Black Army of Hungary | Some of the Most Sought-After Mercenaries of Europe

[@SandRhomanHistory]

Get your exclusive NordVPN Deal here: nordvpn.com/sandrhoman It's risk free with Nord's 30-day-money-back-guarantee!

[@mizcaesar1804]

Love your videos and the pike and shot era!

[@evangannon5394]

Could you please do a review video of the Irish Kern and Irish Gallowglass

[@samburdge9948]

Like your work.....what does S and R homan mean.....Gods bless you

[@chriswanger284]

Just a minimal geographic knowledge: Hungary is not located on the Balkan peninsula. Neither was part of the Oriental Orthodox civilization of Balkans.

[@SafavidAfsharid3197]

A video on Maratha army please?

[@ja17979]

The history of central Europe is fascinating because on numerous occasions the fate of the continent was decided here yet with a few exceptions it is largely overlooked.

[@thenoblepoptart]

I think this period in general is overlooked, but that area is home to some of the more famous conflicts like the siege of Vienna

[@gratefulguy4130]

I think you'll find that most places & times that were "overlooked" had events which hold particular bearing on the affairs of today.

[@sp5072]

It’s overlooked mostly in pre-Collegiate history but that’s mostly because the history taught at the president-collegiate level is whatever is deemed most significant to the average citizen of your country to know

[@420JackG]

I think you know as much about this history as is relevant to your countries founding myth. On average anyway, obviously we are all brain poisoned military history geeks who deserve swirlies.

[@pointynoodle]

let's not exaggerate, it's not like the Ottomans were one domino away from marching all the way to Paris.

[@akechijubeimitsuhide]

King Matthias is the hero of many folk tales in Hungary, usually travelling in disguise and tricking/punishing corrupt officials. Kinizsi, one of his knights, is also something of a folk hero said to have had superhuman strength.

[@zvata2017]

Yes, they are in quite a few folk stories. And if I remember correctly, the Black Army never lost a battle if Kinizsi was the Warlord of the Black Army. In fact, the black army was even led by Vlad Dracula a few times.

[@ediblemussel532]

Kinizsi Was that the peasant man who served Matthias water on a (very heavy) stone mill wheel? Or whatever its called.

[@zvata2017]

@@ediblemussel532 Yes, pretty much. According to history, he was not quite a peasant, the ranks were a little higher or at least better. But yes, he used a huge millstone as a tray that the King liked. The King took Kinizsi with him and taught him. He became the King's favorite warlord. Kinizsi if I remember correctly never lost a battle.

[@tamasfoldesi2358]

@@zvata2017 And according to some sources, he often dual-wielded swords in battle, but I guess it's just the made up part of the story considering the fact that it'd be a stupid idea and swords were just back-up weapons to begin with.

[@zvata2017]

@@tamasfoldesi2358 He is often depicted with two swords. Although this could be real as one was a saber and the other was a longsword. Mivel Magyar vagy így neked ezen a nyelven írnám. A két kardra én is emlékszem de ez még lehet helytálló mivel az egyik egy szablya volta másik meg egy hosszú kard. Gondolom a szablya egy lovassági szablya volt hogy hívták ekkor. Ami a lovon való harchoz lehetett neki míg a keményebb vérteket lehet hogy hosszú kardal szúrta át vagy zúzta szét. Szóval ez még lehet. Legalábbis ennek van is értelme hiszen a fekete seregben voltak az első Huszárok is. És idővel már csak úgy mutatták be mintha mindig két kardot használt volna. Persze ha olyan a helyzet hogy már nincs pajzsa meg egy két párbaj vagy ilyesmi akkor mehetett akár két kardal. De én inkább arra tippelek hogy volt neki mindkettő csak mindig azt használta amelyik neki épp kellett de az utókor ezt már nem tudhatta és tévesen így mutatták be.

[@EdVarkarion]

John Hunyadi is a beloved figure in Hungary, Romania, Croatia and Serbia. The fact that all 4 of these nations can agree on something is itself quite impressive.

[@GM-os6fo]

Hunyadi lead offensives to these countries agains ottomans After this countries celebrated him That's all

[@ggggg895hungary]

Sorry but romania didnt exist that time.

[@olejxffhirrtz3777]

​@@ggggg895hungary sorry but you are still mongols

[@laszlo8215]

@@olejxffhirrtz3777 kid

[@sultankebab1587]

@@ggggg895hungary Well you are right but Wallachia did exist.

[@AGS363]

His conquest of Vienna was actually a quite hilarious event. The city itself was opposed to Emperor Friedrich III and always supported his dynastic and political rivals. He in returned hated Vienna, and avoided being there when ever possible (his preferred residence was in Linz). Now, when Matthias attacked, the city surrendered without much of a fight and welcomed him as a liberator. Plans to use it as a bargain chip during negotiations with the emperor failed, because he did not care. With Vienna, he had lost not a capital, but a nuisance. So everything stayed in Limbo, until Matthias Corvinus died.

[@p.b.5107]

It meant a lot. Matthias expanded to West to gain the Holy Roman Emperor title to collect more power against the Ottomans, and Vienna's ruler was a prince-elector. With Friedrich they had a pact that Matthias will be Friedrich's heir, but if Matthias fails to have a son then the Habsburgs would inherit the Hungarian throne. Matthias died 2 years before Friedrich, without a ligitimate son and the later fate of Hungary went down for a while. It was an all or nothing situation.

[@elemperadordemexico]

Yeah that's Frederick a man who can patiently sit out a situation, no matter how dire, and still come out on top.

[@chriswanger284]

@@elemperadordemexico Only after the death of Corvinus.

[@curranlakhani]

Between Frederich III accidentally regaining leverage over Hungary because he hated Vienna and Richard the Lionheart wanting to sell London if he could find a buyer there's an odd thing about monarchs hating capital cities. Versailles literally exists because Louis XIV couldn't stand the stench of Paris

[@battlez9577]

@P.B. The archduke of Austria wasn't an elector, it was part of the fabricated document which began the path to arch duchy but Frederick iii was only just able to make ladislaus the posthumous an arch duke let alone investing it with the powers of election

[@Grubnar]

Matthias Corvinus and his Black Army were the main inspiration for Corvus Corax and his black armoured Space marine Legion, the Raven Guard, in the popular table-top wargame Warhammer 40,000 by Games Workshop. The Raven Guard favored mobility, and were masters of scouting, infiltration, and hit and run attacks.

[@ma5bgaming779]

Really? That is a real fun fact

[@abysso5786]

When I heard "Black Army", the first thing that came to mind was Black Legion.

[@kompatybilijny9348]

@@dantedo9758 Lego Nigga

[@TheChimples]

You can also find the Matthias Corvinus and the Black Army in the game Civilization 6.

[@UnsolicitedContext]

As an RG (okay successor RG) player, I’m stoked to find that out!

[@cmdrTremyss]

As a hungarian, your video has added new insights to my knowledge of this topic, Matthias's reign, some call it the last golden age of Hungary.

[@JuicyJenitals]

"Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded." - James 4:8. You can start a relationship with God today

[@thehungryhungarianXi]

It really was the last one.. After his death, Hungary went into a death spiral that it is still in to this day..

[@ncrranger2281]

@@thehungryhungarianXi A kieggyezéstől a világháborúig is annak tekinthető, annyi jó dolog valosult meg akkor, ha az a féreg szerb mellé lőtt volna...

[@thisisaname5589]

@@thehungryhungarianXi Could have remained powerful and relevant as part of Austria-Hungary, but no, they preferred irrelevance and decline.

[@CerberusHD]

To be honest if you are hungarian this video told nothing extra. You even learned like 10times of this in school, but probably you were just sleeping or didn't care... I don't even like this video, because it's not structured well, just soma information crumbles here and there and it makes little sense... I mean most of the history is missed out, the keypoint were not mentioned, the black army was described as some random unit so yeah no, this was just not it for me... To respond to some comments here... Hungary made some really bad decisions and with a very bad timing... And all begun with the ottoman war... Yes they held up pretty good, but in my opinion this was just a poor decision too, you really don't want to fight 2 freaking wars from 2 fronts, however they still somehow managed it. I mean hungary defended whole europe from the ottomans, if we let them through idk what the rest of europe would have done, but most likely just run for their life xD Instead hungary took 2 wars, delayed everything, guarded the whole continent, got NOTHING, no help at all, the ottomans later conquered half of the kingdom, but stilll they could only manage half, because still hungary kept on defending... And after that the Habsburgs came and they took advantage of hungary which was weakend like hell, and of course with like 200 years of prepare time they could fight back the ottomans, took the whole land and after that only bad decisions were made. 1st and 2nd world war hungary ended up both times on the bad side even though they decided to turn, but too late, and to this date the leaders and even the people are just dumb and make stupid decisions... However the country still exists somehow, so that's something xDDD

[@petarkardum5063]

As a Croatian I still can't face the fact that Matiaš Korvin is gone.

