revolution</ref> Vladislaus became the [[magnate]]s' helpless "prisoner"; he could make no decision without their consent.

Europe's largest standing mercenary army (the [[Black Army of Hungary|Black Army]]) of Matthias Corvinus was dissolved by the aristocracy. The magnates also dismantled the national administration systems and bureaucracy throughout the country. The country's defenses sagged as border-guards and castle garrisons went unpaid, fortresses fell into disrepair, and initiatives to increase taxes to reinforce defenses were stifled.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://geography.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/hutoc.html |archive-url= https://archive.today/20120708070759/http://geography.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/hutoc.html |url-status= dead |archive-date= 8 July 2012 |title= A Country Study: Hungary |publisher= Geography.about.com |access-date= 29 August 2010 }}</ref> Hungary's international role declined, its political stability shaken; social progress was deadlocked. The arrival of [[Protestantism]] further worsened internal relations in the country.

In 1514, the weakened and old King Vladislaus II faced a major peasant rebellion led by [[György Dózsa]], which was ruthlessly crushed by the [[Nobility in the Kingdom of Hungary|nobles]], led by [[John Zápolya]]. After the Dózsa Rebellion, the brutal suppression of the peasants greatly aided the 1526 Turkish invasion as the Hungarians were no longer a politically united people. The resulting degradation of order paved the way for Ottoman pre-eminence.