The National Committee of Hungarian Military Historians held a conference entitled Military History Research in Hungary at the National University of Public Service on 20 October 2025. At the event, Viktor Kanász delivered a presentation entitled Nunciature Reports as Sources of Military History.
In his lecture, he demonstrated that from the late Middle Ages onwards, the Papacy established one of the most efficient diplomatic networks in contemporary Europe. The nuncios assigned to various courts regularly sent reports to Rome, often on a weekly basis. He explained that within Hungarian military historiography, it has been primarily the reports of Nuncio Burgio from the years 1524–1526 that have been exploited. These vividly illustrate that, in addition to ecclesiastical and political information, the correspondence also contains highly significant material of military historical relevance.
Nevertheless, the reports of the nuncios from the post-Mohács period remain largely unknown to military historians, even though they provide particularly valuable sources for the conflicts between John Szapolyai and Ferdinand I, as well as for various stages of the anti-Ottoman struggle. Moreover, in later periods as well — for example, in connection with the events of 1664 or the wars of liberation — these documents continue to possess considerable historical value.
