2025

On October 14–15, 2025, the Gál Ferenc University hosted a conference entitled Holy Years and Jubilees, organized by the university’s Bálint Sándor Research Group for the Study of Religious Culture and the History and Ethnography Section of the Saint Stephen Academy of Sciences.

In the afternoon session of the first day, György Sági, Scientific Secretary of the Fraknói Research Group, participated as a speaker. His presentation, titled Half a Century of Holy Years from the Perspective of Kalocsa (1900, 1925, 1950), offered a brief overview of the measures and decrees issued by the successive archbishops governing the Archdiocese of Kalocsa-Bács during the three ordinary Holy Years in question—György Császka, Count Gyula Zichy, and József Grősz. In conclusion, the lecturer outlined how the jubilee years unfolded within the archdiocese under their leadership.

(Photographs by Adél Lakatos.)

The conference abstract booklet and program are available for download.

On October 2–3, 2025, the University of Hradec Kralové and the University of Pardubice held a joint international conference on the early modern period entitled "Three centuries in the heart of Europe. European Aristocracy in the Early Modern Period".

On the first day of the academic symposium in the Czech Republic, Csongor Cziráki, intern at the Fraknói Research Group and scholarship holder at the CPH Hungarica–Vaticana Research Group, also gave a presentation. The title of his presentation was "Trent Reform, Turkish Threat, Family Building. Catholic Prelate on the Frontiers of the Habsburg Empire (Bishop György Széchényi of Veszprém, 1648–1658)." In it, he presented the pastoral work of György Széchényi at the head of the Diocese of Veszprém through his correspondence with Ádám Batthyány, with particular emphasis on his role in the struggle against the Ottomans. He presented the archbishop's role as a dynasty founder and builder by comparing him to his contemporary, Archbishop Ernst Adalbert von Harrach of Prague, thus placing Széchényi in a European context.

In addition to high-quality presentations and fruitful discussions, on the first day of the two-day conference, participants visited the diocesan episcopal archives in Hradec Králové, and on the last day, they took part in a guided tour of the Pardubice Castle.

The presentations will also be published in written form in the journal of the University of Pardubice (Theatrum Historiae).

The slides from the presentation held in English can be viewed here, and the conference program can be viewed here.

(The photos were taken by Lucie Smolková and Radek Plžík.)

On 8 October 2025, following the Székesfehérvár event, the presentation of the Lexicon of Bishops 1804–1918 (Magyarország egyházmegyéi és püspökei (1804–1918). Intézménytörténeti és életrajzi lexikon I–IV (CST I/7) szerk. Szirtes Zsófia–Tusor Péter–Rupert Klieber, Budapest 2025) took place in the ceremonial hall of the Central Seminary in Budapest. The volume was published as part of the large-scale project of the Fraknói Research Group. The basic research underpinning the publication had already been carried out within the framework of the Lendület programme of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, concluded in 2017. The first results of this research were published in German in Berlin (Duncker & Humblot, 2020); the present, revised, expanded and updated Hungarian edition represents an advanced continuation of the earlier academic project.

The numerous attendees – including students of Pázmány Péter Catholic University – were welcomed by Bishop-Rector Levente Balázs Martos (Central Seminary) and Dean Nándor Birher (Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Pázmány Péter Catholic University). Auxiliary Bishop Martos noted that he was able to hold the freshly published volume in his hands on the very day of its release, as the Fraknói Research Group’s Budapest base is located in the Seminary building itself. (In its time, under the presidency of Cardinal Lajos Haynald and through the efforts of Vilmos Fraknói, the Vatican Hungarian Historical Commission also held several of its sessions in the same Chapter Hall.) The bishop emphasized that the exemplary lives of the predecessors presented in the lexicon provide him with true guidance.
Dean Birher highlighted that, as he has personally experienced, artificial intelligence will not be able – for a long time, if ever – to offer such a coherent synthesis and scholarly evaluation of the key figures of 19th-century Hungarian church history as the authors of this lexicon have done.

On behalf of the Hungarian Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Bishop Zsolt Marton of Vác – former rector of the Central Seminary – also addressed the event. Drawing on the example of his own diocese and its former bishops, he emphasized the lexicon’s significance in deepening and preserving local Catholic identity. He added that unlike most reference works, this volume can be read continuously, since it successfully combines academic precision, synthetic perspective, and readability. Among his examples from the history of the Diocese of Vác, he highlighted the well-crafted biography of Piarist Bishop Konstantin Schuster, namesake of the main square of the episcopal city.

The scholarly merits of the volume were assessed by László Csorba, former Director of the Hungarian National Museum and of the Hungarian Academy in Rome. With an engaging presentation, he placed the biographical entries within the broader context of 19th-century liberalism and Catholicism, the tensions between Catholic autonomy, the liberal state, and royal patronage, as well as the long-debated issue of clerical stipends (congrua). He drew attention to the lexicon’s distinctive arrangement – by ecclesiastical provinces rather than alphabetically – which allows readers to gain an organically structured and historically accurate picture of the Hungarian episcopate of the period.

