This section turns to the correspondence of those active along the Danube frontier and southern Hungary in 1455–6 who most directly confronted the Ottoman advance in the months, weeks, and days leading up to the siege of Belgrade. The letters translated here allow us to hear, however indirectly, the voices of a few of the key characters in that historical moment, and to access something of the moment’s energy and anxiety.
3.1. THE CITY OF RAGUSA TO JOHN HUNYADI
June 11, 1455 (Ragusa)
The Adriatic port city of Ragusa (modern Dubrovnik, Croatia) was a former Byzantine and Serbian city that by the fifteenth century was under Venetian influence. The city was crucial both commercially and diplomatically, as a point of contact between Italy, Central Europe, and the Balkans. In this letter the Ragusans relate to the Hungarian general John Hunyadi the fate of the Serbian city of Novo Brdo. Because of both its fortifications and its vital mining industry, Novo Brdo was a key center of commerce, communication, and military leverage, and thus an obvious target for Mehmed II, who captured it on June 1, 1455, after a forty-day siege. Mehmed executed most of the city’s leaders, but he left its mining experts in place to continue their work, now on his behalf. He also conscripted many Serbian youth for his janissary corps, among them Konstantin Mihailović, whose later memoirs (see document 34) are a key source for the period, including the events of Belgrade.
Source: Trans. J. Mixson, from József Gelcich and Lajos Thallóczy, eds., Diplomatarium Ragusanum (Budapest, 1887), 580–1 (no. 332).
To the lord governor of Hungary, June 11, 1455:
Though there is no doubt that Your Lordship has scribes and ambassadors who are [aware] of everything that is happening across these lands, we might seem to fail in fulfilling our duty were we to neglect to signal to Your Highness in our letters those things which you yourself have scouted out most thoroughly. For who has not heard such great rumors, which we think, because of their magnitude, must have made their way to every land, from west to east?1 Who does not react with horror, the voice stuck in the throat? Behold, the most savage emperor of the Turks, most fierce and common enemy of all, with his innumerable troops, with so many different and unheard-of instruments of war, has attacked the city of Novo Brdo, and strives to conquer it thoroughly. What is there to say about the city? He seeks through his lustful and ambitious will to bring all of the Christian religion under his rule. So, who could be of such a stubborn heart or so ignorant as not to see this great danger to the Christian people, or indeed more truly that the time of our destruction and death is at hand? What ought to be done with this letter, perhaps Your Excellency might say? We certainly wish that it might serve as a goad for Your Lordship to issue a call to arms against these Turks. For unless some aid be forthcoming from your kingdom [of Hungary], as we see it this evil will bring about grave injury. So: act quickly! No more delay, our great and unconquered leader! All of the Christian people turn their eyes to you and prefer you, who alone can and are able to bring aid against and to face down such furor – you who wish to avenge and to restore to her ancient dignity and freedom the Christian republic that is now so miserable and afflicted.
In this form [also] written to:
His Majesty the lord king [Ladislaus V]
Nicholas of Ilok
Ladislaus Garai
The bishop of Oradea [John Vitéz]
1 Here a loose translation of an obscure phrase.
3.2. JOHN OF CAPISTRANO TO POPE CALLIXTUS III
June 21, 1455 (Győr)
As noted in the introduction, the Italian friar John of Capistrano was one of the central figures in the events surrounding Belgrade.1 Already engaged in a sustained preaching mission across northern Europe after 1451, in the wake of the Diets of 1454–5 Capistrano’s mission turned to the call to crusade. Unfortunately, no texts of his crusade sermons survive. But Capistrano was a prolific correspondent throughout his travels, and his letters provide important information about his itinerary and perspective. The letter translated here was authored at the height of an important early assembly of barons and princes in the Hungarian city of Győr, just as Capistrano’s crusade recruitment was underway. Here the friar writes to Alfonso de Borja, who on the death of Nicholas V (see document 1) had been elected Pope Callixtus III. A native of Valencia with close ties to King Alfonso V of Naples, the new pope brought a distinct focus and intensity to the challenge of launching a crusade against Mehmed II. In this letter, Capistrano informs the pope of the deliberations of the assembly at Győr, the desperation of Serbia after the fall of Novo Brdo, and the urgent negotiations over John Hunyadi’s grand plan for raising an army of some one hundred thousand troops.
