DIPLOMAT IN THE SERVICE OF HUNGARIAN KINGS. ACTIVITY OF THE BISHOP OF NITRA ANTONIUS DE SANKFALWA AT THE END OF THE MIDDLE AGES

• Authors: Miriam Hlaváčková
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

The ecclesiastical dignitary Antonius de Sankfalwa (from Sankovce) started his diplomatic career as a canon in Oradea (Magnovaradinum, Nagyvarad, Veľký Varadín, Gross-Wardein). The king entrusted him with ever more demanding diplomatic tasks. Together with the Archbishop of Esztergom Vitez, he secured the return of the Crown of St. Stephen to Hungary in 1463. He was sent also to the courts of Italian rulers and to France, Poland and Germany. In 1486, King Matthias Corvinus appointed him as a Provost of Bratislava, and in 1490 Vladislas II made him Bishop of Nitra. Antonius de Sankfalwa fully applied his education in canon law, gained at the University of Padua, in the field of marriage law. In Rome, he had to prove the invalidity of Vladislav’s marriage, not only with Beatrix of Aragon, but also with Barbara of Brandenburg. Evidence of Antonius’ activities survives from the period of his work in Bratislava and Nitra. He was involved in canon law, organizational and pastoral activities. He held a diocesan synod at Nitra in 1494. Its conclusions provide information about the problems of the Catholic Church at the end of the 15th century. He founded an altar of St. Antony in Nitra Cathedral and gave his house in Buda and vineyard on Zobor to support it. Bishop Antonius made his last diplomatic journey in 1499 to the Imperial Diet at Worms.

Keywords

EN

MIDDLE AGES; DIPLOMACY; PROVOST OF BRATISLAVA; BISHOP OF NITRA; LAW; CORVINUS MATTHIAS; SANKFALWA ANTONIUS

• Publisher: Institute of History of the Slovak Academy of Sciences
• Journal: Historický časopis (Historical Journal)
• Year: 2011
• Volume: 59
• Issue: suppl. issue
• Pages: 3 – 24

Contributors

author

Miriam Hlaváčková

• Historický ústav SAV, Klemensova 19, 813 64 Bratislava, Slovak Republic