2026

The Dioceses and Bishops of Hungary (1804–1918). Institutional and Biographical Encyclopaedia V, eds. Zsófia Szirtes–Péter Tusor–Tamás Véghseő–Rupert Klieber, collaborator: Olivér Kőhalmi, Budapest 2026 (221 pp. + [18] pp. annotated b/w plates + [1] p. map supplement).

The new year sees the continuation – once again, at Epiphany (cf. here) – of the Bishops’ Lexicon (I–IV, CST I/7), published in 2025 and devoted to nineteenth-century Latin-rite prelates, with a volume presenting the biographies of the bishops of the Greek Catholic dioceses of Hungary. Spanning 210 pages, the book introduces 31 hierarchs from seven dioceses: Mukachevo, Prešov, Hajdúdorog, (Alba Iulia–)Făgăraș, Oradea, Gherla and Lugoj. (The eighth Greek Catholic diocese of the Kingdom of Hungary, Križevci, falls – together with the Roman Catholic dioceses of Zagreb, Bosnia-Đakovo, and Senj-Modruš – within the remit of Croatian historiography as part of the Vienna-based project.)

As with Chapters I–IV – presented on 8 October 2025 in the ceremonial hall of the Central Seminary and structured by Latin-rite ecclesiastical provinces (with a separate chapter for the Territorial Abbey of Pannonhalma) – the introductory descriptions of the Greek Catholic dioceses and the bishops’ biographies in Chapter V follow a uniform structure and methodological approach. Unlike the first volume, however, the dioceses here are classified and arranged according to the Greek rite rather than by ecclesiastical provinces. Beyond the strictly ecclesiastical (Catholic) historical narrative, the biographical entries also incorporate perspectives from political, cultural, social, economic, and nationality history. The varied application of these approaches, together with the evaluation of episcopal careers, makes the lexicon suitable not only for scholarly use but also for a broader readership.

The usability of the volume is enhanced by indexes of personal and place names. Several key figures and locations featured in Chapter V – constituting an independent volume of the Bishops’ Lexicon – are visually brought to life through a selection of archival photographs. The unified use of Chapters I–V of the two-volume lexicon (CST I/7 and I/9) and easier navigation are further facilitated by lists compiled according to three criteria: alphabetical order/page number, order of birth, and year of first appointment to office.

The Greek Catholic Bishops’ Lexicon is the result of genuine teamwork, involving 16 authors and collaborators. The editors are Zsófia Szirtes and Péter Tusor on behalf of the Fraknói Research Group, Tamás Véghseő from the Greek Catholic Heritage Research Group, and Rupert Klieber of the University of Vienna. Olivér Kőhalmi served as collaborator; Márton Varsa as proofreader; and the indexes were prepared by György Sági, Csongor Cziráki, Attila Hőgye and Olivér Kőhalmi. Alongside the diocesan introductions and biographical entries authored or co-authored throughout by Tamás Véghseő, the volume also reflects the contributions of Margit Balogh (introductions), Jaroslav Coranic (Eperjes), Volodymyr Fenych and Viktor Kichera (Munkács), Blanka Gorun-Kovács (Gyulafehérvár-Fogaras, Szamosújvár), György Gorun-Kovács (Nagyvárad, Lugos) and György Janka (Hajdúdorog).

The completion of the second volume of the Bishops’ Lexicon 1804–1918 also marks the beginning of a project spanning a millennium of history. Following the model of the German research project associated with Erwin Gatz, a biographical lexicon of Hungarian bishops from 1001 to 1993 will be produced. The planned volumes are: Bishops’ Lexicon 1918–1993; 1711–1804; 1605–1711; 1526–1605; 1458–1526; 1302–1458 and 1001–1302. In preparation for the Mohács anniversary year, the manuscript of the lexicon covering the Hunyadi–Jagiellonian period is already nearing completion (see the report by editor-in-chief Tamás Fedeles on this and on the project as a whole).

The complete volume, published jointly by the Vilmos Fraknói Research Group, the Gyula Moravcsik Research Institute and the Collegium Professorum Hungarorum, and issued by Gondolat Publishing House, is available as a free downloadable e-book via the link provided here.

