In confinibus Turcorum

The paper discusses the backgrounds and careers of several lesser-known officials who occupied various positions along the Hungarian-Ottoman frontier during the reign of King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary (r. 1458-1490). By examining their biographies and their place within the ruling elite of Corvinus’s Hungary, the study moreover elucidates how changes in King Matthias’s authority in the borderlands were reflected in the changes in his personnel policies, showing that the king gradually gained more control over his southern lands through a growing network of loyal retainers. The latter, moreover, successfully replaced the vestiges of older regimes – whose representatives often stood in opposition to royal politics – thus allowing the introduction of greater royal control.