Source: Trans. J. Mixson, from Luke Wadding, ed., Annales minorum, 3rd ed. (Quaracchi, 1932), 12: 292–4.2
Most blessed father, I lie prostrate, humbly, to kiss the footprints of your sacred feet. Although in these last days I have sent Your Holiness two letters, nevertheless I will not pass over an opportunity – while the services of letter carriers are available – to write to Your Blessedness above all regarding those things that I deem to concern the honor of both God and Your Holiness. Two ambassadors of the holy Apostolic See recently came to me, one by the name of Rudolf, a confidant of the most reverend lord of Győr, carrying a letter from Your Holiness. The other was a courier of the reverend lord of Firmano3 who, as he claimed, bore letters from the sacred college of the most reverend cardinals that announced the election of the Holy Spirit, namely that by divine disposition you, holy father, had been chosen as the true Vicar of Christ, not only to preserve but even to advance the holy Catholic faith. And since most of the barons of the distinguished kingdom of Hungary have gathered here to establish mutual harmony among themselves, having received a letter of this kind they have been filled with great gladness and delight, and are rejoicing intensely in the will of the divine.
But it was not without envy and grumbling that, in a meeting of such lords, there were letters presented on behalf of Your Holiness to certain lesser types that were not also given to the most powerful ones of the same kingdom; that is, to the bishops of Pécs, Oradea, and to certain more distinguished barons of the realm. It was easy to resolve this matter on your behalf. Thereafter, it pains me to say, just today a courier hastened here with a special message for the despot of Serbia [George Branković], who has desperately sought from these lords and barons support and defense of his territory. The courier announced to the same despot and barons that the most shameful enemy of Christ, Muhammad, emperor of the Turks, has occupied a most powerful Serbian city, called Hobordam,4 where there is a gold and silver mine that brings annually to his coffers – so they say – 120,000 ducats. And all of the other cities and fortresses are said to be surrounded, soon to be cut off. Everyone, blessed father, is terrified of such terrible news, and of all the wicked deeds that have been committed – and we seem only to hear every day that there is more, God forbid, to come. So, it is no surprise that there is worry over whether, should the right kind of aid not arrive quickly, things might turn out even worse. Therefore, blessed father, since God has given you power to see to it (just as you have established other holy undertakings) to effectively preserve and grow the holy Catholic faith, I hold it as certain that God has brought you to this moment for no other purpose, than for you to guard what has been prepared for the appropriate time, restore what has been lost, and by your virtue and care to restore damaged members to the wholeness of your body.
I wrote yesterday to Your Holiness that you should adorn the most serene king [Alfonso V] of Aragon with spiritual and temporal weapons; and that although he is already most powerful, Your Holiness could help make him still more so. Indeed, I think it is necessary, and most advantageous, that we resist manfully and wage war strongly against this evil enemy of Christ, not only by sea but also by land. For since I conferred today with these lord prelates and barons, the magnificent and excellent governor [John Hunyadi], Count of Beszterce, offered himself as the first to take up arms at his own expense, along with ten thousand elite horse at his command. He said, moreover, that the most serene lord King Ladislaus would provide twenty thousand from the rest of the kingdom of Hungary. And though the despot of Serbia [George Branković] has suffered great loss, he has offered to provide ten thousand, even though he continues to adhere to his faith.5 It falls to us, however, to take into consideration the dangers that we face, and to arrange for an appropriate remedy.
The aforesaid magnificent Lord John [Hunyadi] has taken part in a second conference, saying that if our serene lord pope would provide twenty thousand horse, and if the serene king of Aragon ten thousand, and the other cities of Italy ten thousand, since the Duke of Burgundy offers that he would come with ten thousand horse and ten thousand foot soldiers, this John was confident that within three months we could take such a fight to the Turk that he would have nowhere in Europe to lay his head, especially since [Hunyadi] knows the power of the Turks in every detail, along with that of other infidels, and since he is the one who understands thoroughly the right way of waging war against them. So it was that in the presence of all of these lords and barons he asserted this today: that with such a great number of soldiers he would hope to regain even Jerusalem, and that he would not ask for any payment for the aforesaid cavalry beyond the first three months.