A speech was also delivered – through the interpretation of Zsófia Szirtes – by Professor Rupert Klieber (University of Vienna), head of the international project. He explained that the revised Hungarian edition of the Bischofslexikon, first published in Berlin in 2020, contains detailed biographies of 128 bishops and outlines 170 episcopal tenures, as every fourth prelate advanced to another, usually more prosperous diocese. This allows, for the first time, a comprehensive overview of the Hungarian high clergy, providing valuable insight into the complex structure of the country.
“The lexicon is methodologically outstanding in several respects,” emphasized the Austrian church historian. “It offers a comprehensive overview of various source materials: the diocesan archives located in present-day Hungary, Slovakia, and Romania, processed by eminent scholars from all three countries; as well as the records of the central archives in Vienna, Budapest, and Rome, and the press sources of the Austrian National Library, now available digitally and evaluated by researchers of the University of Vienna. Another major merit of the work is that it does not confine itself to state and ecclesiastical politics – such as privileges, foundations, or the recurring debates around marriage and education laws. It also integrates cultural and social-historical perspectives, and makes a conscious effort not to recount history as that of men alone.”

Professor Klieber also noted that beyond their often princely lifestyles – marked by summer residences, travels, and medical treatments – the bishops made wide-ranging and socially beneficial use of their considerable economic resources. The main field of investment, understandably, was education: 87% of the bishops supported schools, which in Hungary were largely under ecclesiastical supervision. This was followed by increasingly professional forms of charity (68%). Many prelates also contributed to scientific (34%) and cultural life (27%), while more than half (60%) acted as patrons of architecture. About a quarter placed particular emphasis on spirituality or supported flourishing female congregations, and nearly one third (31%) maintained special closeness with the Pope and the Holy See. (The full text of Professor Klieber’s speech is available here in Hungarian and here in German.)

The event concluded with the words of Péter Tusor, co-editor of the lexicon and head of the Fraknói Research Group, alongside Zsófia Szirtes and Rupert Klieber. Tusor explained that in the title Lexicon of Bishops 1804–1918, the indication “I–IV” refers not to volume numbers but to chapters, corresponding to the ecclesiastical provinces of Esztergom, Kalocsa, and Eger, and to the exempt Archabbey of Pannonhalma. A fifth, separate volume will later cover the Greek Catholic dioceses and bishops, expected to appear in early 2026. This closing volume will also include an alphabetical concordance for all five chapters, prepared by Olivér Kőhalmi.

Among his acknowledgments, Tusor emphasized the key role played by his former student, Zsófia Szirtes, a graduate in history and German studies, in the success of the nearly fifteen-year undertaking. As a member of the Fraknói Research Group – operating at Pázmány Péter Catholic University with the support of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA) and ELKH/HUN-REN, under the joint leadership of Professor Tamás Fedeles (University of Pécs) – she served as the Hungarian project coordinator of the international enterprise.

Tusor further pointed out that within the broader international ecclesiastical-historical project aiming to compile similar lexicons for the entire Habsburg Monarchy (1804–1918), only the Hungarian volume has so far been completed. In his concluding remarks, he referred to the coincidence that the event, held on the feast of Our Lady of Hungary, followed a public demonstration in front of the university’s main building on Mikszáth Square the previous evening:
“We express our solidarity with the Dean regarding recent and yesterday’s developments. Between 2009 and 2011, a less fortunate turn occurred in the life of the Faculty, and partly in that of the University. We are now witnessing its predictable consequences. In this contrast, today’s book presentation most clearly reveals what the true scholarly identity and mission of the Faculty of Humanities of the Catholic University in Budapest really are,” he stated on behalf of himself and the Fraknói Research Group.

The musical accompaniment evoking the atmosphere of the 19th century was provided by István Bácskai, Director of Gondolat Publishing House, who performed Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 3. At the end of the event, the participating authors and collaborators – including student members of the CPH Hungarica–Vaticana research group – received their complimentary copies amid enthusiastic applause from the audience.

Encouraged by the success of the project, and in connection with the recent rise of Mohács-era studies, work has begun under the direction of Professor Tamás Fedeles, in collaboration with the Collegium Professorum Hungarorum, on the Lexicon of Bishops of the Jagiellonian Period (reported earlier here).

The published volume is available for download here.
The German edition can be accessed here.
The full video recording of the book launch and all speeches can be viewed below.

POSTER

INVITATION

Organised by the Hungarian Military Science Society and the “Szülőföldünk” Local History Association, the conference entitled “Győr County in Hungarian Military History” was held in Győr between 29 September and 1 October 2025, with Gábor Nemes and Viktor Kanász representing the Research Group.

On the first day, Gábor Nemes reconstructed the military unit of the Győr Cathedral Chapter on the basis of data drawn from the chapter’s medieval account books for the period 1495–1528. He demonstrated that although the Győr Chapter was not among the landowners obliged to maintain military contingents under Act 20 of 1498, from 1502 onwards it demonstrably employed mercenaries. These included both cavalry (heavy and light) and infantry soldiers, each with their own captain and banner. The payment of wages, as well as the provision of weapons, clothing, and food, placed a considerable financial burden on the canons, who had to cover war expenses not only through the war tax but also from their own private revenues. Nemes precisely reconstructed the process of mobilisation and the division of military responsibilities within the chapter.