[@BubuluIX]

Dobri kralj Matijaš! :)

[@0kisshun0]

why?

[@omnamahshivaya458]

@@0kisshun0 Because they were his stable cleaners

[@mihovilraboteg6160]

@@omnamahshivaya458 angry turk sighted

[@omnamahshivaya458]

@@mihovilraboteg6160 Quickly go back to the stable before lord Janos sees you not changing the horse's hooves again, and punishes you because of that! I don't want to see you get in trouble once again.

[@anderskorsback4104]

Habsburgs: We are the defenders of Europe against Ottoman conquest, gib moneyz and troops plox! Also Habsburgs: Let's claim the Hungarian crown and press our claim while Hungary is busy with the Ottomans.

[@JuicyJenitals]

"Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded." - James 4:8. You can start a relationship with God today. If nothing else atleast learn and understand biblical prophecy

[@wendigo7176]

I like the most how Hungarians cried how they are opressed by Austria, while opressing every non Hungarians on their territory, no wonder the country fell apart

[@B3NY0001]

@@wendigo7176 opress? Learn what opressing means and then comment

[@karobahuz3344]

@@wendigo7176 It was a good excuse for Trianon. But the truth is, they weren't. And before u come with the language excuse, no, Hungarian wasn't the main language in Hungary most of time. Time for a new excuse bro.

[@GregoryKun]

​@@wendigo7176 C'mon kid! You are disgusting. You should learn history, not from a modern nationalist perspective. Usually, the nationality and language don't matter in the noble system, but bloodline and religion. The Kingdom of Hungary was always diverse.

[@beyhanahmed756]

" Mathias The Raven" sounds so epic that it deserves to become a movie title. Must have been one of the most badass rulers in Hungarian history. Reminds me of Griffith from Band of The Falcon from the Berserk series.

[@anotherhistoryenthusiast5874]

Judging by the armor, it takes place in the same general period.

[@balazsbelavari7556]

There are lots of tales of him outsmarting corrupt landlords by for example going to them in disguise as a poor man tho these are probably only tales.

[@willyvereb]

Griffith's character may be mildly inspired by him. It should be noted that Mathias is actually an upstart noble without any royal lineage who was elected king of Hungary regardless and continued to rule like that. This is actually also the reason why he wanted the Hungarian crown so desperately. His struggles for widely accepted legitimacy continued beyond the grave and his bastard son failed to secure the throne.

[@justhair17]

Yeah, he is pretty much a Hungarian folk hero and our most famous king along with Stephen I

[@gergokun7154]

Just wait until you find out that he captured Dracula, indeed we do need a movie on him.

[@HistoryofHungary]

Hey! It’s great to see other channels paying attention to our history! As a Hungarian a personal thank you, but as a history graduate, I’d like to point out a few extra details if you don’t mind: a, (0:02)The coat of arms on the shields, which you used is the current one, not the historical one. They likely used the hereditary symbols of the Corvinus family (like as seen on the flag at 5:56), since they belonged under the personal command of King Matthias. b, (4:55) The cross on the Holy Crown of Saint Stephen was not slanted at the time, as we use it today on our coat of arms. The cross’s current state is due to an accident, as it was damaged during transportation after the 1620s. c, (15:02) Yes, the 1/3rd of the royal income went towards the upkeeping of the army, but it wasn’t like the treasury was empty. Matthias was one of the wealthiest monarchs at the time, thanks to his reforms of the taxation laws. The problem was, that he used the extraordinary war-tax almost continuously, which was supposed to be used in, well, extraordinary situations. In his life he managed to get an iron grip on the nobility, so no one dared to oppose him (except for one short-lived coup). After his death the nobility elected a far more controllable king, who of course complied with their every demand (including tax cuts), thus making the black army disband. By the way, Tamás Pálosfalvi is undoubtedly a great scholar, but I also recommend the works of András Kubinyi, who is maybe the number one expert on Matthias Corvinus. I hope this doesn’t come across as nitpicking. I simply brought these up because you did a stellar job describing the events, and I saw your attention to detail.

[@Nobele28]

thank you for your comment, wanted to write the same about the coat of arms! I wouldnt think its nitpicking, details are important, think about Pozsonyi csata :D Kubinyi

[@J.P.MistaPista]

It's a gap-filling comment on the video. I was going to write the same. Mine hadn't been so well-organised as I'm not a historian, only a layman. 🙂

[@uckuzu]

What an amazing community and an amazing contribution. Thanks! 🇹🇷🇭🇺

[@Djzommer1]

interesting, thanks man

[@Artur_M.]

I love your videos and your selection of topics. It would be awesome to see you cover the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in that period and its wars with Muscovy, for example, Konstanty Ostrogski and the battle of Orsha 1514.

[@SandRhomanHistory]

Hey, thanks for sticking around on the channel! Yeah, we looked into Orsha. Might do it at some point, no concrete plans as of yet though.

[@chriswanger284]

@@SandRhomanHistory CORRECT IT! Just a minimal geographic knowledge: Hungary is not located on the Balkan peninsula. Neither was part of the Oriental (semi-Asian) Orthodox civilization of Balkans.

[@Aemilius46]

As someone who's family comes from Serbia and Southeastern Europe, Matthias Corvinus and his father John Hunyadi, are two of my favorite and beloved people from History! 🛡️🗡️

[@_MrPixel_]

The Ottamans: "oh god another hunyadi'

[@raypurchase801]

Netflix wanted to fund a TV series about the Black Army, until they realised they'd misunderstood the name. Probably.

[@johnnyboy3410]

Lmao

[@jamesbutler80]

😂😂😂😂

[@lvnt123]

Yeah no niggaz back than, they were still on trees, somewhere deep in unknown africa

[@raypurchase801]

@@lvnt123 All true, but I click on "Replies" and yours disappears. Skynet's algorithms dislike the ugly truth.

[@ivancarmo878]

I would not be surprised to see a Netflix series putting a black guy acting as Matyás Hunyádi and an army of black dudes in the middle of 14th century's central Europe and some weirdo saying: "My nagypapa always said to me: whatever they tell you, Mathias Corvinus was black"

[@Redactedredacted5837]

The Black Army will always be among my favorites for its innovativeness and competency.

[@rws2833]

In Hungary, we still admire Mathias Corvinus. We actually have children's movies about him. The one thing why many people want a leader like him is that basically the country under him was "thriving". After his death, the country fell into chaos.

[@prophetrexlexful8783]

so why did he not help vlad to stop the ottomans..

[@rws2833]

@@prophetrexlexful8783 becouse he realy didn't care about the ottomans. His main goal was to secure the holy roman empire. He was good at defeating the austrians, unlike the ottomans whom he couldn't defeat. His father could defeat them, but that's a different story....

[@prophetrexlexful8783]

@@rws2833 No the answer was he was a little puss@ which did care more about wealth than defending christianity and helping vlad.. I am hungarian myself and when i learned about that i was really ashamed.

[@BOIOLA08]

​​@@rws2833hat was a huge mistake. The same as today. Beware of the new Ottomans.

[@Karabarsz]

@@rws2833 actually, he wanted to be the holy roman emperor so he can finish what his father started and defeat the ottomans

[@0trov_]

The black army was consisted mainly of "Czechs, Germans, Serbs and Poles, in the late period from Hungarians and Croats too. All of the viable data u can find mostly in books: "Hungary's Philosopher King-Matthias Corvinus from Valery Rees and The Oxford Encyclopedia of Medieval Warfare and Military from Clifford Rogers if you are interested. You can see it best by inspecting the names and ethnicities of black army commanders. Most notable would be: ..John Giskra-Czech ..Pal Kinizsi-Hungarian ..Vuk Grgurevic-Serb ..Djordje Brankovic-Serb Corvinus focus on employing mostly southern (Serbian, Walachian, and Croat) nobles into his service would be their decades-long experiences fighting Turks. Serbs were known as the Heavy and Light cavalry powerhouse of late medieval times (Serb heavy cavalry won the battle at Nicopolis just on the Ottoman side and successfully repelled Mongolians at the battle of Ankara), Croat border guard was fighting and sabotaging Ottomans for at least 50 years at that time (Famous Uskoci and Croat border raiders) and Walachian archers were well known at that time all across Europe.

