Miklós Oláh: Hungaria

Nicolaus Olahus: Hungaria, Caput XVIII [1536] pars – In: Id.:  Hungaria – Athila,  Bibliotheca Scriptorum Medii Recentisque Aevorum, Saec. XVI, ed.: C. Eperjessy e. L. Juhász, Budapest, 1938

[...] Hungariam igitur ipsam rerum omnium, quae tum ad usum mortalium, tum ad opes comparandas nevessariae esse putantur, non exiguam gignere copiam satis constat; terram habere nigram, pinguem, uliginosam, quae scilicet non magno cultorum labore uberes producat fructus, stercorationis nec ad arva nec ad montes consitos vitibus instaurandos nullus admodum (exceptis pauculis montosis quibusdam locis) est usus. Arva semel vel bis leviter arata seminata que copiusum ferunt tritici frumentive et aliorum leguminum fructum. Sunt certa, ut accepi, loca, in quibus, si sementem farris feceris, ad tertium dein annum ob terrae succulentae bonitatem vertatur in electi tritici granum." [...]

 

Nicolaus Olahus: Hungaria, Caput XIX [1536] pars – In: Id.:  Hungaria – Athila,  Bibliotheca Scriptorum Medii Recentisque Aevorum, Saec. XVI, ed.: C. Eperjessy e. L. Juhász, Budapest, 1938

Auri, argenti, ferri, cupri, stanni, vitrioli, marmoris et rubri et albi maxima ibi copia. Alabastrum quoque est Hungaris patrium, qui aliquantum etiam plumbi habent non tamen ad necessitatem regni ex omni parte sufficiens, quod hac de re ex Polonia advehitur. Montes minerarum, metallorum et ferri per Hungariam plurimi, qui non coluntur. At fodinae aurariae et argentariae, quarum nunc est usus, primum sunt, ut memoravi, prope civitates, quasmontanas vocant, nempe Cremniciam, Schemniciam, Bistriciam et loca eis vicina, tum in Ryhnow, Rosnavia et Smelnitia, dein in Rivulo Dominarum, postremo in Transsylvania. Cibinii, Cremnitiae et Cassoviae Hungariae civitatibus cuduntur aurei, quos ducatos vocant, monetae autem argenteae purae tum in his eisdem semper, tum ubicunque et in quot regi pro tempore commodum esse videtur, locis. Aurum est triplex: unum  reperitur inter lapides solidum in massae formam, natura satis defecatum et purum, quod alii quidem diversa in magnitudine, ego vero ad quantitatem habui ovi gallinacei ponderis supra centum ducatorum." [...]

Montes sunt salis fossilis plurimi, inter quos, qui nunc coluntur in Transsylvania, sunt quinque prope oppida Vizakna, Thorda, Dees, Seek, Kolos: in Maromarusio vero unus et alter prope Rona oppidum. Loca haec vocantur camerae, praefecti vero camerarii. Alterae, quae sunt in Transsylvania, spectant ad fiscum regis, alterae in Maromarusio sunt reginae Hungariae ex donatione propter nuptias." [...]

 

 

Nicolaus Olahus: Hungaria, Caput Nonum [1536] pars – In: Id.:  Hungaria – Athila,  Bibliotheca Scriptorum Medii Recentisque Aevorum, Saec. XVI, ed.: C. Eperjessy e. L. Juhász, Budapest, 1938

Secunda Hungariae pars partim Dravo et Savo fluminibus includitur, partim trans Savum ad Alpes fere usque, quae Adriaticum respiciunt mare, porrigitur. Trans Savum sunt regna Croacia et Bosyna, episcopatus Bosnensis, arx Taururum sive Nandoralba cum oppido eiusdem nominis metropoli Serviae. Huius maenia alluit Savus, qui paulo supra oppidum in Danubium exoneratur. Haec arx fuit murus Hungariae, qua anno nati domini millesimo quingentesimo vigesimo primo Ludovico rege imperante per Valentinum Theurek, qui ei arci praefuerat, amissa Turcis, hostibus fidei ad Hungariae direptionem patuit traiectus. A Taururo legendo ripam adversi fluminis Savi in latere, quod spectat meridiem, sunt ex ordine positae Sabacz, Wywar, Barka, Myhalocz, Arky, Dobor, Dobotzitz, Slobotzina et e regione Arky, in Bosyna, Grayatz, Maglay, Zrebenyk arces ante annos circiter viginti per Turcas interceptae.

Quae vero regio Savo et Dravo fluminibus inclusa est, nostra aetate bifariam nominatur. Ea pars, quae ad occidentem hybernumusque ad fines Carniolae et Carinthiae, quae antea Carnia nominabatur, et comitatum Ciliae vergit, appellatur Sclavonia Hungarica. In hac sunt comitatus Zagrabia, Varasd, Posega, Walpo, Walco et plerique alii. Episcopatus Zagrabia dignitate et redditibus insignis. Chasma, Posega, ecclesiae collegiatae et situ et proventibus praestantes. Arces Varasdinum, Gerebes, Sanctus Georgius, Rahocza, Monozlo, Sanctus Demetrius, Walpo non longe a meridionali ripa Dravi sita natura et munitione fortissima, aedificiis vero praestantissima. Ezzek ad ripam pariter eiusdem amnis condita. Erdeud in monte sita Danubium prospectans septentrionalem, ad meridiem vero campos latissimos.