On the second day, Gábor Nemes conveyed the greetings of András Veres, Bishop of Győr, after which Viktor Kanász gave a lecture entitled “Maurice of Saxony and the Győr Encampment of 1552.” In his presentation, he explored how Maurice’s 1552 Hungarian campaign was interpreted in an overwhelmingly negative light by both contemporaries and later historians and writers. He examined why King Ferdinand I or the archduke did not lead the forces, how the previously rebellious duke eventually marched to the Hungarian theatre of war as a Habsburg ally, and what is known about his encampment at Győr and the fortification of the town. He also discussed in detail the forgotten raid on Esztergom, analysing its short- and long-term consequences.
(A more detailed treatment of the topic can be found in the 2023 issue of Arrabona.)

Gábor Nemes' lecture

Viktor Kanász's lecture 

On 23–24 September 2025, the conference Western Transdanubia Before and After Mohács took place at the Nádasdy Cultural Centre in Sárvár. From the Fraknói Research Group, Viktor Kanász participated in the organisation; in addition to him, the large audience could listen to papers by Tamás Fedeles, Gábor Nemes, and Tamás Kruppa.

In the first session, chaired by Viktor Kanász, Gábor Nemes presented the military expenditures of the Cathedral Chapter of Győr between 1500 and 1526, based on data from the chapter’s medieval account books. He established that although the Győr chapter was not among the landowners obliged by Act XX of 1498 to maintain a military contingent (bandérium), from 1502 onwards the presence of mercenaries can be documented. Among these mercenaries were both cavalry (heavy and light) and infantry soldiers, each with their own captain and flag. The payment of wages and the provision of weapons, clothing, and food placed a heavy financial burden on the canons, who had to finance the costs of warfare not only through the war tax but also from their own revenues.

Tamás Kruppa delivered a paper entitled The Turkish Threat in Croatia and Slavonia Before Mohács: What Do the Venetian Sources Reveal? Based on texts from a previously unknown codex containing Venetian diplomatic reports, he demonstrated that in response to the outbreak of the Second Ottoman–Venetian War in 1499, the Republic of Venice concluded a triple anti-Ottoman alliance with the Kingdom of Hungary and the papacy in 1501. Within the framework of this league, the Kingdom mobilised its entire military force in the Hungarian–Ottoman border war of 1501–1502. The nearly year-long military operations were made possible by the regular arrival of Venetian and papal subsidies. In the end, due to the war itself, Venetian naval operations, and problems in Anatolia, the Ottoman side offered peace, which was concluded in 1503 and lasted for about seven years. The main strategic goal—weakening and pushing back Ottoman power—was not achieved. In addition to preserving the Banate of Jajca, the greatest achievement was a new treaty under which the Venetian Republic committed itself to pay an annual subsidy of 30,000 gold coins for Hungarian border defence for the duration of the seven-year peace. In practice, these payments continued regularly until 1521.

On the second day, Viktor Kanász gave a lecture entitled The Nuncio Would Return: Giovanni Antonio Burgio’s Mission to Hungary in 1527. He presented the nuncio’s activities, with special emphasis on his little-known attempt to return to Hungary in 1527, using several previously unknown Burgio letters preserved in the Vatican Apostolic Archive and the National Archives of Hungary. He also discussed the diplomatic mission of Tamás Kamarjai, sent by Ferenc Batthyány to Italy, during which he visited Venice and Rome and came into contact with Burgio. Kanász placed these events in the broader context of post-Mohács relations between the Holy See and Hungary.

In his lecture The Lord of Németújvár on the Southern Frontier, Tamás Fedeles focused on Lőrinc Újlaki, a former lord of Németújvár (today: Güssing, A) who actively participated in the defence of the southern borderlands. After presenting the prince’s military contingent (bandérium), he examined Újlaki’s first documented anti-Ottoman campaign in the early 1500s. He then discussed in detail his activities as co-Ban of Belgrade (1510–1513) and his participation in the military events of 1521–1523 Zvornik, Nándorfehérvár, Szávaszentdemeter (Zvornik, Belgrade, Sremska Mitrovica).

The written versions of the conference papers will be published in the spring of next year.

PROGRAM

As part of the Fraknói Centenary, a major international event took place on 6 June 2024 at the headquarters of the Istituto Nazionale di Studi Romani (INSRI) on the Aventine Hill, in the immediate vicinity of the Palace of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. At the scholarly conference entitled Protagonisti e Collaboratori – Studiosi provenienti dall’Europa centro-orientale presso gli archivi della Santa Sede tra il 1881 e il 1918 (“Protagonists and Collaborators – Scholars from Central and Eastern Europe in the Archives of the Holy See between 1881 and 1918”), alongside members of the Fraknói Research Group, Italian, Austrian, Czech, Polish, and Croatian researchers also delivered papers.

The conference proceedings, published under the title Protagonisti e collaboratori. Studiosi provenienti dall'Europa centro-orientale presso gli archivi della Santa Sede tra il 1881 e il 1918 , are now appearing as the second volume of the Storia d’Ungheria series (Viterbo, Edizioni Sette Città).

This work is the result of scholarly cooperation between the Fraknói Research Group, the Gyula Moravcsik Institute / Collegium Professorum Hungarorum, the Istituto Nazionale di Studi Romani (INSR), and the CeSPoM research center of the Università della Tuscia.

