Editing Hungary (section)

==== Age of elected kings ====
{{Main|Kingdom of Hungary (1301–1526)|Ottoman–Hungarian Wars}}

The [[Kingdom of Hungary]] reached one of its greatest extents during the Árpádian kings, yet royal power was weakened at the end of their rule in 1301. After a destructive period of [[interregnum]] (1301–1308), the first [[Capetian House of Anjou|Angevin]] king, [[Charles I of Hungary]] – a bilineal descendant of the [[Árpád dynasty]] – successfully restored royal power and defeated oligarch rivals, the so-called "little kings". The second Angevin Hungarian king, [[Louis I of Hungary|Louis the Great]] (1342–1382), led many successful military campaigns from Lithuania to southern Italy ([[Kingdom of Naples]]) and was also [[List of Polish monarchs|King of Poland]] from 1370. After King Louis died without a male heir, the country was stabilised only when [[Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor|Sigismund of Luxembourg]] (1387–1437) succeeded to the throne, who in 1433 also became [[Holy Roman Emperor]].
The first Hungarian [[Bible translations|Bible translation]] was completed in 1439. For half a year in 1437, there was an antifeudal and anticlerical [[Transylvanian peasant revolt|peasant revolt in Transylvania]] which was strongly influenced by [[Hussite]] ideas. From a small noble family in Transylvania, [[John Hunyadi]] grew to become one of the country's most powerful lords, thanks to his capabilities as a mercenary commander. He was elected governor, then regent. He was a successful crusader against the [[Ottoman Turks]], one of his greatest victories being the [[Siege of Belgrade (1456)|siege of Belgrade]] in 1456.

[[File:Portrait of Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary.jpg|alt=Portrait, Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary, Hunyadi, relief|thumb|upright|Renaissance portrait of [[Matthias Corvinus]], King of Hungary and Croatia (1458–1490), King of Bohemia (1469–1490) and Archduke of Austria (1487–1490)]]

The last strong king of medieval Hungary was the [[Renaissance]] king [[Matthias Corvinus]] (1458–1490), son of John Hunyadi. His election was the first time that a member of the nobility mounted to the Hungarian royal throne without dynastic background. He was a successful military leader and an enlightened patron of the arts and learning.<ref name="britannica1">{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/276730/Hungary#tab=active~checked%2Citems~checked&title=Hungary%20--%20Britannica%20Online%20Encyclopedia|title=Hungary – Britannica Online Encyclopedia|encyclopedia=Britannica.com|access-date=21 November 2008}}</ref> His library, the [[Bibliotheca Corviniana]], was Europe's greatest collection of historical chronicles, philosophic and scientific works in the 15th century, and second only in size to the [[Vatican Library]]. Items from the Bibliotheca Corviniana were inscribed on [[UNESCO]]'s [[Memory of the World Programme|Memory of the World Register]] in 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=15976&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html|title=Hungary – The Bibliotheca Corviniana Collection|work=Portal.unesco.org|access-date=21 November 2008|archive-url=https://archive.today/20080318044516/http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=15976&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html|archive-date=18 March 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> The serfs and common people considered him a just ruler because he protected them from excessive demands and other abuses by the magnates.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://countrystudies.us/hungary/9.htm|title=Hungary&nbsp;– Renaissance And Reformation|work=Countrystudies.us|access-date=20 September 2009}}</ref> Under his rule, in 1479, the Hungarian army destroyed the Ottoman and Wallachian troops at the [[Battle of Breadfield]]. Abroad he defeated the Polish and German imperial armies of Frederick at Breslau ([[Wrocław]]). Matthias' mercenary standing army, the [[Black Army of Hungary]], was an unusually large army for its time, and it conquered [[Vienna]] as well as parts of Austria and [[Bohemia]].

King Matthias died without lawful sons, and the Hungarian magnates procured the accession of the Pole [[Vladislaus II of Hungary|Vladislaus II]] (1490–1516), supposedly because of his weak influence on Hungarian aristocracy.<ref name="britannica1" /> Hungary's international role declined, its political stability was shaken, and social progress was deadlocked.<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=20 September 2009}}</ref> In 1514, the weakened old King Vladislaus II faced a major peasant rebellion led by [[György Dózsa]], which was ruthlessly crushed by the [[Hungarian nobility|nobles]], led by [[John Zápolya]]. The resulting degradation of order paved the way for Ottoman preeminence. In 1521, the strongest Hungarian fortress in the South, Nándorfehérvár (today's [[Belgrade]], Serbia), [[Siege of Belgrade (1521)|fell to the Turks]]. The early appearance of Protestantism further worsened internal relations in the country.