It would be expedient for Your Holiness to designate a cardinal for these lands, to act as a kind of supervisor for such an army, along with a sufficient amount of money. Or if it seems well to Your Holiness to commit this matter to the reverend lord cardinal of Esztergom (who is strong in virtue, foresight, and counsel), I think the consultation would turn out well.6 Moreover, this John [Hunyadi] has offered himself – if he is given true warriors, not youths, but men who are vigorous and well trained in arms, well suited to pursue the enemies of Christ – from one year to the next, if need be, to persevere with such an army and to require no further financial support, trusting that he could reap from the goods and lands of the Turk so much that he could provide for his army more abundantly than the Turk himself pays his own troops. Therefore, in this way, with the most serene king of Aragon fighting on the sea and this John on land, there could be genuine hope of recuperating what has been lost and of acquiring the reign that Christian princes deserve, as well as capturing the wealth of the infidels and spreading widely the holy orthodox Catholic faith, unto the everlasting glory and immortal praise and eternal memory of the name of Your Holiness.
Thus, may Your Holiness, blessed father, discern what may be done in this matter, and may the Almighty preserve his holy church and the Christian people forever, to whom I commend my suppliant self, along with our [Franciscan] order. From the town of Győr in the kingdom of Hungary, June 21, 1455.
A worm and an unworthy little servant of Your Exalted Holiness, yet a most faithful orator, Brother John of Capistrano.
1 See the introduction, pp. 38–40.
2 Wadding’s editions of Capistrano’s correspondence, though long standard, have come to be seen as problematic. Currently an international team of scholars led by Letizia Pellegrini is undertaking a new authoritative edition of the corpus (see the introduction, n. 66). An edition of the correspondence of John of Capistrano in Hungary, supervised by Gábor Klaniczay and Otto Gecser, is nearing completion but not yet in print. I am grateful to both scholars for allowing access to their team’s ongoing editorial work. In this section and the next, where possible I have checked Wadding’s edition of Capistrano’s letters against drafts of the forthcoming editions.
3 Domenico Capranica (d. 1458), Italian canonist, bishop of Fermo, papal diplomat, cardinal, and protector of the Franciscan order.
4 A garbled rendering of Novo Brdo (in modern Kosovo). See the first letter in this section.
5 The reference here is to the Greek Orthodox tradition of Serbia, deemed “schismatic” by the Latin church and by Capistrano.
6 Denis Szécsi. See document 9.
3.3. JOHN OF CAPISTRANO TO POPE CALLIXTUS III
September 17, 1455 (Csanád)
His contemporaries marveled at Capistrano’s energy and dedication to the task of recruiting an army for crusade, which took the seventy-year-old friar on a journey of some four hundred miles across Hungary and Romania between May of 1455 and February of 1456. In this letter, only the introduction of which appears here, Capistrano sends a report to Pope Callixtus III from the church of Csanád in southern Hungary, not far from the advancing Ottoman forces.
Source: Trans. J. Mixson, from Luke Wadding, ed., Annales minorum, 3rd ed. (Quaracchi, 1932), 12: 326–8.
Most blessed father, with a kiss for the footprints of sacred feet, and with humble and eager obedience to your commands, unto the death of the cross1 (and there is nothing more delightful to me): I have a most fervent desire to make my way to Your Most Merciful Holiness in person, if only the weight of old age would not hinder me, if the great distance of the journey did not deter me, and if these unsettled times did not hold me back. For I am at the moment stationed in Christendom’s most distant cathedral church, called Csanád (at most fourteen miles, so they tell me, from the most treacherous Turks), whose diocese extends to the front lines. In recent times they have now not only come against this city twice but depopulated and ravaged the region with iron and fire. As an absent pilgrim I have thus visited you five times now with my humbled quill, and after other reports regarding the dangers facing the Christian republic I write to Your Serenity that the despot [George Branković] of Serbia has arranged peace with the enemy of Christ, the most savage Great Turk Mehmed. These are dangerous times, blessed father, and the days are evil. It is thus necessary to prepare for avoiding the dangers to come, and better to meet them ahead of time than to try to heal a wounded Christendom afterward. For after death, it is too late to offer medicine. And in fact, almost everyone in these parts lives in fear of the ferocious lions who now rise up against them. I will not repeat what I have already written to Your Serenity in other letters. It is your task to discern, in Jesus Christ, what ought to be done.
