Incredible details emerged from an Italian archive concerning the death of King Matthias

King Matthias had to navigate through extremely turbulent times back in his days. On top of that, he was also bedridden towards the eve of his life, as a new discovery reveals us. A document from an Italian archive shows that four years prior to his death, the great Hungarian king was struck down by a minor stroke, which often precedes fatal ones.

King Matthias, or Matthias Corvinus, ruled Hungary and Croatia from 1458 to 1490. He was a successful king, with many victorious military campaigns. In addition to that, he was well-liked by his people, and he also patronised art and science. During his reign, Hungary embraced the new Renaissance wave arriving from Italy. The country had a flourishing economy in the 15th century, which some consider the golden age in Hungarian history. Sadly, the great king passed away at a relatively early age. There were countless conspiracy theories circulating about his death at that time. According to one, for instance, his wife poisoned him with a fig. However, the prevalent view of contemporary historian scholars is that the king died of a stroke at age 47 in 1490. Now an Italian archive finding reveals the truth.

The greatest Hungarian king’s death

As 24.hu wrote, after an extremely exhausting day, King Matthias, who had been ill for years did ask for a bowl of figs to satisfy his hunger. However, one fruit was rotten, and the king refused to eat it, a great rage came over him. He then turned dizzy, his vision blurred, and soon afterwards he died. His court historian, Antonio Bonfini, who was present at the tragic event, described him as having suffered a stroke. In early 1486, four years prior to the king’s death, King Matthias was struck down by a stroke. Even though he spent a month recovering, things turned for the worse. As we know now, after the first stroke, the risk of a second one is quite high.

New discovery

The new information about Matthias Corvinus’ death was discovered by historian Hajnalka Kuffart. The researcher discovered this unexpected and valuable new piece in the puzzle during a comprehensive archival work in Modena. 24.hu interviewed Kuffart about her finding. According to her, King Matthias had to face an extremely turbulent period in his time, which took a toll on his physical and mental state, understandably. The document about the king’s stroke in 1486 was found in the archives of the Este dukes, the ruling family of Ferrara. It is a letter from Bartolomeo Bresciani, the Ferrara ambassador to Buda, addressed to Hercules I of Este on the 20th of February 1486. In the four-page report, he wrote:

The King needed care for a few days as he suffered a stroke. His Majesty is now relatively well and is more or less back in his daily routine.

Although King Matthias was able to leave his Buda castle after two excruciating months, he was advised by his doctor not to venture on farther trips. Instead, he sent his son, John Corvinus to the Austrian battlefield to represent him. This was a tense period for the king, which was not good for his health either. Today we know that stress is not a direct cause of a stroke, but it increases the probability of one. King Matthias had a mild stroke, and his health was swiftly deteriorating. This is why a minor incident, a rotten fruit, was able to kill him.