Under the title “We have not come to celebrate, but to pay the tribute of reverence …”, an academic conference on the Battle of Mohács and its age was convened by the Municipality of Székesfehérvár, the Institute and Museum of Military History, and János Kodolányi University within the framework of the Royal Days of Székesfehérvár, held on 18–19 August 2025. Bringing together many of the foremost figures in Mohács scholarship, the conference represented a landmark contribution to ongoing research into one of the pivotal moments of Central European history. The Fraknói Research Group also participated, presenting under the chairmanship of Péter Tusor a dedicated panel on the ecclesiastical dimensions of Mohács on the morning of the second day. (The full programme of the conference is available here.)

The first paper of the session was delivered by Tamás Kruppa, Hungarian–Ottoman Peace Negotiations and Peace Initiatives before Mohács (presentation available here). Making use of both well-known and previously overlooked Venetian diplomatic reports, he provided a nuanced survey of the diplomatic interactions between the court of Buda and Istanbul from 1500 to 1526—offering fresh perspectives on late medieval diplomacy at the intersection of East and West.

In his lecture, Tamás Fedeles examined The Role of Ecclesiastical Army in the Hungarian–Ottoman Wars of the 1520s (see presentation here). He demonstrated how, in the Jagiellonian era, the ever-growing Ottoman menace along the southern frontier prompted substantial innovations in the organisation of national defence, inevitably shaping the involvement of the clergy. The decisive turning point, however, came with the decree of King Wladislas II in 1498, whose 20th article required ecclesiastical prelates and institutions to provide a total of 6,900 armed men. Fedeles illustrated through numerous case studies how ecclesiastical contingents participated in the campaign for the recapture of Belgrade (1521), in smaller Hungarian victories in Syrmia (1523), and, most fatefully, in the Battle of Mohács (1526). At Mohács, roughly 20% of the entire Hungarian army consisted of ecclesiastical troops—an impressive proportion underscored by the fact that half of Hungary’s high clergy perished in the encounter, including two archbishops and five bishops. These findings reinforce the conclusion that ecclesiastical military forces were integral to the anti-Ottoman struggles of the Jagiellonian period, not merely marginal auxiliaries.

Gábor Nemes, in his paper The Papacy’s Struggles against the Ottomans before 1526, provided a broader transnational perspective, situating Mohács within the evolving history of papal diplomacy and crusading ideology. He analysed the papacy’s seminal role in the emergence of the crusading ideal and the transformations it underwent in the Renaissance era, particularly under the impact of humanism. From the 1440s onwards, and especially after the fall of Constantinople in 1453, the struggle against the Ottomans became a primary objective of papal diplomacy. Nemes highlighted the crucial roles played in Hungary by cardinal legates such as Giuliano Cesarini, Juan de Carvajal, Pietro Isvalies (1500–1503), Tommaso de Vio (1523–1524), and Lorenzo Campeggi (1524–1525), whose interventions reveal the international embeddedness of Hungary’s anti-Ottoman wars.

Advancing chronologically, Viktor Kanász presented Money, Horses, Arms. Papal Assistance in the Anti-Ottoman Struggles in the Decades after Mohács (presentation downloadable here). His paper examined the multifaceted forms of papal assistance—diplomatic, financial, and military—in the aftermath of Mohács. He stressed that such efforts should be seen as a natural continuation of medieval precedents, even though papal objectives ultimately went unfulfilled, due largely to the altered geopolitical realities of both Europe and the papacy. Yet these endeavours paved the way for later developments: half a century later in Gianfrancesco Aldobrandini’s campaigns, and ultimately, in the late seventeenth century, in the decisive achievements of the Holy League under Pope Innocent XI, which culminated in the liberation of the Kingdom of Hungary.

In his lecture The Memory of Archbishop Pál Tomori in the Archdiocese of Kalocsa (from the Early Twentieth Century to the Present), György Sági offered a case study in ecclesiastical memory politics. He traced how Tomori, who had fallen heroically at Mohács, was remembered by his successors over the course of more than a century, often held up as a model of steadfastness. From church commemorations to secular memorial initiatives, Sági demonstrated how the figure of Tomori remained a reference point for local identity and collective remembrance. (presentation available here)

The concluding session, presented by Viktor Kanász and Katalin Nagy, addressed In the Shadow of Burgio. The Papal Nuncios in Budapest and the Memory of Mohács (presentation available here). Their study analysed the role of papal nuncios in the commemorations of the 1920s and 1930s, situating them within the wider field of transnational memory studies. At the centenary commemoration in 1926, Nuncio Cesare Orsenigo, acting as patron, received considerable public attention, yet deliberately distanced himself from the political dimension of the event. His successor, Angelo Rotta, likewise declined to participate in subsequent commemorations, citing other commitments. This deliberate reserve reflected the nuncios’ awareness that the commemorations were largely organised by political actors and offered little in the way of genuine diplomatic or pastoral opportunities. Their involvement thus remained passive, largely representative, and emblematic of the papacy’s cautious diplomacy in interwar Central Europe.