[The letter continues, first praising the office of pope as the head of the church and then asking Callixtus III to confirm the privileges his predecessors had issued for Capistrano’s Franciscan order. It concludes by emphasizing the special bond between the Observant wing of the order and the papacy].
1 The phrasing here seems to reference the possibility of Capistrano’s martyrdom.
3.4. JUAN CARVAJAL TO JOHN OF CAPISTRANO
January 16, 1456 (Vienna)
Alongside Capistrano, the papal legate Juan Carvajal played an important role in the effort to mobilize an army against the Ottomans. Born to a noble family in Trujillo in the territory of Extremadura in western Iberia, Carvajal was a university-trained canon lawyer who rose to prominence at the papal court in the middle of the fifteenth century. As a papal legate to Germany in the conciliar era he became one of the most active and influential diplomats of his day, especially in Central Europe and in the circles of Ladislaus V. By 1456 he had been charged by Callixtus III with organizing the crusade against Mehmed II. His exchange with Capistrano in the next five letters offers a glimpse of the interweaving of theology and practical matters in these kinds of communications. The exchange also hints at the complex web of diplomatic relationships figures like Carvajal and Capistrano had to negotiate in order to advance their agenda, and at the urgent but also delicate matters of timing and logistics that all had to negotiate in the first months of 1456.
Source: Trans. J. Mixson, from Luke Wadding, ed., Annales minorum, 3rd ed. (Quaracchi, 1932), 12: 371.
To our esteemed reverend father in Christ,
Asking for your prayers, we inform Your Paternity that the most serene king of Hungary, as he told us today, intends with God’s help to begin his journey toward Hungary this week. We hope through his arrival in that kingdom to be able to make good arrangements for the affairs of the faith, since the most serene lord king himself has no small amount of religious fervor, along with these lords who are with him. May almighty God see fit to keep Your Paternity safe from danger. We cannot express in words or letters how much joy and consolation we have taken from those things we have heard regarding the most illustrious lord governor [John Hunyadi], who we have heard has raised seven thousand troops. We reminded those among them who were wavering of all that God has done on our behalf: how Maccabeus, master of a holy army, routed the army of Nicanor and Gorgias with that number. But the people of Israel killed 120,000.1 And so we hope in the Lord that this army of seven thousand, if all other human help should fail, under the aforesaid governor, the Maccabeus of our time, should be victorious, and that God will grant his people victory. We would wish that the same lord governor should write to those princes with whom he has close ties in this affair, including the emperor, the king of Aragon, the Duke of Burgundy, and others, that their troops should be sent to Hungary in the month of June, or July at the latest, and that the governor himself will be prepared by that time. Nor are they to be asked that they should provide this or that many thousands of troops, because they will soon clearly understand that the lord governor (in whose name they place great faith) ought to be properly prepared. Tell them also that the apostolic legate [i.e., Carvajal] is here with the cross, that “the curtain will draw the curtain,”2 and that some will come for devotion, others for honor, in such great numbers (so we hope in the Lord) that we will fear not having enough food more than not having enough troops. Therefore, Your Paternity should consider carefully in this matter what to write to the lord governor, and that he should be prepared at the appointed time, because God will provide both the sacrifice and all that is needed for the offering.
A certain courtier, a very noble man, said to me that he has it from the curia that the reverend father in Christ, the patriarch and chamberlain Lord Ludovic, has been announced as legate to fight against the Turks on the sea.3 You know what kind of a person he is, and how well suited to this service. And so, everything is properly arranged. May Your Paternity see to it that nothing is lacking in the province given to you by God. The most serene lord king is most eager to engage in this business, so much that we anticipate he will be a second David, and in his most pure innocence will slay the unbaptized Turk, killer of Christians. May Your Paternity remember the most serene king in your prayers, that God would give him an upright heart. Even the illustrious Count of Celje4 promises to do all he can. Again and again, may God bless Your Paternity.