Between 17 and 19 July 2025, the academic conference entitled Central European History Convention was held at the University of Vienna. At the event, Viktor Kanász, research fellow of the Research Group, delivered a paper entitled “Relations between Rome and the Kingdom of Hungary in the Mid-16th Century, According to the Work of the Viennese Nuncios.” In his presentation, he outlined the narrowing of relations between the Holy See and Hungary in the decades following the Battle of Mohács, and highlighted the outstanding role and importance of the Viennese nunciature in Hungarian affairs. With regard to the sources, he emphasized that nuncial reports are of exceptional significance not only in ecclesiastical matters, but also from political and military perspectives.

Program

On 13 March 2025, at the Special College Conference of Pázmány Péter Catholic University (PPKE), Olivér Kőhalmi, a second-year history student at PPKE and a contracted collaborator of the Fraknói Research Group, delivered a paper entitled “The Correspondence of the Literary Historian Ferenc Toldy and the Priest-Historian Vilmos Fraknói (1860–1874)”, thereby continuing the historiographical research initiated by the Fraknói Centenary.

The lecture is also indirectly connected to the 200th anniversary of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, as both Ferenc Toldy and Vilmos Fraknói were prominent and influential figures in the Academy’s nineteenth-century history.
 

On 4 December 2024, Péter Tusor gave an interview on the M1 television channel, prompted by the Vatican meeting held that day between Pope Francis and the Prime Minister of Hungary. As head of the Fraknói Research Group, he sought to raise his analysis above the level of day-to-day political discourse, which had characterised the conversations preceding the broadcast. In a similar situation, he would have articulated the same considerations with regard to any Hungarian prime minister, regardless of party affiliation or worldview.

One day later, Viktor Kanász was interviewed on Kossuth Radio about the historical antecedents of the meeting and the distinctive features of diplomatic relations between Hungary and the Holy See. In this context, the Research Group’s senior research fellow referred to the symbolic significance of the Chain Bridge during the papal visit of 2023, as a link between East and West, and outlined the role and importance of the principal actors of papal diplomacy—legates and nuncios. He also emphasised that, during the struggles against the Ottoman Empire, Rome provided the Kingdom of Hungary with substantial diplomatic, financial, and military support.

At the end of the year, Miklós Jávor, external research associate of the Group, presented on M1 a key stage on the path toward the canonisation of Áron Márton, focusing on the moment when Pope Francis declared the bishop Venerable.

Péter Tusor's interview (18:20-tól)

Miklós Jávor's interview

Between 16 and 18 January 2026, the Vestigia Research Group, in cooperation with the Institute of Historical Studies of Eszterházy Károly Catholic University (EKKE), organised a workshop in Eger, hosted in the university’s headquarter. Among the speakers were Viktor Kanász, Research Fellow of the Fraknói Research Group, and its demonstrator Olivér Kőhalmi.

In his presentation, Viktor Kanász examined the little-known activities of papal troops in Hungary in 1542, drawing on previously unexplored sources from the Parma State Archives. Of particular importance are the letters written from Komárom and Vienna by Giovanni Angelo de’ Medici, the future Pope Pius IV, which provide valuable insight into the movements, supply conditions, and reception of the papal forces, as well as into King Ferdinand I’s further plans concerning their deployment. In addition, the lecture incorporated other source groups, including letters sent to Rome from Ragusa, which illustrate the more distant reverberations of military events and shed light on the specific nature of information arriving from the Ottoman capital.

Olivér Kőhalmi, together with Barnabás Guitman, Assistant Professor at the Institute of History of Pázmány Péter Catholic University (PPKE), delivered a joint paper entitled The Last Counsel of an Old Soldier. Their presentation analysed Giorgio Basta’s letter of 1606 addressed to Emperor Rudolf, in which the author argued against the Peace of Vienna, discussing its historical and political-theoretical line of reasoning. The speakers also identified the scribe responsible for drafting the letter and enriching it with historical and mythological exempla, as well as the works that served as its intellectual sources. A methodological peculiarity of the research lies in the fact that the Hungarian translation of the originally Italian text, as well as the resolution of the identity of a previously unidentified military officer, were achieved with the assistance of solution proposals generated by multiple artificial intelligence platforms.

The three-day workshop provided an opportunity for fruitful scholarly exchange among the participants, while also offering insight into the Italian connections, history, book culture, and built heritage of the archiepiscopal city of Eger.

