MATTHIAS I

born Feb. 24, 1443, Kolozsvr, Transylvania [now Cluj, Romania] died April 6, 1490, Vienna byname Matthias Corvinus, Hungarian Mtys Corvin, original name Mtys Hunyadi king of Hungary (145890), who attempted to reconstruct the Hungarian state after decades of feudal anarchy, chiefly by means of financial, military, judiciary, and administrative reforms. His nickname, Corvinus, derived from the raven (Latin corvus) on his escutcheon. Additional reading There is no modern English-language biography of Matthias I. Imre Lukinich (ed.), Mtys Kirly Emlkknyv, 2 vol. (1940), contains articles analyzing his family relations, personality, and political, military, and cultural activities. Vilmos Fraknoi, Hunyadi Mtys kirly, 14401490 (1890); and Elemer Malyusz, Matthias Corvinus, in Menschen die Geschichte machten, vol. 2, pp. 187191 (1931), are two classic biographies; Lajos Elekes, Mtys s kora (1956), is an essay on the social and political background of the King's activities.