From Vienna, January 16, 1456.
1 Cf. 2 Maccabees 8.
2 This phrase appears in quotation marks in the edition of the text; it seems to be a colloquial phrase whose resonance is now lost.
3 Ludovico Trevisan (d. 1465), patriarch of Aquileia, cardinal priest of San Lorenzo, and chief financial officer of the apostolic camera. By the 1450s Trevisan had behind him a long career of diplomatic and military service on behalf of the papacy in Italy. He was now charged with leading the papacy’s naval campaign against the Ottomans.
4 Ulrich II, Count of Celje. See the cast of characters, p. 274.
3.5. JOHN OF CAPISTRANO TO JUAN CARVAJAL
February 19, 1456 (Pest)
Source: Trans. J. Mixson, from Luke Wadding, ed., Annales minorum, 3rd ed. (Quaracchi, 1932), 12: 372–3.
To the most reverend father in Christ and lord to be most obeyed, Cardinal John of Sant’Angelo, apostolic legate, etc.
Most reverend father in Christ and lord, lord to be most obeyed, most distinguished protector and teacher, a humble commendation, with every obligation of deference. When I in my weakness was by God’s grace engaged along the farthest frontiers of Christendom, in the kingdom of Transylvania, sowing the word of the one from whom an abundant crop has grown (for a multitude of infidels has been baptized there, and more are baptized daily!) note how, amid that harvest, by the command of the letters of Your Reverend Lordship, I postponed all things and immediately took up the journey toward this city of Pest. Although it pained me in no small measure to leave unfinished that work of harvesting souls, nothing could be more pleasing or joyful than to obey the Apostolic See with an eager spirit – something I have always done and will always do, unto my last breath. There was another time, when I was near Prague for an assembly, that I had in my writings so destroyed those biting ones, Rokyczana and his allies,1 that they had fallen totally silent, and many among the heretics renounced their errors in throngs almost every single day. And so, the letters of the reverend lord cardinal of Saint Peter in Chains2 called me to hasten to the assembly at Regensburg; I postponed everything and willingly complied. Then a third time, when I had gone down to Moravia from Poland to combat the heretics mentioned above, and was making good progress there, again I received word from the reverend lord [Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini, bishop] of Siena that I should make my way to the assembly at Frankfurt. I obeyed immediately. So many regions, so many provinces have I crossed, and encountered so many different languages, that the length of the journey and the difficulty of the labors would even wear down stones! But I have never shied away from nor succumbed to any labor for the growth of the holy Catholic faith, and for maintaining obedience to the holy Apostolic See.
I only say all of these things so that Your Reverend Lordship may understand: I desire nothing more fervently than to offer every service to Our Reverend Lordship [the pope] and his legates for the advancement of the Christian religion. And I do not think I should neglect to say that when I made my way to Frankfurt, by the words of his own mouth the aforementioned reverend lord of Siena [Piccolomini] asked me to come to the assembly at Vienna Neustadt, which I did, freely obeying his commands. I finally came to Pest, where the letters of Your Reverend Lordship summoned me. And here I stand ready for whatever you might command, ready to obey your orders most promptly. But I have received letters from our most serene lord [the pope] that I should under no circumstances depart from the kingdom of Hungary or the surrounding infidel lands without special command. Moreover, on the very day on which I made contact, the letters of Your Reverend Lordship were given to me, which very much inspired us to encourage the magnificent Lord John Hunyadi, Count of Beszterce. I can tell Your Reverend Lordship this one thing: he needed neither persuasion nor exhortation! He himself promised me, with his own mouth, seven thousand armed knights, equipped with all they needed for battle; that he would confirm more day by day; and that he would write to our serene lord the most unconquered Roman emperor, the most serene king of Aragon, the most illustrious Duke of Burgundy and other lords, informing them all that he would be ready with ten thousand troops, when the time was right, to move against the shameful enemy of Christ. Your Reverend Lordship should not think that he would for any reason back away from his promise. He is wearing his armor at every hour. I only fear that all of this delay will bring great danger to the Christians. The others promise that they will be ready this coming July. But the Turks do not sleep. Almost every day they invade the lands to the south, miserably plunder them, and also fortify them, such that we ought greatly to fear them [i.e., their advance] even before Easter. We therefore need a more urgent effort to resist the raging enemy, who enjoys nothing but the pouring out of blood, especially against Christians – the killing of whom, he thinks, is an offering to God.
