International congress of byzantine studies belgrade, 22 27 august 2016

Nebojša Kartalija
University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Philosophy, Novi Sad, Serbia; 
[e-mail]
Serbia and Hungary in Relations with the Byzantine Empire 
and the Crusaders in the Context of Western Chroniclers
The Crusades represent one of the most cardinal processes which occurred during the Middle 
Ages. This complex process with its political, economic and religious aspects reflected on the Balkan 
Peninsula. The aim of this paper is to examine the role of Serbia and Hungary in mutual relations 
with the Byzantine Empire and the Western crusaders. By analyzing historical sources, as well as 
available literature, we will try to reconstruct how the voyage of a crusader through the territories of 
Serbia and Hungary looked like during the first three Crusades. Special attention will be paid to the 
area of southern Hungary (present day Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Autonomous Province 
of the Republic of Serbia) which represented the main land line wherewith the Western crusaders 
travelled on their way to the East.
Boris Stojkovski
University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Philosophy, Novi Sad, Serbia; 
[e-mail]
Ottoman Conquest of Hungary in the Mirror of Byzantine Short Chronicles
The objective of this contribution is to enlighten how the Byzantine Short Chronicles (Βραχέα 
χρονικά, Kleinchroniken) did write about the Ottoman conquest of Hungary. These chronicles are 
very often providing just scarce notes, or brief inscriptions, considering very wide period from the 
15
th
all to the 18
th
century. They provide mostly data on the resistance of the Christian rulers to the 
Turkish attacks, but also a lot of interesting information on the post-Byzantine period can be found 
in them. 
It is important to stress that there is not up to modern times a systematic study on these chronicles 
as a source for Ottoman conquest of medieval Hungarian state, or for Hungarian-Turkish relations 
whatsoever. In Serbian (former Yugoslavian) historiography, e. g. only both Turkish sieges of Belgrade 

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were treated, as well as some data of Short Chronicles on Serbian medieval state. A thorough study 
considering these chronicles as sources for Ottoman-Hungarian relations has not been made yet in 
any historiography, even though in Hungary there were scholars dealing with them as sources, even 
with a partly critical edition in Hungarian. Besides that, some partial data provided by these valuable 
sources have been scarcely used by prominent scholars from Turkey, Serbia, etc. 
Vast number of Byzantine Short chronicles testifies the Ottoman conquest of Hungary. Mostly, 
they cover some key battles and sieges. John Hunyadi and his combats against the Turks are treated, 
as well as Turkish campaigns on Serbia, Wallachia and Moldova and Hungarian role in those 
campaigns. The chronicles give also some valuable, though scarce, facts considering other Ottoman 
campaigns towards Hungary during the reign of Ottoman sultans Selim I and his son Suleiman the 
Magnificent, as well as to Wallachia, but also in 16
th
century Transylvania. Battles of Mohács (1526) 
and the death of the last medieval Hungarian king Louis II from the Jagellonnian dynasty, and the 
whole campaign over Hungary in 1526 are very much represented in the Short chronicles. Sultan 
Suleiman’s campaigns in 1532/33 were also mentioned in the Chronicles as well as falls of important 
cities and fortresses in once strong medieval Hungarian realm. Besides already mentioned sieges 
of Belgrade, there is also brief data on the conquest of Buda back in 1541 or on battle of Szigetvár 
in 1566 and the death of sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. Last data on the Ottoman-Hungarian 
relations in the Byzantine Short chronicles derive from the 1596 and are dedicated to the siege of 
the town of Eger. 
The aim of this contribution is not only to provide and collect data on the Turkish campaigns 
against Hungary, but also to compare these pieces of information with other contemporary 
Greek, Latin and Turkish sources. Necessary comments and notes on the chronology of the Short 
Chronicles, considering especially its’ accuracy will be provided alongside the information. The 
paper tends to give newest and hopefully most exact overview considering Ottoman-Hungarian 
relations in the frames of 15
th
and 16
th
century.