Diplomats and Supporters of Matthias Corvinus – Seals of the Treaty of Ófalu / Spišská Stará Ves 1474

Abstract

Historiography is increasingly focusing its attention on the diplomatic history of the period of Matthias Corvinus. There have been numerous analyses of his relations with the Papal Court, the Bohemian orders and the Holy Roman Emperor. Matthias’ conflict with the Jagiellons is on its own a separate chapter. We find relatively few original documents amongst the sources that relate to the subject, therefore, if we have the opportunity to examine some of these with regard to a certain topic, we must take advantage of it. Several charters relating to Matthias’ peace treaty with the Jagiellons in 1474 in Ófalu /Spišská Stará have survived in their original form, so in addition to the diplomatic process of the peace treaty, we can also inspect the seals of the negotiating parties on the original charters. In the present paper, after a brief historical introduction and describing the research background, I will make a detailed examination of three charters that were issued by the Hungarian side. The documents show who from the Hungarian and Polish sides took part in the negotiations, and the surviving seals of the six Hungarian participants. The paper describes in a nutshell the careers of the negotiating parties, and gives a description of the surviving seals, accompanied by pictures. Because of its short form, the paper cannot attempt to provide a synthesis of diplomatic history, neverthe-less, it aims to publish the biography of the “peacemakers”, and to present a specific source type.