Beyond its presence at this conference, the Fraknói Research Group maintains multiple ties to Mohács-related scholarship. In September 2025, further results will be presented at a conference in Sárvár (see here), while under the leadership of Tamás Fedeles, the compilation of the Bishops’ Lexicon of the Jagiellonian Period continues (see here for earlier reports). Both initiatives testify to the Group’s role as a reference point in ecclesiastical historiography and as an active contributor to international scholarly exchange.

Full videos of the presentations are in preparation.
 

The scholarly legacy of Vilmos Fraknói in Rome is today embodied by the Collectanea Vaticana Hungariae—the series that revived the Monumenta Vaticana Hungariae in 2002/2004. These volumes, which present the results of ongoing fundamental research, are published under the imprint “Budapest–Rome.” From the printing press in Pest, they are sent directly to Rome, where the CVH has had a home for over two decades in several prominent academic collections, including the Accademia dei Lincei (Palazzo Corsini), the Pontifical Gregorian University, the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, the libraries of the German and Austrian historical institutes in Rome, as well as the Pontifical Hungarian Institute and the Saint Stephen House.

At both the Vatican Apostolic Library and the Vatican Apostolic Archives, CVH volumes are placed on open-access shelves—alongside the original Monumenta Vaticana edited by Fraknói himself (see photos below for the latter). The most significant works are often introduced to the international scholarly community through dedicated symposia. Most recently, in 2022, one such presentation took place at the Deutsches Historisches Institut in Rom.

The regular and default venue for the Roman presentation of each new volume is the studio of Vatican Radio. Thanks to the attentive and generous collaboration of the Hungarian editorial department—particularly Father László Vértesaljai—news of the Fraknói Research Group’s ongoing Vatican-based scholarship is broadcast urbi et orbi, directly from within the Vatican.

In keeping with this tradition, Péter Tusor and Gábor Nemes gave an interview to Vatican Radio during the 2025 Institute Week. In conversation with Father Vértesaljai, they discussed the Vatican research of Vilmos Fraknói and his contemporaries, prompted by the publication of the Fraknói Memorial Volume (CVH I/24, available for download here), and reflected on the life and legacy of the renowned Bishop of Arbe.

Péter Tusor’s commentary on Fraknói, his centenary, and the commemorative volume can be heard from 12:10 [here], while Gábor Nemes's remarks, focusing on the Vatican research of József Lukcsics, begin at 12:00 [here].

Earlier that month, on June 7, Miklós Jávor—external research fellow of the Fraknói Research Group—appeared on Hungary’s national television channel M1, where he presented the history of the Csíksomlyó pilgrimage (beginning at 17:50 [here]).

The public defense of Tamás Kruppa’s doctoral dissertation for the title of Doctor of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (DSc), entitled From the Jagiellonians to the Szapolyais: Two Decades from the History of the Kingdom of Hungary (1519–1541), was held on 12 May 2025 in the Ceremonial Hall of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, located at 13 Teréz Boulevard, Budapest. The official opponents were Pál Ács, Tibor Neumann, and István Tringli.

Tamás Kruppa has been closely involved with the Fraknói Research Group since 2017. As a senior research fellow, his work focuses on the relations between Transylvania and the Holy See during the Báthory era, as well as on the systematic exploration of Italian diplomatic sources from the first half of the sixteenth century, with particular emphasis on Hungarian–Papal relations under the Jagiellonian and Szapolyai dynasties. In addition to Vatican archives, he also conducts thorough research on relevant Venetian diplomatic reports.

He contributes to training the next generation of scholars by sharing his research experience in Rome and by conducting early modern Italian palaeography workshops.

In the history of the Fraknói Research Group, this is the third academic DSc title awarded to a member, following those of Péter Tusor (2014) and Tamás Fedeles (2022).

Between May 16 and 18, 2025, the Pongrácz Saint Stephen History Competition was held for the second time in Gyulafehérvár and Alvinc. Viktor Kanász, research fellow of the Fraknói Research Group, participated as a jury member alongside Teréz Oborni, Rev. Botond Bátor (Pauline friar), Viktor Dávid Körősi (chief consul), art historian Enikő Hegedűs, and archdiocesan chief school inspector Rev. László Gál.

The theme of the competition was the life and times of Cardinal George Martinuzzi (Fráter György). Participants visited the well-known site of the Bishop of Várad's death—the now-ruined castle of Alvinc—where Teréz Oborni and Viktor Kanász explained the causes and consequences of the murder committed on December 17, 1551, as well as the details of the lengthy investigation conducted by the Holy See.

Kanász also pointed out that the primary sources for this case are preserved in the Vatican Apostolic Archive, while copies of some of the nuncial documents can be found, among other places, in the Batthyaneum Library in Gyulafehérvár.

The awards ceremony took place in the St. Michael's Cathedral of Gyulafehérvár, where, following the Holy Mass, Teréz Oborni and Viktor Kanász offered their assessments of the participants’ performances.
 

(Photos: Zsolt Geréd/Foto Marco, Adrian Dicu and Zsófia Kanász-Bellovics)

The Hungarian Medieval Studies Research Group, together with the National Archives of Hungary and the Archives of Pest County, organized the Medieval Book Fair on May 9 this year. As per tradition, the Fraknói Research Group participated in the event, where visitors had the opportunity to become acquainted with its latest publications, including the Fraknói Memorial Volume and The Centuries of the Archdiocese of Kalocsa. Among the new releases, the fair was the first occasion where attendees could hold in their hands the freshly printed source publication The Medieval Account Book of the Cathedral Chapter of Győr (1495–1528), issued jointly by the Diocesan Collection Centre of Győr and the Research Group.