[@laszlobudy]

The vast majority were Czechs or nations who understood mercenary warfare. For a short time they were also Swiss in the army. At the time, nationality did not matter, nationalism was a modern thing. The Hungarian bander forces were deployed against the Turks, and the mercenaries fought more in the West and in Silesia.

[@matheuscerqueira7952]

Walachian archers used longbows?

[@0trov_]

@@laszlobudy Depends on what period. Under Vuk Grgurevic (Brankovic) Serbs were majority of forces that raided Sarajevo for example. Croats were majority around Osjek campaign. Ps. I was very careful and specific to say "ethnicities" not nations.

[@0trov_]

@@matheuscerqueira7952 No? 😊

[@chriswanger284]

No, Most soldiers were Czechs and Germans.

[@baltulielkungsgunarsmiezis9714]

Having just palyed EU4 as Hungary and wondered what this black army was Im so lucky you made this video.

[@Ramiiam]

Hunyadi and Sobieski, Europe needs you again!

[@akosmaradi5281]

We have a discount Hunyadi at home :D

[@Ramiiam]

@@akosmaradi5281 When you get tired of him, you'll still have a country to go home to.

[@thesuntrider]

lmao what for

[@LARESCIV]

rainbows invading you or what?

[@effewe2]

Too late, you cowards let them in.....after years of fighting to keep them out, Merkel and the other woke leaders just opened the gates. Disgusting to the brave men who fought and died years ago. Europe is finished! It is over! They will produce more babies than you and your ancestors will pray 5 times a day forever!

[@clintmoor422]

So, the landsknechts of the east, or of Hungary. Without the fancy clothes but with pikes as well and also with more cavalry and an awesome circle formation. Seems like these guys were pretty amazing.

[@terry7907]

No, way too many firearms to be landsknechts. And if you just mean mercenary units with lots of pikes, you might as well call them Swiss.

[@jordansblabbering6303]

and firearms

[@einehrenmann6156]

@@terry7907 Swiss Mercernary's were a part of of the Black Army. King Corvinos held them in high regard, like every other monarchy in europe. And then we decided to be Neutral and the Landsknechts copied our tactics. (also our fancy clothes). For 200 Years we were the best, and then they started using guns and artillery, those cowards.

[@huntclanhunt9697]

@@terry7907 Landsknects used firearms.

[@huntclanhunt9697]

@@einehrenmann6156 "No! You can't just shoot us! You have to fight honorably and die to our pikes!" "Haha musket go boom!"

[@southernhungarian]

Thank you so much for doing content about Hungarian history. Love u bro

[@PANCAKEMINEZZ]

Imagine having such a badass title as Corvinus while in command of this exceptional fighting force. I know that's surface level fluff, but I love little things like that. The Black Army themselves are also really neat, especially their tactic of basically being a mobile fort. I'm taking notes for any novels I write inspired this period. I love these videos because I've always wanted to see how battle tactics were used to get a sense of scale for how I could write battles like this. I've always avoided the trope of "two armies smash into a brawl" because... Well, that just didn't happen.

[@Zodroo_Tint]

That is for hollywood. Real life is much more tactical. I like that war what was between the Germans and Hungary, the Germans collected one of their biggest army and attacked Hungary thinking they can win every battle. The hungarians burned everything in front of the german army and continously retreated to the middle of their country, when they had to stop they stopped in the best place they could with strong rested army, the germans were starving and tired, the battle was quick and the germans had to throw their shield and armor to save their life from the attacking hungarians. I love how the war started with a stronger attacked the weaker and it ended with the stronger attacked the weaker. Real life war is not about fair fight. :)

[@Schebok.]

According to Antonio Bonfini, after the death of Mathias the Black Army was left without service pay and they decided to raid the Hungrian villages. Not long after, they tried to sell the fort of Belgrade to the Ottomans, but the plan was found out about by Pál Kinizsi (one of the greatest generals at the time) and as punishment he locked what was left of the mercenary army in the worst of prisons and cooked one of them every day before serving them to the rest. The last one didn't have anyone's body to eat so he was left to die in starvation. So they were not only abandoned, but were fed to each other. Cute story

[@johnssmith4005]

The Black Army name might come from the name of their king Matthias Corvinus aka The Raven

[@clintmoor422]

well, but the name corvinus only came up later as well, right?

[@makingastardestroyer3066]

@@clintmoor422 No, his coat of arms is a raven

[@LaughingMan44]

NAH! DEY WAZ BLACK

[@lev7053]

It was actually named Black Army after the death of Matthias and it originates from one of its leader, Jan Haugwitz

[@landsknecht8654]

Hungarian Black Army/Black Legion was named because many had black Gothic armor and sallet Sallet helmets. African American :"Na maun dy be blacks fum Africa!" Me: Oh God...

[@ChocorocK]

Yes yes! I have been waiting for years for someone to cover this topic, Matthias Corvinus's black army always fascinated me

[@GrosserHund87]

in Poland we call Vladislav III "of Varna" (Warneńczyk) he's remembered for not just losing that battle, but getting killed there in a somewhat mysterious manner (his body was never found, rumours had it that the sultan kept his head in a pot of honey)

[@zsomborfapal2239]

Well in Hungary we are thought that he died attacking the personal guard of the sultan. It is said that because of his young age and being inexperienced he charged the ottomans with his cavalry, however the personal guard (who had a well-defendable position with spikes against cavalry) butchered them and after the king’s death the Hungarian army basically collapsed. But anyway, much love from Hungary!❤️

[@ahmadnaser8172]

@Augustus propaganda? cause it has no other explanation why would a sultan waste time on a head in a pot of honey

[@ahmadnaser8172]

@Augustus rulers are too busy that is what I meant smartass

[@attilagerebi3246]

One of my ancestor was a "Bán" (govenor) at Coratia for a short time. Mathias ordered his and his army to encounter a way larger turkish battlegroup. My ancestor denied that command. That was pretty rare at that times if you know what i mean :D After that he was summoned to Buda, but hi was not executed after all. Thats how we know Matias acknowledged his courage cos he disobeyed an order to spare his mans. Btw his lost his "Bán" title.. xD

[@archeverything]

Thank you for the interesting story. Fascinating personal histories or stories such as your’s are why I keep coming back to the KZbin comments section.

[@raze83]

My buddy's ancestor (Jakó nemzettség) has hit the king in the face during a feud. He was not executed but all his lands have been taken away and given to the Tisza family.

[@attilagerebi3246]

@@raze83 Those where hard times. Matthias was a good king after all, but his temper was kinda "unbalanced". Might be that's comes from the Turul bloodline.

[@sinfinity383]

Black Army of Hungary: Exists Netflix: Drooling intensifies

[@user-z9k6y]

huh

[@Prosper661]

Yes! I remember having read about that mercerenary army with unusually high ratio of gunpowder arms in it, but couldn't find much more info about it's exploits. I also remember, that I've been searching about another mercenary unit called Black Company...

[@tudorm6838]

His father, John Hunyady, has a number of major clashes with the Ottomans, with mixed results (including some significant Ottomans wins). The last one, the battle of Belgrade was a victory against Sultan Mehmed II. During Matthias' time, the two Romanian principalities, Moldavia and Muntenia (Wallachia), led by Stephen the Great and Vlad Tepes, respectively, had some major confrontations with large Ottoman armies (also with mixed results), sometimes led by sultans. Mathias supported Stephen the Great with funds and small military contingents, and this was one of the ways to avoid direct conflict. Instead, he failed to effectively help Vlad Tepes. With several enemy countries in the area, the Ottomans probably also avoided a major conflict with the Kingdom of Hungary, which was the strongest of them.

