The only Hungarian who had a chance to become Pope

Tamás Bakócz was the son of a serf, but during his long life he became astonishingly rich and tried to acquire the Papal tiara in 1513 by money, cunning and cleverness. If elected, he promised a crusade against the Ottoman Empire, but the Italian cardinals chose a Medici instead of him.

Fulfilling the American dream in Hungary and the Middle Ages

We do not know exactly when he was born, but Historians say that it was around 1442 in Erdőd. His father was a wagoner or a wheelmaker and worked for the famous Erdődy family as a serf. He had four brothers, and by the time he reached school entry age, his older brother Bálint had already obtained the rich provostship of Titel. Therefore, he could help Tamás to learn in the most renowned schools of Szatmárnémeti, Wroclaw, Padua, Cracow, and Ferrara.

After he finished his studies, he returned home and worked for the Transylvanian bishop who

helped him to get into the court of King Matthias. 

He attracted the king’s attention during a campaign in Silesia when he gave advice changing the odds in a critical situation. At first, he got only minor offices in the Chancellery as a notary and a drafter. But he was allowed to accompany Matthias on his foreign campaigns between 1475 and 1480 in Austria and the Balkans. In 1485, he became the bishop of Győr and a member of the Royal Council.

After the death of the great king, he chose to support Vladislaus II instead of Matthias’s illegitimate son, János Corvin. Thanks to his support, he became the chancellor of Hungary in 1490 and the bishop of the richest Hungarian episcopate, Eger. In 1497, he agreed with archbishop Hippolyt Estei and