Following the presentation in Kalocsa, on April 8, 2025, the Párbeszéd Háza (House of Dialogue) hosted the launch of the volume A kalocsai érsekség évszázadai (Centuries of the Archdiocese of Kalocsa), which contains the written versions of the lectures delivered at the 9th Fraknói Summer Academy. Published as Volume 6 of the series Collectanea Studiorum et Textuum I, the collection of studies was introduced by Rev. Tamás Véghseő. After presenting the previous volumes in the series and their relevance to diocesan history, Véghseő proceeded to review the individual studies included in the volume. He drew particular attention to the creative arrangement and titling of the connecting chapters, which provide coherence to the collection. He emphasized that even researchers in church history who have no specific ties to Kalocsa may find not only knowledge but also inspiration in these pages. He concluded his remarks by raising several topics worthy of further reflection.

Following this, a roundtable discussion was held with the participation of Gábor Bánkuti, Rev. Máté Gárdonyi, Rev. Edvárd Kajtár, Gábor Kiss, Andor Lakatos, and Gergely Mózessy, in connection with a volume published by the Archdiocesan Archives of Kalocsa in 2024: A Kalocsai Főegyházmegye plébániáinak jelentése a II. Vatikáni Zsinat utáni liturgikus reformok végrehajtásáról (1967) (Reports of the Parishes of the Archdiocese of Kalocsa on the Implementation of the Liturgical Reforms Following the Second Vatican Council (1967), edited by Gábor Kiss and Andor Lakatos (Kalocsa, 2024).

Meghívó

On March 21, 2025, a dual book presentation was held in Kalocsa at the Astriceum Archiepiscopal Museum. The event was organized by the Archdiocesan Archives of Kalocsa in collaboration with the Fraknói Research Group.

The attendees were welcomed by Balázs Bábel, Archbishop of Kalocsa-Kecskemét. In his opening speech, he emphasized the particular significance of presenting these volumes in the archiepiscopal see, given that their content primarily pertains to the history of the archdiocese. As such, the information published in them is of heightened relevance to the present local community.

In his remarks, the prelate recalled the IX. Fraknói Summer Academyi, held in Kalocsa in August 2023, in which he had also participated as part of a panel discussion led by Péter Tusor. The lectures delivered at that event form the basis of the book Centuries of the Archdiocese of Kalocsa (A kalocsai érsekség évszázadai) , edited by Viktor Kanász and György Sági, which was the first volume presented on this occasion. The archbishop specifically noted that one of the editors, György Sági, also contributed a study to the book as an author.

Regarding the second volume presented—a source publication entitled Reports of the Parishes of the Archdiocese of Kalocsa on the Implementation of the Liturgical Reforms Following the Second Vatican Council (1967), edited by Gábor Kiss and Andor Lakatos—the archbishop shared a personal reflection. He recalled how he had experienced the transition to the vernacular liturgy at the time. He spoke of his enthusiasm for attending Masses celebrated by priests who had begun practicing this change in Hungarian. He also touched upon the resistance to the introduction of versus populum altars, which was particularly evident among the older clergy.

Following Archbishop Bábel's introductory remarks, historian Miklós Jávor, an external research fellow of the Fraknói Research Group, took the floor. He introduced volume I/6 of the Collectanea Studiorum et Textuum series. After making general comments on the structural division of the volume, he provided a detailed discussion of the individual studies, occasionally pointing to possible directions for further research. His presentation offered the audience a comprehensive picture of the ecclesiastical, general historical, educational, and cultural-historical complexity of the Archdiocese of Kalocsa.

The task of presenting the source publication was undertaken by József Szakály, titular provost and parish priest-dean of Topolya, thus ensuring the representation of the historical Archdiocese of Kalocsa-Bács’s region that now belongs to Serbia. In his lecture as a liturgical expert, he addressed the multilingualism of the southern region, referring to a speech given by the late Bishop Mátyás Zvekanovity of Szabadka (Subotica, SRB) at the Second Vatican Council, in which he argued in favor of the exclusive use of Latin. His reasoning was that transitioning to vernacular languages would create confusion in his diocese. Eventually, the issue was resolved by holding multilingual Masses and later increasing the number of Masses. The parish priest of Topolya also reflected on generational differences among clergy, highlighting how various groups responded to the liturgical reforms. He illustrated his points with examples and practices of priests, some of whom he had personally known.

At the conclusion of the book presentation, Archbishop Bábel expressed his gratitude to the attendees for their presence and to the experts for their insightful presentations on the volumes.

Invitation

Magyar Kurír

kalohirek.hu

Hungary’s Dioceses and Bishops (1804–1918). Institutional History and Biographical Lexicon I–IV, eds. Zsófia Szirtes, Péter Tusor, Rupert Klieber, Budapest 2025 (xxvi+832 pp. + [90] pp. annotated black-and-white and color image supplement).
 