[@moonshadowsong]

Kingdom of Hungary wasn't strongest then ottoman, fir example kingdom of UK or France when they declare of war they sand their own army not with coalition

[@moonshadowsong]

@@tudorm6838 they are different between sanding add troops and officially France army , like when they at war with uk, Italian estates or HRE they sand full France army with sometimes mercenary, but in other kingdom they relay in coalition army because their army is so small and can't pass 10k

[@canosuslupus2862]

He didn't fail to help Vlad but imprisoned him.

[@KonradTamas]

@@canosuslupus2862 He was supporting him for many years, before that happened.

[@canosuslupus2862]

@@KonradTamas No. He supported the buffer state between Mátyás and the Ottomans.

[@Cyricist001]

It's false that it was the financial burden, Corvinus increased his treasury by 300% by taxing the nobles instead of depending on them to finance armies. After Corvinus died, the Hungarian nobles offered the crown to the Polish dynasty of Jagelovich if the new king disbands the Black Army ergo no more taxes, under the promise that the nobles will defend the land as they always had. Of course when the Ottomans attacked, other nobles failed to react and the Hungarian border defenses were taken over one by one with no professional army to rush to their aid. It was the Habsburgs after their election as rulers of Croatia and Hungary that the new military frontier was established, dedicated to the defense and subserviently only to the king - the Grancers were born.

[@Prosper661]

Agree on that it is pretty relative to state, it was too expensive to maintain that army. Money was mostly coming from nobles and their estates, instead of them providing forces. If the Hungarian heartland was at least protected from Turkish raids, it could continue providing steady income. Elsewhere, where army was used offensively, there was opportunity for loot and additional revenue. Also composition and cost of the army would change, depending on it's intended use. As later events show, those "cost cutting" measures opened Hungary to Turkish invasion, total devastation and loss of it's status of regional power.

[@makoado6010]

since exploring america hungary was the number one gold and silver producer of europe. what made hungary the strongest and richest country of europe. just think about population of hungary was 4 million before ottoman wars, when population of uk was 2million.... but the american gold made the "gold" cheap and that cause economical problems in hungary.

[@barthoving2053]

But how long could those nobles have provided those taxes? And if only the stature and personality of Corvinus enabled that those taxations, it means a successor could not enforce them and thus would not have the many to keep funding the Black Army.

[@Cyricist001]

@@barthoving2053 The Austrians funded the defense of Croatia from only three regions, Hungary with it's control over the east Adriatic and fertile lowlands of the Pannonian basin had far better domestic production and trade. If Austria managed to fund the Military frontier for half a millennia, don't you think a bigger and wealthier nation like Hungary could manage the same for a longer border? Of course a successor could enforce them, that's how modern centralized states came into existence in the first place. King get's money, > king makes army > king forces nobles to pay him protection money through threat of force > nobles can't afford troops and depend on the king > absolutism is born. Corvinus reached step two and then died, a foreign dynasty was then offered a crown in exchange for guarantees which would stop the centralization of power with the crown. This is not a new song and dance, the kingdom was suffering under feudal anarchy for a long time. They forced king Andrew II. to give up so much power in Hungary with the "Golden Bull of 1222", he was basically king in name only. His son Bela IV. called upon the nobles to defend the kingdom from the Mongols but they ignored his call to arms. King SIgismund had to kill a bunch of them when they crowned a pretender and imprisoned his fiancé. This was the reason for Hungary's pain - the lack of unity. The lack of a strong central authority made it easy for foreign powers with an iota of cohesion to chip away at it. The same problem can be seen in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth where foreign bribes made the nobility sabotage all the king's efforts until the nation was partitioned and one of the strongest nations in Europe disappeared seemingly without a shot being fired.

[@Cyricist001]

@@makoado6010 Very little gold actually was imported from the Americas into Europe. Spain found more silver which it then traded in East Asia for gold at a favorable rate. It tanked Spain's economy, but unlike Spain, Hungary was a very productive kingdom. The deflation of gold/silver wouldn't have affected them as much because of the rise of price of goods. The East Adriatic and the Pannonian basin were very productive and rich for its time. Venice and Austria would have been far more affected by the devaluation of gold since they depended far more on trade and the circulation of money for their income.

[@grognaresp]

Was thinking about them yesterday after getting their event in EU4 (Europa Universalis 4). That's crazy!

[@clintmoor422]

not a good representation in that game. myth.

[@ebinboiz8914]

Fellow EU4 enjoyer

[@JuicyJenitals]

"Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded." - James 4:8. You can start a relationship with God today. If nothing else atleast learn and understand biblical prophecy

[@GottMitUns.]

@@JuicyJenitals I reported you for spam

[@regierdityatriadi9821]

Blackarmy on eu4 were sucks, with current mercenary system. The blackarmy have disproportional size. And mercenary expensive af for a kingdom as poor as hungary

[@weavelcow9596]

I just started fighting the Black Army in Civ6. Great timing to learn about the enemy.

[@landsknecht8654]

8:20 From what I understand it was because of the black armor, there's depictions of many of them with black armor. Also you going to have a large army it makes sense. The blackened steel can made from a hot forge process and just shaped, assembled, and ready to equip without polishing it making the whole process much cheaper but in turn the leftover blackening can also be corrosion-resistant.

[@GM-os6fo]

They call black army cuz when mathias died he's soldiers placed black tape on he's coffin

[@MG-wx9ib]

There are several theories as to why they were called black army. First its important to mention the first time the black army name is used is after the death of Mátyás (Mathias) 1. Because their armor was black. This seems to be the most common reacurrance among people less versed in history but it very well might be just a myth and only present because people think its cool. Black armor was barely used historically (reiters for example used them). But yes we have a few drawings of black armored soldiers. 2. Because one of their last captains had the nickname "Black" and they adopted it 3. Because the soldiers used black ribbons on their armor after the death of Mátyás 4. Mathias had a black raven as a symbol on his coat of arms and they were simply reffered to as such after his death

[@landsknecht8654]

@@MG-wx9ib I mean any of those could be true, but the fact is there's depiction of the time showing many with black armor or dark color armor on these guys. No, black armor wasn't that rare as one think. It was the Victorian era people that gathered all the Armor and polished off the bluing and the blacking from most armors for the museums because they thought it looks nicer that way. Also as I mentioned if you going to equip the large army or soldiers are going to buy their own armor there's hot forged armor that comes black out of the forge, it cost more money to polish it. But by default it does help against corrosion. They're also more armor that was painted then people think as well. That's why a lot of knights and Lords had their armor polish one reason is to reflect the richness. There's also tactical reasons on that to help blind the other enemy with the reflecting the sun when fighting, or it "looked nicer", and so on reasons.

[@ravenalbj]

You are right. More of the History below. It is The Black Legion that this video is trying to explain about. Most of information on this video is in the right direction, but not well informed. It is not that the people who made the video, don't know what they are doing, it is that nowhere is there information on this subject and the sources are very one sided. Mathias Hunyadi, or by the other name Mathias Corvinus, was the son of Ioan (John) Corvinus who was a great leader. The name Hunyadi evolved because he was from Hunedoara a city In Romania, which means “city of the Huns”. Of course it is believed that Hungarians are descendents of the Huns, but that is wrong. Hungarians are “Magyars” and the word Hun or Hungary does not exist in their language. The land was called Hungary before the Magyars came there. There was no Hungarian whatsoever in the city of Hunedoara. The name CORVINUS came from the word CORB which in Romanian means “Raven”. John Corvinus (Hunyadi) was such a great leader that at the battle of Belgrade with the Turks, there were two kings, but Corvinus was the leader. Ioan Corvinus defeated the Turks at that battle, but died being exhausted by the immense effort. The King of Hungary died as well at that battle, and a new King had to be elected. Mathias (Mateiash in Romanian) was the son of Ioan Corvinus, and although he was not of Royal birth, was elected King of Hungary, by the Hungarians at the Battle. That was the problem. Ioan Corvinus was Romanian and his son became the king of Hungary. It infuriated the high nobility, and they did everything possible to remove Mathias from the position of King. Mathias had specially trained Shepard dogs who would listen only to him, at every door entrance in his Palace because there was so much desire to have him killed by the High Magyar Nobility. The Black Legion was formed of 4000 men and they were specially trained to fight as one, and that Legion was invincible. It was lead by Pavel Chinezu (Paul the Chinese in Romanian) which is known as Kinizsi by the other people. This Pavel Chinezu was also Romanian and very probably was visiting China hence his name. There were many Romanians visiting China decades earlier, but not much is known because Romanians ancestors had the writing prohibited. That is the reason the history of Romanians is not known, but much of it was written by antiquity writers, and in the case I am presenting, it was written by an Italian named Grissellini who was send in that part of the world by Maria Teresa to survey the area. Therefore what I am telling you is not from Romanian historians, but from an Italian who had no reason to take one side or another. The truth is that the Black Legion was destroyed, not terminated, was because after the Turks were placed to understand that Hungary was difficult to conquer, the Black Legion had much leisure time, and as usual power and fame damages the brain, these Legionaries begun to rape and oppress people of the country. They have become unbearable, because they feared nothing. A plan was made between Mathias and Pavel Chinezu that an army must be built to fight the Turks which real purpose was to destroy the Black Legion. The army was being started to be formed, and the Black Legion somehow got wind that it was against them that this army was made for. The Black Legion attacked before the army was totally formed and ready, but Pavel Chinezu was an unbelievable leader and defeated the Black Legion. That was the end of it, and it happened at the order of Mathias, and while he was alive. No doubt the legends of Pavel Chinezu (Kinizsi) being so immensely powerful physically came from his great leadership. People with immense physical strength are not great leaders. Very probably his trip to China made that man very knowledgeable, and the trip itself proves he was a great character.