Ea vero pars, quae inter ostia Dravi et Savi orientem versus porrigitur, vocatur Sirimium; in ea sunt arces Wylak, Sirinii initium et caput, quae in monte Danubio imminente non absimili situ, quam Buda, iacet regalibus extructa aedificiis, tum sepultura fratris Ioannis Capistrani inclyta; Sylsegk, Banmonostra, sedes episcopi Sirimiensis, Kamancz, Varadinum Petri, Karom, oppidum Zalonkemen in ripa Danubii omnes sitae. Circa septentrionalem autem ripam Savi a meridie orientem versus sunt ex ordine arces Diako, sedes episcopi Bosnensis, Sanctus Laurentius, Maroth, Racza, Sanctus Demetrius, Bantz, Semplinium et pleraeque aliae. Hic tractus olim Savia sive Savensis regio appellabatur. Haec itaque secunda Hungariae pars, ut supra docuimus, Savo intercisa ab ortu Mysos, Tribalos, qui nunc Rasciani vocantur, contingit; ab occidente Austriae provinciae, ab austro monti Scardo est contermina, ad septentrionem vero Dravi ripis finitur."

Miklós Oláh: Hungaria (extracts)

 

Chapter 18

[…] Obviously Hungary is rich in everything deemed necessary for human life and getting wealthy: its lands are black, rich and wet, with little effort it gives plenty of fruit, they never fertilize apart from the few mountains, neither the fields nor the grape. The lands, ploughed shallowly and sowed, grow plentifully. According to my sources, there are lands where if you plant spelt, in three years’ time it will become excellent wheat. […]

 

Chapter 19

Hungary is rich in gold, silver, iron, copper, tin, sulphates, marble, both red and white. They also have alabaster and lead, but not enough, so they supply themselves from Poland. In several mountains lie rich minerals that are not mined. However, there are functioning gold and silver mines, firstly, as I have mentioned, in mining towns (bányaváros), namely Körmöc-, Selmec- and Besztercebánya, and then, in Rihno, Rozsnyó and Szomolnok, finally in Nagybánya and Transylvania. There are mints in Szeben, Körmöc and Kassa, and the coins are called ducat. Pure silver coins are also made here, and temporarily in other towns when it is the will of the king. There are three kinds of gold. One is found in rocks, in the form of nuggets, nature has cleaned them from dirt, so it is clean, others had pieces of different sizes, I had an egg-sized one, equal to the weight of a hundred ducats. […]

There are several mountains containing minable salt, five of them in Transylvania, near Vízakna, Torda, Dés, Szék and Kolozs, also one in Máramaros and one near Rónaszék. These places are called chambers, and their leaders chamberlains. Those in Transylvania belong to the king, while the others are in possession of the queen as wedding gifts. […]

 

Chapter 9

The other part of Hungary is bordered by the rivers Drava and Sava, and over the Sava it almost reaches the Adrian Alps. Over the Sava lie Croatia and Bosnia, and Belgrade, capital of Serbia. Its walls are protected by the Danube and the Sava. This fortress was the bastion of Hungary until 1521, when during the reign of Louis II, Bálint Török, the captain, gave it up to the Pagans, and thus, the way to Hungary has opened up. From Belgrade, going upriver on the Sava, are the forts Szabács, Újvár, Barka, Mihalóc, Árki, Dobor, Dubocsác, Szlobocina, and over Árki, in Bosnia, Gradacsác, Maglaj and Zrebernyik, which were conquered about twenty years ago.

The lands bordered by the Drava and the Sava have two names. The north-western parts are called Hungarian Slavonia, with the counties Zagreb, Varasd, Pozsega, Valpó, Valkó and many others. The Bishop of Zagreb is a great lord. The churches of Csázma and Pozsega are excellent by their wealth and position. Forts: Varasd, Gerebes, Szentgyörgy, Rahóca, Monoszló, Szentdemeter. Valpó lies not far from the southern bank of the Drava, fortified by nature and humans, its buildings are excellent. Erdőd, lying atop the mountain, sees the Danube to the north and the endless fields to the south.

The eastern parts are called Szerémség, with Újlak, the capital, on a mountain near the Danube, similarly to Buda. It also has several royal buildings, and the tomb of János Kapisztrán can be found here. The towns Sülyszék, Bánmonostra, Kamáncs, Pétervárad, Karom and Zalánkemény all lie on the bank of the Danube. On the northern bank of the Sava, from south to east, lie the following fortresses: Diákó, Szentlőrinc, Marót, Rácsa, Szentdemeter, Bánc, Zimony, and several others. In the past, this area was called Savia. Thus, this part of Hungary is cut in half by the Sava, and from early on it belonged to tribes, now called Serbs. Its borders are Austria from the west, Mount Scardus from south, and the Drava from north.

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