On 23 May 2024, Volume XXI of the series Publikationen der ungarischen Geschichtsforschung in Wien (PUGW) was presented in Vienna. The monograph by István Fazekas, Die ungarische Hofkanzlei und ihre Beamten von 1527 bis 1690, was introduced by Thomas Winkelbauer. Thanks to the careful organisation of Iván Bertényi Jr., the event—marked by lively interest—was hosted at the Vienna seat of the Hungarian Embassy, located in the former palace of the Hungarian Court Chancellery.
This early modern institutional history, based on a prosopographical methodology, represents a work of fundamental importance for both Hungarian and Austrian scholarship and constitutes one of the most valuable and enduring contributions to the Viennese Hungarian historical series. Numerous well-known figures from Austrian archival and academic circles were present at the event.

By contrast, 21st-century Hungarian diplomacy has, as a rule, shown little understanding of scholarship and its modes of operation. It frequently relies on ad hoc, purely representational events—such as the one organised in October 2022 at the Palazzo della Cancelleria in Rome—which conspicuously lack any solid scholarly foundation. One may, of course, send people abroad and repeatedly spend Hungarian taxpayers’ money on visual design in the service of individual career ambitions, but such efforts are, in essence, devoid of real meaning. Science diplomacy without genuine scholarship is a contradictio in adiecto—a wooden iron. I write this on the basis of nearly three decades of experience in Rome.

In Vienna, by contrast, scholarship and diplomacy consistently go hand in hand. Indeed, the Hungarian Embassy in Vienna regularly facilitates the reception of major historical research projects by making the splendid ceremonial hall of its palace in Bankgasse available for the presentation of important scholarly works. This was the case, for example, with the Bischofslexikon (see here). All this takes place without any direct or indirect party-political overtones, a fact that deserves particular emphasis.

Behind this stands the cooperation between the Collegium Hungaricum in Vienna, the historical institute operating within its framework, and the Viennese archival delegation—and, personally, the work of István Fazekas, Gábor Ujváry, András Oross, Krisztina Arany, Iván Bertényi Jr., and others. This cooperation finds its most tangible expression in the jointly edited scholarly series produced by these three institutions. Through this series, the Fraknói Research Group is also connected to Hungarian historical research in Vienna, since the PUGW is the twin series of the Collectanea Vaticana Hungariae (CVH), as I have previously explained (see here). It is no secret that this twin-series concept follows a Vatican archival model, which has met with approval both in Rome and in Vienna.

To what I already outlined in 2018, it is worth adding that both the conceptual and practical idea for the PUGW originated directly from the CVH. The guiding question was simple: if Vatican-based research already has a well-conceived and practical scholarly series, why should Hungarian historical research in Vienna not have—mutatis mutandis—a similar one, drawing on the same know-how and typographical infrastructure? My only hesitation concerned the fact that the additional workload would delay the CVH by three to four volumes. In the end, I concluded that, if successful, a new Viennese series would justify this sacrifice.

In 2008, during one of my last extended research stays in Vienna, I began to discuss these ideas more intensively with my mentor and friend István Fazekas, considering the realistic possibilities of implementation. The PUGW was the result of this shared reflection. Its rapid launch was urgently needed, not least in order to publish conference proceedings from earlier years of the Collegium Hungaricum. A decisive step in the founding process was István Fazekas’s success—assisted decisively by Anna Fundarek—in convincing József Kelenik, then director of the BMTI, of the importance, usefulness, and feasibility of the project.

I record all this primarily for the future rather than the present, since the PUGW is now regularly referred to—both retrospectively and today—as an initiative originating from the Viennese Hungarian institutions themselves, indeed as one of their official undertakings. This shift in perception is, of course, a welcome development and a clear, visible sign of the series’ viability, consolidation, and success.

Not only is the overall design of the PUGW (cf. here) identical to that of the CVH—apart from the fact that the involvement of Gondolat Publishers was no longer necessary—but, in agreement with István Fazekas, I also modelled the copyright pages of the first volumes on the CVH. Although this was not legally required even at the time, I included, for example, a responsible publisher, thereby enhancing the prestige of the new series.

Considerable thought was devoted in 2009 to the name of the series. The stylistic model was the Austrian Publikationen des ehemaligen österreichischen Historischen Instituts in Rom. Since three institutions stand behind the PUGW, a collective designation was required. Among several possibilities, I opted for Ungarische Geschichtsforschung in Wien, a choice that also met with the approval of my co-founder, István Fazekas. Under this title, the series is suitable not only for publishing archival research conducted in Vienna and Austria, but also for presenting any result of Hungarian historical scholarship worthy of publication in Vienna and, by extension, before the entire German-speaking scholarly world.