[@nutridrink7737]

Hussars were an upgraded form of earlier hungarian and cuman light cavalry built for the same hit and run tactics. New gear same tactics. Yes serbs and croats had great light cavalry (konni), but for different tactics and purposes.

[@anotherhistoryenthusiast5874]

Hussars were not the development of the earlier missle cavalry. Their main role was the opposite. One was a missle faction, the other was meele.

[@nutridrink7737]

@@anotherhistoryenthusiast5874 Hussars carried early flintlock pistols and carbines with various melee.

[@anotherhistoryenthusiast5874]

@@nutridrink7737 That was not their main weapon.

[@marshallhewitt2749]

Thank you great video. Advertisement breeched my defenses. Well done!

[@EokaBeamer69]

Yes, a new video! You guys are awesome.

[@vxxiii4160]

There's a reason Matthias's ability when leading Hungary in Civilization 6 is a major boost to levied troops from city states. Why produce armies when you can simply hire them?

[@canosuslupus2862]

Well Done! You seem to interested in the true side of the Hungarian history keep it up. It is sadly a underrated topic while in reality it's history is very high rated quality.

[@calindicusar]

As a rule of thumb, behind the achievments of a king that has the cognomen "The Great" are hidden tremendous efforts of the state to achieve them. Those kings usually leave a bankrupted state with a multitude of problems for the descends to solve. 30 years after Matthias Corvinus' reign, the Kingdom of Hungary has lost its independence for 350 years, Edward II has lost the dominance over Scotland years after Edward I reign, the empire of Charles V has been split even during his lifetime. The kings that establish durable foundations for their countries are the ones that have the cognomen "the spider" ie those that have a balanced policy of building economy and performing small steps to avhieve thier goals. Of course sometimes this is not possible without reforming the system which is in most cases impossible. For example the Matthias couldn't change the feudal system in Hungary and become an absolutiste monarch. He could only cover the setbacks of the feudal system with great costs from the crown to finance the Black Army, but this further weaken the central authority and have given more influence to the local lords which in turn have lead to the destruction of Hungarian feudal state.

[@peterjanossy7033]

"the Kingdom of Hungary has lost its independence for 350 years" Interestingly academic historians and legal historians don't know that laughable fantasy.

[@calindicusar]

@@peterjanossy7033 let's 1526-1699 - Hungary was at first divided in pashaliks and gradually the Habsburgs have conquered them from turks. 1699 - Karlowitz Treaty - the whole Hungary unde Habsburg rule 1699-1848 - Habsburg rule, 1848 - The Revolution of 1848 in which the hungarians armies where curshed by the Habsburg and Russian armies 1867 - the reform of the Habsburg domains - Austro-Hungary. The Hungarians still couldn't elect their rulles, 1914-1918 - WWI, the disolution of the Habsburg monarchy, 1919 - The Socialist revolution curshed by the Romanian Army which would retreat and the Hungarians will finally have the chanse to choose their government 1526-1867 with a grain of salt, but more likely 1919. Almost 400 years. Did I miss somthing?

[@dorzsboss]

There was no bankrupcy after King Matthias. Actually he organized the tax collecting system very well. And the Habsburg king was actually inherited the kingdom after King John died and left the crown to Frederick instead of his own son.

[@peterjanossy7033]

@@dorzsboss King John of Hungary was born only in 1491, Emperor Frederick died in 1493. Something is wrong in your answer.

[@dorzsboss]

@@peterjanossy7033 True. I meant Ferdinand, not Frederik.

[@AKRex]

I find this time of Hungarian history and the Black Army in particular really fascinating. I am currently even writing a fantasy manga based in the time period just prior to the passing of Matthias and the subsequent disbandment of the force. Should be interesting :)

[@anotherhistoryenthusiast5874]

+1 potential reader.

[@AKRex]

@@anotherhistoryenthusiast5874 Only one more reason for me to hurry and write so I can get to the drawing asap 👌🏻🔥

[@theabaddon7457]

@@AKRex le dot

[@lev7053]

Unfortunately, the end of the Black Army was not as great as its history, but rather shameful

[@Cyricist001]

@@lev7053 Yes, the conniving nobles hated to pay Corvinus the taxes to finance the army used to keep them in line, so they offered the Hungarian crown to the Polish Jagelovich dynasty under the promise that they will disband the army and let the nobles defend their territories. Of course when the Ottomans attacked, other nobles failed to support one another and so they fell one by one.

[@loggen3870]

There is nothing more disrespectful and disgraceful then destroying history regardless of how you feel about it. History should be left as warning/teaching moment for the future.

[@landsknecht8654]

1:01. Funny now the liberals just let them in their countries in masses. All that fighting for sovereignty was nothing I guess. Who would have imagined any one at this time let alone 17 years ago telling them places like London is no longer English nor Christian. 🤯

[@barni313]

Ohh man the vidro is amazing and the finishing touch with the Hungarian dance by Brahms👌

[@ZS-rw4qq]

12:59 dude you nailed that Šabac like it was your hometown

[@Jesse_Dawg]

This was a great video! You mention that they were mercanaries in the title but don't really talk about when they were mercernaries. You mostly speak on the formation and existance within Hungary. I would absolutely love to learn more. Please make more videos. Thank you

[@JuicyJenitals]

"Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded." - James 4:8. You can start a relationship with God today

[@p.b.5107]

They disbanded after Matthias's death. They looted nearby villages for food when they ran out of money, so Kinizsi Pál and other officers with a loyal group had to beat the rest to stop the pillaging. After that they went and sought for other lords or ways of living.

[@ravenalbj]