Thus, whatever is to be done, may Your Reverend Lord decide. May Jesus Christ see fit to protect you into a generously old age, for the defense of his holy faith. From our convent in Pest, February 19, 1456. The useless little servant of Your Reverend Lordship, but also a faithful ambassador, Friar John of Capistrano.
1 Jan Rokyczana (d. 1471), follower of Jan Hus and Capistrano’s bitter opponent during the friar’s mission across Central Europe. Their clashes took the form of an intense exchange of polemical letters and treatises, many of which were widely read across Central Europe in the second half of the fifteenth century.
2 Nicholas of Cusa (d. 1464).
3.6. JUAN CARVAJAL TO JOHN OF CAPISTRANO
May 14, 1456 (Buda)
Source: Trans. J. Mixson, from Luke Wadding, ed., Annales minorum, 3rd ed. (Quaracchi, 1932), 12: 385–6.
Reverend [father]. [We offer] greeting and [wishes for] every prosperity.
Your Reverend Paternity recalls the great insistence with which we have been urged to move south with the crusaders, and Your Reverend Paternity should do the same. But we, who have faith not in arms but in God (who when appeased by the prayers of his holy church softens his anger) promised to do so not so much in consideration of human strength but of divine power, and the Count of Beszterce [Hunyadi] wrote to us nothing against it. Thus, we went down to Szeged, where soon after the count (who has treated us with much humanity and honor) also arrived. We had many conversations about the service of Christ and the business of the faith, and in the end, it seemed best to the count that we should return to His Royal Majesty [Ladislaus V]. But we pressed on our way, making it as far as Petrovaradin.1 The count not only condemned the move but also testified against us publicly, blaming us for all the losses that would follow, and openly adding that it would bring an enormous loss to Christendom as a whole. We thus yielded to his admonitions and returned to the most serene lord king. But since we have heard that other crusaders continue to make their way down, we have sent our reverend father in Christ, Lord Francis the bishop of Assisi,2 who will receive them and deploy them to their proper positions. Among other reasons that the count opposed our move south was that it would above all harm the reputation and expectations that everyone had of the army that the legate of the Apostolic See was said to have gathered, that the enemy’s fear of a strong force coming to our aid would thus be turned to mockery, and that [the enemy] would thereby be all the more bold. But for the gathering of so many knights and crusaders there is great need of your reverend father’s assistance, and so we would gladly meet you somewhere that would allow us to be without the interference of others.
In the early days of the church the holy Roman pontiffs offered themselves to martyrdom, and we would do so freely now, just as we told the lord count; we also offered to stay in whatever place he might desire. And lest we seem to place any hope in arms, we have forbidden anyone of our household to bear the arms which they have purchased; for we have placed all of our hope in the prayers of the church, in which we place all of our hopes for defense. The day before yesterday a certain brother of the Order of Preachers whom we had sent to Venice came to us. He reported that he had heard from a Venetian nobleman (an ambassador or legate to Constantinople who had returned to Venice) that the captain of the fleet of the king of Aragon, Filomarinus, had been seen in those parts with a great multitude of galleys and ships, that the king was adding daily to the strength of the fleet, and that he had now sent twelve galleys to the captain. He also said that Lord Skanderbeg had taken the field, and that the king of Aragon had sent a thousand horse and other foot soldiers, and that he had seen a certain French knight and crusader making his way to Albania with five thousand armed crusaders wanting to serve in this war for a whole year. It is to be believed that on account of our delay here, as long as we are not drawn into the fight, a great gathering of crusaders will come together in Albania.