The first phase of the "Bischofslexikon 1804–1918," a mega-project of the Fraknói Research Group initiated within the framework of the MTA Lendület pProgram and spanning multiple funding cycles, was completed at Pentecost 2020. The results of this extensive international research collaboration are presented in an impressive volume published by Duncker & Humblot in Berlin: Die Bischöfe der Donuaumonarchie 1804 bis 1918. Ein amtsbiographisches Lexikon, edited by Rupert Klieber, Volume I: Die röm.-kath. Kirchenprovinzen Gran, Kalocsa, Erlau im Königreich Ungarn, with contributions from Péter Tusor, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 2020 (xviii + 661 pages). Further details on the research’s international dimension are available here, along with presentations in Budapest, Rome, and Vienna. The research focus of the Fraknói Research Group is diocesan history, which, in studying the "long 19th century," also incorporates fundamental Vatican research findings. The project itself originates in Rome, whether considering the role of its initiator, Campo Santo Teutonico rector Erwin Gatz († 2011), or the Vatican archival roots of the decade-and-a-half-long collaboration with chief editor Rupert Klieber.

The second phase, i.e., the Hungarian-language edition (Püspöklexikon 1804–1918), was largely completed by Christmas 2023. This Hungarian lexicon is a revised and expanded edition. While in the case of the German lexicon, the ultima manus belonged to the Viennese chief editor, Professor Rupert Klieber, in the present edition, it is the individual article authors who hold that final authority. To metaphorically reflect the milieu of the Dual Monarchy, one might say that while the German version 1.0 was shaped by Vienna, the Hungarian 2.0 edition was shaped by Budapest—following mutual professional consultations. The research project and its results can only be fully evaluated and understood with reference to the Hungarian edition. During the editing process, Professor Klieber, with the assistance of his colleagues, undertook an enormous effort to standardize, revise, and expand the lexicon entries with new archival and printed sources, as well as German scholarly data. In the vast majority of cases, Hungarian authors and editors continued their work using the materials developed by Klieber, with texts translated back from German by Zsófia Szirtes. The results of Klieber’s editorial work were generally retained, though in some biographical entries, the original perspective of the authors prevailed more strongly. In the Hungarian edition, the authors are solely credited with their respective entries. Regarding diocesan descriptions, Klieber’s clearly delineated statistical analyses are directly cited from the German edition. This two-stage research concept evolved interactively between Vienna and Budapest over the course of what has become an almost longue durée project, reaching its final form in 2018–2019. The necessity of updating the lexicon entries before the Hungarian edition was largely dictated by the extended time span of the research itself. (Details on the textual work are provided in an introduction introduction by Zsófia Szirtes, the chief editor of the Hungarian edition.) The bibliographic data reflect the state of research as of 2023. Every effort was made to correct the inevitable errors of the first German edition, a common challenge in such large-scale scholarly undertakings. (The detailed Errata & Corrigenda for the German edition will be made available online following the publication of the corrected Hungarian edition.)

For the articles authored by Slovak scholars on Upper Hungarian dioceses, we have followed Professor Klieber’s recommendation to translate their German versions, limiting our intervention to data verification and bibliographic expansion. This decision was made because Slovak authors made only partial use of the—mainly older—Hungarian historiography. The critical reading of Slovak interpretations, which often diverge significantly from Hungarian historical perspectives, is left to the knowledgeable Hungarian readership, with the exception of the introductory sections for two dioceses. The professional discussions conducted through Vienna regarding our shared history, which is perceived and interpreted in almost entirely different ways by Hungarian and Slovak scholars, remain an issue yet to be addressed in detail. It is an extremely significant achievement that in 2020, the centenary of the Trianon tragedy, we succeeded in ensuring that the prestigious international volume published in Berlin—despite certain tendentious, one-sided statements—presents Hungarian history fundamentally as Hungarian history. That is, it is largely free from the regrettably frequent attempts to retroactively project the present status quo into the past or to historically justify it. Achieving this goal required numerous compromises, and in the process, we inevitably faced failures as well—such as our request regarding the historical presentation of the Dioceses of Nyitra and Besztercebánya (Nitra and Banská Bystrica). The depiction of these two dioceses in the German edition remains, to put it mildly, one-sided. (See the historiographically intriguing editorial documentation, specifically the letter sent to Vienna on March 5, 2019, point 4)

This extensive research project has not been supported by hundreds of millions in ERC funding. Nevertheless, its significance for understanding and interpreting Central European history has been recognized and highly esteemed at the highest levels of international scholarship, from Joachim Bahlcke to Andreas Gottsmann and Thomas Winkelbauer. (Additional reviews and presentations can be found here.) Beyond the initial funding secured by Erwin Gatz, the project was realized solely through the support of the Österreichisches Wissenschaftsfonds (Austrian Science Fund) and the MTA Lendület Program, as well as a small fraction of the Fraknói Research Group’s budget from 2017–2024. In the first phase, during 2024, the Introduction by the project’s most distinguished author, † Gábor Adriányi, along with individual diocesan studies, will be published separately in electronic fascicles (e-fasciculus). These will include the complete set of episcopal biographies for each diocese. Following the structure of the German edition, bishops who served in multiple dioceses are listed under their final diocese.

After the publication of the individual diocesan studies, the full volume will be released upon the conclusion of the Fraknói Centenary on February 26, 2025.