Below is the real History. It is The Black Legion that this video is trying to explain about. Most of information on this video is in the right direction, but not well informed. It is not that the people who made the video, don't know what they are doing, it is that nowhere is there information on this subject and the sources are very one sided. Mathias Hunyadi, or by the other name Mathias Corvinus, was the son of Ioan (John) Corvinus who was a great leader. The name Hunyadi evolved because he was from Hunedoara a city In Romania, which means “city of the Huns”. Of course it is believed that Hungarians are descendents of the Huns, but that is wrong. Hungarians are “Magyars” and the word Hun or Hungary does not exist in their language. The land was called Hungary before the Magyars came there. There was no Hungarian whatsoever in the city of Hunedoara. The name CORVINUS came from the word CORB which in Romanian means “Raven”. John Corvinus (Hunyadi) was such a great leader that at the battle of Belgrade with the Turks, there were two kings, but Corvinus was the leader. Ioan Corvinus defeated the Turks at that battle, but died being exhausted by the immense effort. The King of Hungary died as well at that battle, and a new King had to be elected. Mathias (Mateiash in Romanian) was the son of Ioan Corvinus, and although he was not of Royal birth, was elected King of Hungary, by the Hungarians at the Battle. That was the problem. Ioan Corvinus was Romanian and his son became the king of Hungary. It infuriated the high nobility, and they did everything possible to remove Mathias from the position of King. Mathias had specially trained Shepard dogs who would listen only to him, at every door entrance in his Palace because there was so much desire to have him killed by the High Magyar Nobility. The Black Legion was formed of 4000 men and they were specially trained to fight as one, and that Legion was invincible. It was lead by Pavel Chinezu (Paul the Chinese in Romanian) which is known as Kinizsi by the other people. This Pavel Chinezu was also Romanian and very probably was visiting China hence his name. There were many Romanians visiting China decades earlier, but not much is known because Romanians ancestors had the writing prohibited. That is the reason the history of Romanians is not known, but much of it was written by antiquity writers, and in the case I am presenting, it was written by an Italian named Grissellini who was send in that part of the world by Maria Teresa to survey the area. Therefore what I am telling you is not from Romanian historians, but from an Italian who had no reason to take one side or another. The truth is that the Black Legion was destroyed, not terminated, was because after the Turks were placed to understand that Hungary was difficult to conquer, the Black Legion had much leisure time, and as usual power and fame damages the brain, these Legionaries begun to rape and oppress people of the country. They have become unbearable, because they feared nothing. A plan was made between Mathias and Pavel Chinezu that an army must be built to fight the Turks which real purpose was to destroy the Black Legion. The army was being started to be formed, and the Black Legion somehow got wind that it was against them that this army was made for. The Black Legion attacked before the army was totally formed and ready, but Pavel Chinezu was an unbelievable leader and defeated the Black Legion. That was the end of it, and it happened at the order of Mathias, and while he was alive. No doubt the legends of Pavel Chinezu (Kinizsi) being so immensely powerful physically came from his great leadership. People with immense physical strength are not great leaders. Very probably his trip to China made that man very knowledgeable, and the trip itself proves he was a great character.

[@saguntum-iberian-greekkons7014]

Afro-centrists on social media: « Was the black army made up of africans? »

[@landsknecht8654]

😆😂🤣😂🤣 So true

[@landsknecht8654]

They were also called the Back Legion. From what I understand it was because of the black armor, there's depictions of many of them with black armor. Also you going to have a large army it makes sense. The blackened steel can be made from a hot forge process and just shaped, assembled, and ready to equip without polishing it making the whole process much cheaper but in turn the leftover blackening can also be corrosion-resistant.

[@saguntum-iberian-greekkons7014]

@@landsknecht8654 shhh, thats to much info for the bbc dude lmao

[@HadiVulovic]

We Wuz Kangz 😂

[@williampartridge4595]

No. They're the Hebrew Israrlites and Egyptians.

[@northernstar4811]

The Black army fought in Bosnia against the Ottoman Turks. Matthias Corvinus set up the "Banovina of Jajce" the last area of Christian Bosnia, defended mainly by Croats, which resisted the Ottoman Turks for 60 years.

[@Setnja92]

I love these videos, so much of new knowledge in realy understandable format. Explanation is clear, maps are nice for orientation and these arts are just amazing. They look like they were drawn by amaterish, but talented hand. Hand drawn pictures are my soft spot, they can tell more than digital art. They are original arts, or they have some kind of published predecessors? Only from time to time, some of the models do have too big heads, this is because of reusing the "body"? Otherwise *really good* job :)

[@SandRhomanHistory]

Hey, thank you so much! Yeah, the artwork is produced by a few artists by hand. Well, this is true for the characters. The backgrounds are made digitally. The big heads are my own error. I photoshop all of our illustration to mix and match them, to keep everything looking as new as possible (within the constraints of our budget). Sometimes I get the proportions wrong.

[@WhatIsSanity]

@@SandRhomanHistory Never fix it, we like.

[@sarahsidney1988]

Best history channel! Thanks so much for all your work.

[@addeshb]

Thank you for this video, as a hungarian I am very proud of this :)

[@bahaakhateeb4177]

"Dead is Matthias, lost is justice" a famous Hungarian proverb.

[@samwill7259]

I can only imagine the kind of petty satisfaction that the Austrian monarch had having the literal crown of his geopolitical rival sitting in his hold. You wouldn't see that sort of thing nowadays, thankfully.

[@JuicyJenitals]

"Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded." - James 4:8. You can start a relationship with God today

[@samwill7259]

@@JuicyJenitals ...please get off of my comment you weird, weird person.

[@toml1105]

One example I can think of is how the British monarchy still utilizes the Stone of Scone, a part of the Medieval Scottish coronation rite, during its own coronation ceremony. The stone was first captured by Edward Longshanks in the 13th century, and up until the mid 90s, it was kept under a ceremomial throne to symbolize England's domination of the Scots.

[@samwill7259]

@@toml1105 Oh I can imagine that plays grand in the modern day.

[@OrysB-po1fy]

You act like Sigismund of Luxembourg wasn’t king of Hungary a few decades before this 😂

[@bizzhat]

daaaang! I feel like I've just heard the entire backstory for Berserk. This was very educational, thanks.

[@musthaveacamel2157]

Europe has a new Black army to worry about

[@ArslanMagomedov286]

The amount of times these legendary figures from eastern and Central Europe are overlooked is stupid. I thank you for making this doku

[@szalard]

Can you make a video about the nomadic Hungarian warriors from the Hungarian conquest period (895-970)? Regarding the numbers of the troops (from a couple hundreds to a couple thousands), deployed in their very long campaigns (starting from Hungary going to North to the Danish border, to the West until the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean and Central Spain; to the South until Southern Italy, Constantinopole and the Istm of Corinth) they were successfull almost every time, defeating the numerically superior European armies in battles like Brenta, Augsburg, Rednitz, Eisenach, Prezalauspurc, Puchen, W.l.n.d.r., in which they destroyed the whole enemy armies, killing also their leaders. Regarding the numbers deployed and the length of the campaigns not even Attila, Ginghis Khan, Timur, Napoleon, nobody was so successfull than them. And still almost nobody is aware of these, and nobody speaks about them. The discussion about them resumes only on the second battle of Augsburg (955), and that is all. This is a shame.

[@regierdityatriadi9821]

Iirc they're called magyars back then?

[@szalard]

@@regierdityatriadi9821 Yes, and optionally today too. ,😊

[@johnnyboy3410]

considering they have nothing to show for of those conquests and victories no, they didn’t accomplish more than Attila or Genghis Khan or Timur or fuckin Napoleon, Hungarians got defeated by the Umayyads when they tried to raid in Spain and some of the captured became bodyguards of the Umayyad sultan and Otto the Great broke them in the battle of Pressburg, comparing them to Attila alone is insane, Genghis and Timur and Napoleon are in league of their own

[@szalard]

@@johnnyboy3410 Your comment is full of errors. Otto did not defeated the Hungarians at Pressburg. The Hungarians crushed at Pressburg the army of Eastern Francia, killing íts all leaders in 907. Also the Omeyads did not crushed the Hungarians in any battle is Spain, but the Hungarians retreated after besieging many Spanish cities, capturing the governor of Barbastro, and teceiving ransom for him. So they departed with plunders and money from there. So their campaign was successful. And in many of their campaigns they crossed 5-6, and even 10 countries (for example in 936-937, when they crossed Bavaria, Thuringia, Saxonia, France, Burgundy, Italy, the papal state, the Southern Italian provinces of the Byzantine Empire, the duchy of Benevento, Croatia, etc.), thousands of kms with only a COUPLE of HUNDREDS soldiers, defeating the enemy in battles and taking the plunder home. You compare this with Attila, Ginghis Khan or Napoleon who led tens and hundreds of thousands of soldiers? And it is almost no example that a great commander to cross so many countries in a single campaign like the Hungarians with a couple of hundreds. I know only two: Hannibal and the campaign of Djebe and Subotay in 1223. With the difference that they lead tens of thousands of soldiers, while the Hungarians only a couple hundreds. To obtain their victories and to cross so many enemy countries with such a few soldiers, it is a miracle of the military world history.

[@johnnyboy3410]

@@szalard my mistake, it was the Battle of Lechfeld, you can look it up and the Umayyads did defeat the Hungarians raiding and as i said even had the captured become bodyguards for the sultan, raiding isn’t that impressive, Attila destroyed Roman Cities, Genghis Khan destroyed cities and enslaved and raped all over central asia, Napoleon wasn’t born in middle ages so he wasn’t big on raiding and instead went from Paris to Moscow, even though it ended up dooming him, that’s far more distance than the Hungarians crossed

[@KamranHaider]

Lovely upload, what a beautiful way of introducing the sponsors ☺️🙏

[@yoboyfargoth1208]

We wuz Magyarz n shieeet.