May our almighty God see fit to long protect Your Reverend Paternity. From Buda, May 14. Your devoted son, Cardinal John of Sant’Angelo, legate of the Apostolic See.
1 On the south bank of the Danube across from Novi Sad, approximately fifty miles upriver from Belgrade.
2 Francis Oddi, consecrated bishop of Assisi in 1444. A close confidant and collaborator with Capistrano, he had been given broad authority for the administration of affairs related to the crusade in these months. See documents 3.9 and 3.10.
3.7. JUAN CARVAJAL TO JOHN OF CAPISTRANO
May 25, 1456 (Buda)
Source: Trans. J. Mixson, from Luke Wadding, ed., Annales minorum, 3rd ed. (Quaracchi, 1932), 12: 386–7.
Just this hour I have received the last of Your Reverend Paternity’s letters, in which you advise us to handle the affairs of the crusaders promptly and with care. And we have done so with great care indeed. We have already written twice regarding our descent as far as Szeged, and our return to Buda at the counsel and insistence of the Count of Beszterce, and how we directed the reverend lord bishop of Assisi to go down to Petrovaradin to receive the crusaders and to scout the region and advise us regarding all things. It was not very pleasing [to Hunyadi] that we sent the bishop; and the count desires that we press the king and the princes of Germany to send military aid. Indeed, the count said to me that he had written to Your Reverend Paternity, telling you not to send any crusaders until he should advise that it be done. And having considered everything, it seems best to me that Your Paternity should go down to explore the region, and to inspire its men to war, so that they will be ready when the time comes. Then you can come to the lord king, and thereafter go to the emperor. And if we work together here, we could accomplish much and prevail upon these princes. If the Holy Spirit should say otherwise to Your Paternity I pray that you would write, and if you cannot come I will make my way down to you. I have said much and proposed much but have accomplished nothing. I have heard some news from Rome that can be put neither well nor safely into writing. But if I am able to see Your Paternity, I will share it. Almighty God, etc. From Buda, May 25.
3.8. JUAN CARVAJAL TO JOHN OF CAPISTRANO
June 5, 1456 (Buda)
Source: Trans. J. Mixson, from Luke Wadding, ed., Annales minorum, 3rd ed. (Quaracchi, 1932), 12: 387.
By way of my own ambassador, I have sent to Your Reverend Paternity an apostolic brief and a copy of the letter of Count Hunyadi, in which he warns of the approach of the Turks. I ask Your Paternity to inform me about all that is being done there, and all that has been heard. The most serene lord king [Ladislaus] has gone hunting and has not returned. See to it, distinguished father, that the crusaders make their way down as quickly as possible. We will do the same, diligently. Almighty, etc. From Buda, June 5.
3.9. JOHN HUNYADI TO FRANCIS ODDI, BISHOP OF ASSISI
June 18, 1456 (Hollós)
This letter reflects John Hunyadi’s efforts to coordinate troop movements and communicate strategy in the weeks leading up to Belgrade. It is addressed to Francis Oddi, bishop of Assisi, who had been given an important role in coordinating the campaign. The text is written in a hasty Italian that captures something of the urgency of the moment.
Source: Trans. J. Mixson, from L. Thallóczy and A. Antal, eds., Codex diplomaticus partium regno Hungariae adnexarum, Monumenta Hungariae Historica 33 (Budapest: Magyar Tudományos Akadémia, 1907), 2: 464–5.
Most reverend father in Christ, to be honored by us, etc.
We advise Your Lordship that this past Thursday we departed from Szeged and made our way toward Rumelia, as the land is called, where in every way and without any doubt we will arrive on the approaching feast of John the Baptist [June 24], insofar as once again we have now received certain news that the most cruel emperor of the Turks hastens and agitates for his arrival, and wants and is determined to come soon. And for this reason, we also hasten our movement to the place where the river called Morava passes or rather falls into the Danube, since by taking our stand against the Turks there he will not be able to sail his ships into that river.1 We therefore ask Your Reverence to command all those who are signed with the sign of the cross to make their way, if possible, toward Rumelia. And this should be done quickly, because to delay their arrival any longer seems of little use, since they would not arrive before the Turks have put their ships into the Danube. We ask that Your Lordship send this letter to the bishop of Oradea, who will show it to the Palatine bishop.2 From Hollós, on the sixth day after the feast of saints Vitus and Modestus, martyrs, in the year of our Lord 1456.