A particular distinction of the PUGW is that it obtained an international ISSN number (2073-3054) from a French issuing centre. As a consequence, Hungarian historical research has, for fifteen years now, possessed a foreign-published, internationally registered series (recognised as such in the MTMT) in which Hungarian historians can publish at high quality, quickly, simply, and—above all—at very low cost. In other words, there is no need to enrich the profits of international publishers with millions from Hungarian institutional or grant budgets in order to achieve internationally visible publications. Thanks to the distribution system reorganised by András Oross, the PUGW is now present in major European and non-European public libraries.

This represents a unique opportunity, the full exploitation of which has only just begun. As a curiosity—and ultimately for the record—it may be noted that the Roman numeral numbering of the PUGW was essentially accidental. I myself typeset Volumes I, III, and IV; Volume II was produced in Pécs under my supervision. Because the digit “1” of the digitally cut Tótfalusi Antiqua used for the CVH closely resembles a capital “I”, the Pécs typesetter interpreted it as a Roman numeral and numbered the second volume accordingly. I ultimately did not correct this—although placing, for example, a Roman numeral XXXVIII on the spine of a thinner volume may one day pose a challenge. The temptation of the hidden game, whereby the Roman numeral alludes to the Vatican connection of the PUGW, proved stronger. Although the annotation system underwent some changes from Volume V onwards, the bibliographical typology of the PUGW and CVH remains essentially identical.

After minor and major fluctuations, the PUGW now appears to have stabilised. A clear sign of this is that, alongside the editorial board, András Oross has assumed responsibility as managing series editor, while—thanks to Krisztina Arany—the Viennese archival delegation has taken on an increasingly substantial role alongside the historical institute. The implementation of the pugw.at series website, proposed by me in a conversation with András Oross in Vienna in early December 2023, will open a new chapter in the history of the PUGW and, with it, of Hungarian historical research in Vienna. In the future, digital versions of PUGW volumes will become available online in a more visible, more uniform, and above all faster manner. Since the series’ own website is expected to be completed only by spring 2025, the newly prepared e-book version of Volume XXI, presented recently in Vienna, is currently accessible and downloadable via institutumfraknoi.hu (here).

The key to further development lies in the consolidation of financial foundations, with state and academic backing. The Viennese legacy of Árpád Károlyi and Kuno Klebelsberg unquestionably deserves this.
 

Péter Tusor

INVITATION

PROGRAM

On 3 April 2024, Tamás Fedeles, co-head of the Fraknói Research Group and Head of Department Professor at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Pécs, delivered a lecture entitled “The Last Medieval Hungarian Duke: Lawrence of Ilok (1459/60–1524)” as part of the Medieval Evenings lecture series at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of Pázmány Péter Catholic University.

The occasion for the lecture was provided, on the one hand, by the approaching 500th anniversary of Lőrinc Újlaki’s death, and on the other by the advanced stage of Professor Fedeles’s forthcoming monograph devoted to the duke’s life and career.

The Fraknói Research Group attaches particular importance to the dissemination of the results of its fundamental scholarly research. In this spirit, during 2023, and on the basis of an agreement concluded with the historical magazine Múlt-kor, members of the Fraknói Research Group published two articles (see here and here).

Owing to the strong interest these publications generated, this initiative subsequently developed into the central thematic focus of the magazine’s spring issue this year. Edited jointly by Péter Tusor and Viktor Kanász, the thematic section features contributions by Péter Tusor, Tamás Fedeles, Gábor Nemes, Tamás Kruppa, Viktor Kanász, György Sági, and Róbert Oláh P. on behalf of the Research Group, exploring the thousand-year history of relations between Hungary and the Holy See.
 