[@TheSoqu]

xDDD

[@Akitlosz]

A Swiss troop also served in the Black Army from 1479, for a while it was commanded by Hans von Hallwyl. King Matthias had a Swiss Guard before the Pope. Even Englishmen from England fought in the Black Army under the command of Sir Richard Champleyn. They took part in successful siege of Szabács - nowadays in Serbia - against the Ottomans in 1476.

[@lapa8384]

The term hussar comes from the hungarian word "húsz" which means twenty that is the number of serf plots that needed to provide one hussar to the army each. Regardless of etymology the tactics, lifestyle, weaponry and equipment of the hussars can be traced back to the hungarian arrival in the carpathian basin in the 9th-10th century. It seems that the nomadic light cavalry of the eurasian steppes survived in the form of the hussar in Hungary long after the abandonment of nomadic lifestyle, even after that some elements remained in tradition like the culture of horsemanship, which made it easy for hungarian leaders to build armies with large numbers of cavalry. It was common even for peasants to be good horsemen, which was not the case for any other settled countries of Europe. Another shining example of this post-nomadic light cavalry is the siculi (székely) the hungarian lower nobility of transylvania. Their equipment and fighting style was basically the same as the hussars'. Even the famous polish winged hussars were established by a hungarian transylvanian prince; Stephen Báthory, when he became polish king. This was the start of sarmatianism in poland, when polish nobility started to dress sarmatian (scythian) like the siculi of the time and all of hungarian nobility in pre-settled times. The unit of the hussars spread alongside this wave of new old hungarian fashion.

[@anotherhistoryenthusiast5874]

No, not really. That's a twisted version. Every twentieth flat had to provide an archer, not a hussar. This is an earlier practice. And this was not even the rule of the Black Army, but the Banderium. A noble had to bring troops, this was just one version of that. The hussar does not come from this. The word comes from the Serbian "gussar" bandit. Hussars can not be traced back to the 9th century conquerors. They had totally different tactics. 9th century Magyars were missle cavalry, using bows and javelins. Hussars in the other hand were primerary meele cavalry. Székelys were not connected to hussars either. Székelys had three kinds of units they sent to the king. 1. Székely infantry, these were the poorer Székelys, equipped with light armor and polearms, fighting as infantry. 2. Székely cavalry, or lófej. They were the Székely middle class, they were horse archers. At this time they used composite bows and western style light armor and straight, double edged swords. 3. The Székely high class (előkelők) was a minority. They worn the best armor available and fought as heavy cavalry. As you can see, there was no light meele cavalry that the Székelys used commonly. Through the majority of the middle ages, the Hungarian cavalry could've been split into three parts. Horse archers were mostly provided by vassals like Székelys, Cumans and Jazigs. This was a significant portion. The other big group was the Hungarian light or medium cavalry. They were lightly equipped lancers. Their equipment was similar to the one of the knights, but less complete and they used a different approach. And there was the heavy cavalry, who were the fighting nobles (servient), basically knights. This was a small portion of the overall army. The Hussars can not be directly traced back to the medium cavalry either, becouse they used western style armor and weapons, while the hussars used sabres and were dressed in the eastern style, often not having armor. The Hussars were clearly a development against the Ottoman light cavalry. And partly a development based on them. That's why they have eastern features. There is no continuity to the old Magyars.

[@chriswanger284]

@@anotherhistoryenthusiast5874 No, Banerium consisted only noble origin soldiers, who did not fight as light cavalry, only as heavy cavalry. The other traditional army was the levy army, consisted burgeois town-dwellers from the cities, they were infantry soldiers. The medieval hussars were of peasant origin soldiers, mostly from migrant souther Slavic elements. According to Antonio Bonfini, this lightly armed cavalry (expeditissimus equitatus) was not allowed to be part of the regular army, when the order of the battle was formed, but was placed outside it in quite separate groups and used to destroy, burn, kill and instil fear in the civilian population, while they rode ahead of the regular army.[32] They assembled from the militia portalis, a significant number of them insurrectios, the Moldavians and Transylvanians with the first having serfs with lesser accoutrement and the latter generally regarded as good horse archers. They were divided into groups of 25 (turma) led by a captain (capitaneus gentium levis armature). Their field of operation was scouting, securing, prowling, cutting enemy supply lines, and disarraying them in battle. They also served as an additional maneuverable flank (for swooping advance attacks) to strong centers of heavy cavalry. The medieval Hungarian written sources spoke disparagingly and contemptuously of the light cavalry and the hussars in general, and during battles the texts praised only the virtues, endurance, courage, training and achievements of the knights. No wonder, since during the Middle Ages the Hungarian noble origin soldiers served exclusively as heavy armoured cavalry.[33]

[@anotherhistoryenthusiast5874]

@@chriswanger284 I meant that the members of the banderium brought soldiers to the battle, their own. But I did not say they fought together or in one army. They just provided soldiers, but fought separately.

[@666Kaca]

Wrong. The term hussar comes from serbian/croatian word husar who were irregular cavalry troops fighting guerrila warfare against the ottomans. The word husar itself comes from the serbian/croatian word gusar(pirate/brigand). They didn't originate from hungarian tactics because hungarians, like most asian nomadic tribes, fought with mostly horse archer based armies in the 9th and 10th century whereas hussars fought mainly with sabers. They were a balkan adaptation of ottoman cavalry.

[@chriswanger284]

@@666Kaca Again. Hungarians are genetically and anthropologically more European than Balkanite people or East Slavic people. (earn modern autosomal/full genome population genetics) Hungarians and French kings had the largest heavy knight army among medieval European monarchs since the 12th century. The hussars were inferior in a comparison with Hungarian knights, however they were much cheaper, because they had no noble origin, and the cost of knight armor was expensive.

[@numenoreaneternity6682]

The majority of the said army was, at least till Jovan Nenad's Uprising, made of Serbs, one of its earliest generals was Grgur Brankovic.

[@JWolf8911]

We used to say about King Mathias, that Mathias the righteus, and after he died, the justice is died with him. He was our last king. After his death Hungary remained weakened.

[@arminmagyar8223]

pontosan. Sok nemzetnek voltak ugynevezett utolsó valós vezetői, JFK az usának, II.Nicolas cár az oroszoknak, Vikotória királynő, Salah ad Din az akkori iszlám világban és így tovább...

[@petertimowreef9085]

When you introduce new terms like banderium (?) at 6:06 and elitia cortalis (?) at 6:20 I find that it helps my brain to process and remember them if you spell them out on screen. If that's a editing choice you don't want to make that's cool too, I love you guy's videos.

I was waiting for you to make a video about the "Hungarian Black Army", perhaps one of the most effective mercenary armies in history, the first time I heard about them was through Age of Empires 2. Could you also make a video of Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba "the great captain" and his creation of the Colonelía, the first modern army (not that of Gustavo Adolfo, who in my opinion does not deserve to be called the father of the modern army, was not the first to introduce firearms in armies) and direct predecessor of the Tercio, I know you mentioned it in the video of the Spanish Tercios, but its history is quite interesting and its battles deserve to be better covered.

[@JuicyJenitals]

You should start a relationship with Jesus. Start fasting to increase your perception, pray for Him to intervene in your life and stop sinning to the best of your ability. You can get results

[@SetuwoKecik]

@@JuicyJenitals Masha Allah, Yesus a.k.a Isa Ibn Maryam, one of the greatest prophet to ever exist 😄

[@JuicyJenitals]

@@SetuwoKecik He fulfilled all the prophecies written of the messiah He was a prophet but He was also the son of God

[@nematolvajkergetok5104]

Thank you, great video! You earned the Order of the Boiler.

[@huntclanhunt9697]

The money issue wasn't really an issue. They disbanded it because the Nobles didn't like being taxed, and preferred the older feudal levy system as it gave them more power.

[@WissHH-]

A conciseInteresting, unbiased and clear exposition, the unique style makes for a great work! I always wonder how many people work in this to make such quality documentaries

[@SandRhomanHistory]

Just the two of us!

