The Fekete Sereg, known as Legio Nigra in latin and as the Black Army of Hungary in english, was a 15th century military unit serving under King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary. The Black Army of Hungary was one of the few standing professional military forces in Europe of the time (though Hungary did have professional border garrisons before and during the BAoH tenure). It’s service encompasses the years from 1458 to 1494 and at its peak the BAoH had up to 28,000 men. The corps was composed of mostly foreing mercenery troops (including moldavian and serbian hussars, german and polish heavy cavalry, swiss heavy infantry, and italian crossbowmen), kept on a retainer by the king with revenue from taxation. Among the corps acomplishments include being one of the biggest contemporary users of firearms (every fourth soldier in the Black Army had an arquebus while only around 10% of the soldiers of 16th century european armies did so), and highly sucessful military campaings against the Austrians, Bohemians and Ottomans.
Unfortunately, the BAoH met an untimely end with the death of King Matthias Corvinus. The noble estate of the parliament succeeded in reducing the tax burden by 70–80 percent, at the expense of the country’s ability to defend itself, thus the newly elected king Vladislaus II was unable to cover the cost of the army, leading to its disbandment in 1494. The country’s defenses sagged as border guards and castle garrisons went unpaid, fortresses fell into disrepair, and initiatives to increase taxes to reinforce defenses were stifled.
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The Fekete Sereg, known as Legio Nigra in latin and as the Black Army of Hungary in english, was a 15th century military unit serving under King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary. The Black Army of Hungary was one of the few standing professional military forces in Europe of the time (though Hungary did have professional border garrisons before and during the BAoH tenure). It’s service encompasses the years from 1458 to 1494 and at its peak the BAoH had up to 28,000 men. The corps was composed of mostly foreing mercenery troops (including moldavian and serbian hussars, german and polish heavy cavalry, swiss heavy infantry, and italian crossbowmen), kept on a retainer by the king with revenue from taxation. Among the corps acomplishments include being one of the biggest contemporary users of firearms (every fourth soldier in the Black Army had an arquebus while only around 10% of the soldiers of 16th century european armies did so), and highly sucessful military campaings against the Austrians, Bohemians and Ottomans.
Unfortunately, the BAoH met an untimely end with the death of King Matthias Corvinus. The noble estate of the parliament succeeded in reducing the tax burden by 70–80 percent, at the expense of the country’s ability to defend itself, thus the newly elected king Vladislaus II was unable to cover the cost of the army, leading to its disbandment in 1494. The country’s defenses sagged as border guards and castle garrisons went unpaid, fortresses fell into disrepair, and initiatives to increase taxes to reinforce defenses were stifled.
I mean, it was a tad bit expensive.
is this scene from a movie?