John Hunyadi, Count of Beszterce
1 This is eight miles northeast of Smederevo. The Morava was a crucial route for ships ferrying troops, weapons, and supplies northward from Ottoman-controlled territories in Serbia. See also the account of Jacopo Promontorio in document 29.
2 Oradea is in western Romania, on the Hungarian border, some 150 miles east of Buda. Bishop John Vitéz (d. 1472) was later cardinal archbishop of Esztergom, the position held at this time by Denis Szécsi. See document 9.
3.10. JOHN OF CAPISTRANO TO FRANCIS ODDI, BISHOP OF ASSISI
July 3, 1456 (Belgrade)
This is among the very last of over six hundred letters that survive from John of Capistrano. Composed just as Mehmed II’s troops were beginning to settle in before the city, it was also among the very last letters sent out before the opening of the battle for Belgrade. Like the previous letter by Hunyadi, this one is addressed to Francis Oddi, bishop of Assisi. It is also written in a style similar to Hunyadi’s letter: a hasty Italian whose rapidly flowing prose captures the urgency of the moment. The translation here attempts to preserve that original style, even as its often run-on sentences at times overflow into what is an almost incoherent narrative.
Source: Trans. J. Mixson, from L. Thallóczy and A. Antal, eds., Codex diplomaticus partium regno Hungariae adnexarum, Monumenta Hungariae Historica 33 (Budapest: Magyar Tudományos Akadémia, 1907), 2: 465–7.
To the reverend father and lord in Christ, Lord Francis bishop of Assisi, his most worthy protector and most honorable teacher.
Most reverend father and my most distinguished lord, etc. Just this hour I have received the letters of Your Lordship, and with them all that they command regarding those signed with the sign of the cross, and its admonitions which are most welcome to me. At this time the Turks already occupy all of the Danube, and their ships, which have made their way into the Danube, can easily make their way into Hungary, since as I said they hold and occupy all of the Danube, and today we await their siege of this fortress, because the Turks have never before been present in such power and strength. The Christian republic, the Catholic faith, and the Christian people and also the kingdom of Hungary are all under immediate danger, and Lord John the Count of Beszterce fights hand to hand with them in battle every day. But who could ever resist such an army and such a multitude without the help and aid of others? For this reason, I ask Your Lordship, if it please you by your faith, to send word by your trustworthy and speedy messenger to advise the most reverend lord legate [Carvajal] of this danger, attack, and occupation. Let them all look to the Danube, the most serene king and all ecclesiastical and secular princes who want to offer favor and aid to resist this great danger, since now is no longer the time to sleep and to stand around doing nothing, but rather the time and the hour “to rise from sleep.”1 See now that the one thing we worried about has already come to pass, in that the esteemed kingdom of Hungary, if it offers no resistance, will come under the hand of the Turks, under their subjection and command. And see now that if the king and the other princes, barons, and prelates of this land do not wish to be visited by the Turks, and if they seek and wish to defend their land, they should come themselves, or send their military contingents, and they should not wait for the day when they will have to drive the Turks from their own homes, since here is a proper and fitting place to resist them, here is the proper place to fight the battle with them, and here is the best place to fight them since after they have taken control of the water they will not stop before taking the land. Your Lordship must therefore write to the most reverend lord legate that His Lordship must work night and day with the king and other lords to stand up against this imminent threat and in the face of this pressing necessity they must provide aid and give help and support, and in the letters that Your Lordship sends to them, and may it please you to include this letter of ours along with them at the end, so that His Most Reverend Lordship may more clearly understand and confront this great and threatening storm. With the great affliction, pain, and weariness that I presently endure I am unable to write them, but Your Lordship can provide for what is lacking in me, always recommending me to His Most Reverend Lordship.
From the fortress of Belgrade, July 3, 1456.
Servant of Your Most Reverend Lordship, Brother John of Capistrano, by my own hand.
1 Romans 13:11.