[@just_me1232]

Quick question but why do the shields at 6:48 have a groove in the center of them?? I've seen it quite a bit but never really payed attention to it untill now

[@raspvidy]

Great video! Please do the siege of eger 1552!

[@gerrytyrrell1507]

Careful using term " black army" B.L.M.might jump on the band wagon...Ireland

[@jasonbourne4670]

We wuz black armies an sheeit!!!

[@rodjarrow6575]

In ancient times in eastern Europe, the word Black was used to refer to the lowest classes of society (artisans, small traders), conversely, the term Light (white) was applied to the upper class of society, therefore, the name Black Army had the meaning the People's Army or the People 's Militia 7:45

[@bdleo300]

Black Lives Matter 😁😁

[@RohanKumar-kx6zu]

The sweat and blood flow by the valiant knights and warriors gone waste as Europeans inviting the same people to own the countries they were fighting greedily for the conquest.

[@yourdad6902]

They're not trying to conquer you troglodyte

[@dsahsdouga]

Matthias Corvinus is the first vampire, look it up, I saw a documentary series called Underworld.

[@fairybeliever4479]

😂 so true. I saw it too😅

[@canosuslupus2862]

You should make a video of the hussars history.

[@MrUntapishtim]

I loved the Hungarian music at the end :) 👌

[@DuckiGaming-bs7cd]

I’d love to see a video on the Siege of Szigetvár

[@Akitlosz]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/iZrPh4unmcuZrZY

[@GallowglassAxe]

Hey so I've just found you Yesterday and I really like the videos you're putting. Great artwork, detail information, and source materials. I've just subscribed and I look forward to seeing more of your videos in the future.

[@gergelymolnar1469]

At 5 min I have to say: I'm Hungarian. I'm historian. It is f..unky correct. RESPECT.

[@OminusRumors]

Thanks for all the info and the amazing work you put in these videos!

[@morriganmhor5078]

Jiskra is pronounced as Yiskra, and ž is transcribed as zh (Žižka = Zhiszhka).

[@clintmoor422]

Giskra according to wiki

[@morriganmhor5078]

Also, Mathias evidently didn´t have so great problems in the south if he was able to attack the Kingdom of Bohemia in seventies and even be crowned by part of the nobility in its parts - Moravia and Silesia - as a "King of Bohemia".

[@morriganmhor5078]

@@clintmoor422 BS. Definitively Yiskra - I am fluent in both Czech and English.

[@nutridrink7737]

You forgot to mention that they have not been paid out at the end and they started pillaging and burning inside the kingdom after king Mathias' death and was a serious issue that they turned into bandits and established a massive bandit culture afterwards...

[@lluc9946]

Next Episode of Kingdom Come: Deliverance

[@timmyturner327]

As a Civ6 fan, I enjoyed this video a lot.

[@PrincipledUncertainty]

I thought this was a new Netflix documentary.

[@georgeskanderbeg3242]

Don't give them ideas😂

[@kryzzan7039]

rent free

[@stevesent2]

The cross in the crown was straight at that time- the shields are wrong.

[@makoado6010]

6:14 and in hungarian 20 is húsz. and this is the origin of the name of huszár. (the +ar +er from a job from any words. like "titok" is secret, "titkár" is a secretery). what was rebirth of our ancient martial art the scythian-hunnic mounter warfare.

[@makoado6010]

@Milla Basset hungarians originated from scythians. teh first royal house the árpád house had connection to attila.

[@GregoryKun]

@@makoado6010 mese mese mese

[@makoado6010]

@@GregoryKun tények.

[@Akitlosz]

ár = hold = acre. The landowners had to equip 1 hussar for every 20 acres of land.

[@nasiransari9761]

Fantastic video. As a history lover you are a treasure trove

[@apersonontheinternet595]

Can you please go over the battle of Varna and Kosovo?

[@SandRhomanHistory]

Might go into that at some point, yeah.

[@PhoenixRiseinFlame]

At someone who is 1/4 Magyar, I find this fascinating. It’s interesting to think that my ancestors potential fought in the black army.

[@daddywaffles166]

If you have documents to prove your lineage, you can become a full Hungarian citizen, I'm guessing your grandfather left shortly after the revolution?

[@PhoenixRiseinFlame]

@@daddywaffles166 So both my great-grandfather and great-grandmother are full Hungarian (surnames Sich and Fazekas) meaning my Grandmother is almost certainly 100% ethnically Hungarian. I believe my great-grandparents left Hungary for Canada in the early 20th century. Do you know how I’d look into getting Hungarian citizenship? This sounds like something I’d definitely be interested in getting.

[@daddywaffles166]

@@PhoenixRiseinFlame if it's great grandparents, you would be eligible for 'Simplified naturalisation' but the kicker is you have to be able to speak Hungarian. Which although it seems difficult, there are loads of Facebook groups that have people in your situation and will help you learn, there are excellent tutors that specialise in teaching you enough Hungarian to pass the exam. But for more information, look up your nearest Hungarian embassy/consulate and they will help you as best as they can. Once you have passed the language check and lineage checks you will be invited to swear an oath to Hungary and the Hungarian people.

[@PhoenixRiseinFlame]

@@daddywaffles166 man, thank you for the information! I really appreciate it. I’m going to look into it.

[@daddywaffles166]

@@PhoenixRiseinFlame glad I could be of some help.

[@Sealdeam]

His army also fought against the ruler of Moldavia, Ștefan, who was able to inflict a heavy defeat to the Hungarian army ; that particular period of history is filled with very impressive commanders among which the ruler of Moldavia ranks high also.

[@chriswanger284]

No, he was not able to defeat Hungarian army. Black army did not exist yet in the era of battle of Baia.

[@florinstanciu8743]

@@chriswanger284 not reaching Moldova, changing clothes with a soldier to save his live , losing his artilery, means no defeat?? Define what victory means, please

[@eminttrg6578]

@@florinstanciu8743 But the guy still managed to make Hungary into a european superpower after that and during his reign, Hungary was probably the strongest christian European country

[@mariussantamarian9766]

​@@florinstanciu8743 Mituri și/ sau exagerări. Au pierdut o luptă cu noi ,iar faptul că noi am " legendizat" acea victorie, arată cât de mici eram față de ei.

[@inasatok]

@@mariussantamarian9766 kinda funny how you guys trying to claim he was romanian, yet he fought yall and were pretty hostile towards romanians. to be fair, even seen romanians and slovanians claim he was part xy and I can understand every other little nation trying to get a piece of this history doesnt matter how ridiculous it is.

[@goksir5845]

It seems to be a running theme this with rulers that are revered for their great accomplishments, but ultimately drain the treasuries of their kingdoms so badly that their successors face steep decline. Justinian comes to mind.

[@grimmcheersii8601]

i know its not a siege but could you cover the 1500's battle of lepanto its an amazing naval batttle

[@SandRhomanHistory]

Yes, probably this fall.

[@bizikimiz6003]

The way we learned it is that the Black army was disbanded because it was reinforcing the central power in opposition of the high nobility. After the death of Mathias, it was essential to disband them so the barons (i.e. the Royal Council) could get the upper hand over the king. Financially, it would have been possible to keep them. However, the next king, "Dobzse" Vladislaus, approved everything the Royal Council dreamed up. So, the black army was disbanded and then destroyed by its former legendary general Pal Kinizsi.

[@somedude5951]

Hussites supporting Catholic Hungary? Interesting!

[@diebaronofg0nzo470]

their rebellion was over, dudes needed a job

[@MichaelWilliamz]

Cool graphics!! I love the pictures/artwork

[@sweaspurdoddd5466]

Don't tell the Afrocentrists

[@Echani3007]

Don’t worry sir, I’m sure they want nothing to do with you.

[@anuszbizsergetokommentek2171]

Netflix will make a movie about this and depict Mátyás and his army as black

[@PoetofHateSpeech]

@Echani3007 They seem to really want everything from us....we wuz kangz and shiet

[@josele844]

@@Echani3007they want everything they do not work for or deserve

[@blue_lagoon7]

At that time, the cross was not leaning on the Holy Crown but straight

[@cengizsogutlu]

Your artwork is amazing much love from Turkey. Please make siege of Otranto

[@zetectic7968]

Another bit of history I was unaware of and interesting to find out about