The Hungarian edition is the result of teamwork by Editor-in-Chief Zsófia Szirtes, as well as Péter Tusor and Rupert Klieber, who were joined earlier by István Fazekas and András Forgó. The editorial tasks were carried out by Zita Lőrincz. Special thanks go to Margit Balogh for the diocesan introductions and her useful advice. We also thank Adrienne Tengely for the careful professional proofreading and bibliographic augmentation of the entries on Slovak authors, the rewriting of the entries on Eger and Szatmár, and Tamás Véghseő for the review and update of all (!) Greek Catholic entries. The Greek Rite Roman Catholic dioceses (V.) will be published in a separate volume. Thanks are also due to all the contributors from Székesfehérvár, Szombathely, Pécs, Szeged, Eger, and Nyíregyháza; from Gyulafehérvár, Kolozsvár, Marosvásárhely; from Upper Hungary/Slovakia, Transcarpathia; and, of course, from Vienna and Budapest. Among the authors, Gheorghe Gorun from Nagyvárad, László Bura from Szatmárnémeti, as well as Balázs Csíky, a researcher at the Fraknó Research Group, who was awarded the Bolyai Scholarship, and the late Gábor Adriányi, unfortunately, did not live to see the completion of the full Bishop Lexicon. According to Adriányi Gábor's own statement made during the proofreading phase, his introductory study to the lexicon is his final published work.

The Bishop Lexicon 1804–1918 marks the beginning of a project with a historical dimension spanning millennia, undertaken by the Fraknói Research Group, the Moravcsik Gyula Institute, and the Collegium Professorum Hungarorum. Following the example of the German research led by Erwin Gatz, a biographical lexicon of Hungarian bishops from 1001 to 1993 will be created. The planned volumes are as follows: Bishop Lexicon 1918–1993; Bishop Lexicon 1711–1804; Bishop Lexicon 1605–1711; Bishop Lexicon 1526–1605; Bishop Lexicon 1458–1526; Bishop Lexicon 1302–1458; Bishop Lexicon 1001–1302. In preparation for the anniversary of the Battle of Mohács, the manuscript of the lexicon for the Hunyadi–Jagelló period is nearing completion. See the report by Editor-in-Chief Tamás Fedeles on this and the entire project.

The complete volume, with an index and other apparatus, can be downloaded here.

The completion of the "Bischofslexikon 1804–1918" project, spanning multiple grant cycles and culminating in the fulfillment of one of the key commitments of the 2012 Lendület Program, was achieved in the spring of 2020 by the Fraknói Research Group. The results of this extensive research, conducted through a wide-ranging collaboration within Hungary, the Carpathian Basin, and internationally, have been published in an impressive volume by the Berlin-based Duncker & Humblot publishing house: Die Bischöfe der Donaumonarchie 1804 bis 1918. Ein amtsbiographisches Lexikon, hg. von RUPERT KLIEBER, Band I: Die röm.kath. Kirchenprovinczen Gran, Kalocsa, Erlau im Königreich Ungarn, unter Mitarbeit von PÉTER TUSOR, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 2020 (XVIII + 661 p).

The German-language Berlin edition of the Bischofslexikon 1804–1918 is now fully available as an Open Access publication on the Fraknói Research Group's website as of January 6, 2025. See the link here!

Work on the corrected, updated, expanded, and revised Hungarian edition of the lexicon is nearing completion. Following the release of preliminary publications containing complete biographical series by diocese, published as e-fasciculi, the editorial process for Magyarország egyházmegyéi és püspökei 1804–1918 I–IV. Intézménytörténeti és életrajzi lexikon" (Collectanea Studiorum et Textuum I/7, Budapest 2025) has begun. The material covering the ecclesiastical provinces of Esztergom, Kalocsa-Bács, and Eger, together with Pannonhalma and an introduction by Gábor Adriányi, comprises 791 printed pages (B/5 format). Additional sections include a Roman-numeral-indexed table of contents, a foreword, and various supplementary appendices. (The material on the Hungarian Greek Catholic episcopate will be published in a separate volume as Chapter V.)

Hungarian historiography suffers from a marked lack of modern handbooks and syntheses authored domestically. The Fraknói Research Group's extensive and internationally collaborative undertaking, which has exceeded the bounds of its resources, aims to address this deficiency while also serving as an example for larger institutions equipped with more substantial resources and favorable conditions.

The announcement includes, alongside the cover page of the Berlin German edition, several illustrations (portraits of prelates and other photographs) that do not appear in either the volume or the chapter-by-chapter publications.

The following 1–12 images are: portraits of Sándor Bonnaz, Bishop of Csanád; János Pauer, Bishop of Székesfehérvár (in both priestly and episcopal attire); and Imre Bende, Bishop of Besztercebánya and later Nyitra. The next three photographs relate to Abbot Ipoly Fehér (his procession into Pannonhalma and then Budapest in 1892, and his departure for the 45th anniversary celebrations of Franz Joseph’s accession). This is followed by the ceremonial carriage of Primate Kolos Vaszary (1895). Lastly, there are various photographs of Count Károly Emmánuel Csáky, Bishop of Vác; Ottokár Prohászka, Bishop of Székesfehérvár; Gyula Glattfelder, Bishop of Csanád; and Antal Fetser, Bishop of Győr.