On 8–9 December 2024, the international conference ANTEMURALE CHRISTIANITATIS. Central Europe and the Western Balkans as the Bulwarks of Christianity was held at the Várkert Bazár in Budapest, with the collaboration of the Fraknói Research Group. Three members of the Research Group delivered papers at the conference.
Gábor Nemes delivered a paper entitled “The ‘Ottoman Policy’ of the Apostolic See.” In his presentation, he examined the evolution of papal diplomacy towards the Ottoman Empire from the 1440s onward, with particular emphasis on the period following the fall of Constantinople in 1453. He demonstrated that resistance to Ottoman expansion became one of the central objectives of papal foreign policy, and that papal legates sent to the Kingdom of Hungary played a decisive role in organising and sustaining anti-Ottoman efforts. Drawing on several historical examples—from Cardinal Giuliano Cesarini’s pivotal involvement in the 1444 campaign to Juan de Carvajal’s contribution to the victory at Belgrade in 1456—he highlighted the legates’ political, military, and financial responsibilities. The lecture also addressed the activities of papal legates during the Jagiellonian period, focusing on their diplomatic missions, the management of papal subsidies, and their attempts to strengthen Hungary’s internal and external position in the face of an imminent Ottoman threat.

Tamás Kruppa presented his lecture “Diplomatic Relations between the Republic of Venice and the Ottoman Empire (1499–1540).” Framing his analysis between two Venetian–Ottoman wars, he explored the complex and multifaceted relationship between the two powers. He emphasised that Venice’s prosperity depended heavily on Levantine trade, which encouraged the Republic to pursue a policy of maintaining the status quo vis-à-vis the rising Ottoman Empire. At the same time, Venice’s mainland possessions drew it into the prolonged Italian Wars from 1494 onward, increasing its vulnerability to pressure from Istanbul. In contrast, Ottoman strategic objectives were clear: to limit Venetian influence in the eastern Mediterranean, particularly in the Balkans and Dalmatia, and to expand territorially by securing key islands in the Aegean–Adriatic region. Kruppa demonstrated how Venetian diplomacy oscillated between cooperation and confrontation, while Ottoman diplomacy combined pragmatism with strategic foresight, seeking simultaneously to avoid a two-front war and to prevent the formation of broader Christian–Muslim coalitions against the Empire.

Tamás Fedeles introduced the ongoing Bishops’ Lexicon (1458–1526) project in his lecture entitled “The Hungarian Ecclesiastical Elite at the Boundary between the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period.” Beginning with the observation that two archbishops and five bishops perished on the battlefield of Mohács in 1526—representing nearly half of the Hungarian episcopate—he underscored the loyalty and sacrificial commitment of the ecclesiastical elite to the defence of the realm. His presentation outlined the aims and preliminary results of a long-term research programme that seeks to produce modern scholarly biographies of the seventy-five prelates who headed Hungary’s fourteen dioceses between 1458 and 1526, in preparation for the battle’s 500th anniversary. Beyond biographical reconstruction, the project also examines the contemporary condition of the dioceses themselves, supported by cartographic visualisation, and offers a prosopographical analysis of the late medieval Hungarian episcopate, addressing questions of origin, education, careers, patronage networks, and royal appointment policies.
 

(Pictures: Kálmán Tábori and Viktor Kanász)

On 25 March 2023, an interview with Tamás Kruppa, Senior Research Fellow of the Fraknói Research Group, was broadcast on Vatican Radio. The conversation focused on his volume Papal Troops in Hungary (1595–1597, 1601), published as CVH I/17, which is available for download here.

The interview can be listened to from 8:40 at the following link.

In connection with the papal visit, the Fraknói Research Group has been actively involved in the organisation of several events in recent weeks. On 11 April, at the invitation of Pázmány Péter Catholic University, the Research Group participated in the preparation and moderation of a roundtable discussion. It also contributed to the editing of a special, papacy-themed issue of Rubicon, initiated by the Group, and members of the Research Group gave interviews for the podcast series of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of PPKE.

Within the framework of the Latinitas Hungarica lecture series, jointly organised by the Department of Classical Philology of PPKE and the Moravcsik Gyula Institute of the Faculty of Humanities, lectures were delivered by Gábor Nemes and Péter Tusor. On 19 April, Gábor Nemes presented a lecture entitled Medieval Papal Charters in Hungary, while on 26 April Péter Tusor gave a lecture entitled The Hungarica of the Vatican Archives in the Early Modern Period.
 

Tamás Kruppa gave an interview to Vatican Radio about the documentary edition of Ferenc Forgách edited by him (Documenta of Ferenc Forgách, CVH II/9). In the course of the interview, he spoke with Fr László Vértesaljai about the former Archbishop of Esztergom, discussing his personality, historical significance, and his role in the history of Hungarian Catholicism, with particular reference to the published source material.