During the reign of Sigismund, the feudal lords again intensified, the Croats generally postponed with the support of Vladislav Neapolitansky and Tvrtko I, King of Bosnia. In 1395, Sigismund made a decisive blow to the Croats, after which he led a crusade against the Turks, who by that time had begun to raid the lands of the southern vassals of Hungary. However, on September 25, 1396, the Turks led by Bayazid I in the Battle of Nicopolis routed the army of the crusaders. After this, feudal anarchy in Hungary continued, the Croats again got out of control, Vladislav in 1403 in Zagreb laid the Hungarian crown on himself. The war ended in 1409: Sigismund retained the throne, and in 1410 he won the title emperor of the “Holy Roman Empire”. After getting crowned, he was much more engaged in German affairs, as well as the struggle against the Hussites in the Czech Republic. However, the Hungarians were proud of the imperial title of Sigismund and no longer tried to overthrow him from the throne. But from the south, the Turks began to threaten the Hungarians, who had already conquered Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania and made devastating raids on Bosnia, Wallachia, and Serbia.
In-law and heir Sigismund Albert ruled briefly (1438-1439) and later died, leaving his son Ladislaus the V. But the belligerent party called on the throne of the young king of Poland, Władysław III, and in 1440 the party crowned him under the name Władysław – hoping that he would successfully lead the fight against the Turks, who had already besieged Belgrade the same year. The main allies of Władysław were the two tycoons – Miklos Uylaki and Janosh Hunyadi, the son of a Wallachian; relying on them, Władysław defeated the supporters of Władysław of Habsburg, then led a new crusade against the Turks (1443-1444). Initially, the campaign was successful, the Turks were forced to make peace, agreeing to the recognition of the independence of Albania and Serbia. But supporters of the war were outraged, they demanded the liberation of Bulgaria. They persuaded the young king to break the peace and resume the march. In 1444, Sultan Murad II inflicted a complete defeat on the crusaders at the Battle of Varna, Władysław fell in battle, and the Turkish raids resumed.
Supporters of Władysław compromised with the German Emperor Frederick III Habsburg. Ladislaus the V was recognized king of Hungary (1444-1457), and Janos Hunyadi – regent (1446-1452). The young Ladislaus V until 1453 was in Austria, in fact at the full disposal of Frederick III, and Hungary, weakened by the raids of the Turks, continued to remain in a state of interregnum. The party of Ladislaus V was supported by the Czech commander Jan Gishkra , who subjugated the whole of Slovakia, an ally of the Hussite Czech Republic. In 1453, Ladislaus V finally became the king of Hungary, with his rival Janos Hunyadi, the Slovenian count, began to rule. Hunyadi continued to rule in the south, reflecting the raids of the Turks, often on his own. In 1456 he defeated the Turkish Sultan Mehmed II the Conqueror with a crushing defeat in the battle of Belgrade. However, John Hunyadi soon died from the plague. His eldest son Ladislaus Hunyadi killed Ulrike Zillah and in turn was killed by King Ladislaus the V. Hunyadi’s widow and his brother-in-law, Mihai Siladja , revolted; Ladislaus V, fearing the vengeance of the Hunyadi family, fled to Prague, capturing the younger son Janos, 14-year-old Matthias Hunyadi, as a prisoner. But in November 1457, King Ladislaus V himself died from the epidemic, his line was cut short, the throne of Hungary was vacant. The loud glory of Janos Hunyadi prompted the small nobility and citizens in January 1458 to declare Matthias king, during which the Hungarian kingdom experienced the last period of its heyday.
Matthias I Hunyadi (1458-1490) was nicknamed Korvin (Raven), as this bird was depicted on his coat of arms. Matthias was a tireless warrior, a good ruler and an educated patron of the arts. The first years of his reign were among the strife and struggle of the warring factions of the feudal lords, the main rivals were the leader of the barons Mihai Siladi and the Archbishop of Estergom, the educator and humanist, the Croatian Janosh Vitez. Together, Matthias and Vitez created a regular army – the Black Army. Matthias Korvin successfully repelled the raids of the Turks, who by 1459 finally conquered Serbia, and in 1463 – Bosnia. In 1464, Matthias took away the key Bosnian fortress, Jajce, but the death of Pope Pius II in the same year put an end to hopes of organizing a European crusade against the Ottomans.
This prompted Matthias to put forward a new strategy to fight the Turks – creating a strong monarchy on the Danube, including the neighboring Christian countries. Therefore, Korvin moved the center of gravity of his foreign policy to the west. Since his wife Catalina died in 1464, the union between the Czech Republic and Hungary weakened. In 1466 Matthias unleashed against George of Poděbrady, the so-called Bohemian War (1466-1478). During this war, Moravia and Silesia were annexed to Hungary; Podebrady’s successor – Vladislav Jagiellon, son of the Polish king Casimir IV – kept only the Czech Republic and Lusatias. In 1482, Matthias began the war against the German Emperor Frederick III and in 1485 took Vienna, taking away their hereditary possessions from the Habsburgs. Austria, Styria and Carinthia passed under the authority of Korvin. The court “Chronica Hungarorum” Janos Turochi announced the Hungarians as the descendants of the Huns, and Korvin- the “second Attila”.
Hungary under King Matthias I experienced an unprecedented cultural heyday, the royal library became the largest in Europe. In 1476, Matthias married the daughter of the King of Neapolitan Ferrante I – Beatrice; she was popular among the people, andencouraged the King’s educational activities. At the request of Beatrice, Matthias sent General Balasch to Italy, who in 1481 took the city of Otranto away from the Turks. However, the marriage with Beatrice was overshadowed by the absence of sons, as a result Matthias decided to give the throne to his illegitimate son Janos Korvin. But the magnates did not want his coronation and nominated Vladislav Jagiellon King of the Czech Republic. In 1490, Janos Korvin was defeated at the Battle of Mount Chont and reconciled himself to the choice of the magnates, receiving the title of Duke of Slavonia.