These toy figures armed for the joust of war were the gift of Emperor Maximilian I, who gave them to the future King Lajos (Louis) II, his adopted son. Louis, King of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia was the one who died in the Battle of Mohács in 1526 when he was just 20 years old. Let’s dig a bit deeper.
Emperor Maximilian
Who is the Hungarian? A 500-Year-Old Question with a Tricky Answer
What does it mean to be Hungarian? Is it a matter of blood, language, or birthplace? Is it a legal definition or a feeling in the heart?
This isn’t just a modern question for poets and politicians. It’s a question that once determined who could wear the Crown of St. István (Stephen), and it was fiercely debated in a field in Hungary over 500 years ago.
The Decree on the Rákos Field
In 1505, facing a potential succession crisis and the looming threat of the Habsburg dynasty, the Hungarian Diet (parliament) met on the Rákos field near Pest. They passed a famous resolution, a desperate attempt to protect national sovereignty. It declared that after the death of King Ulászló (Vladislaus) II, the Hungarians could only elect a “native king.”
But what did “native” mean? The decree was specific. The rightful king must be someone who:
1. Was born in Hungary.
2. Spoke the Hungarian language.
3. Had Hungarian ancestors.
On the surface, this seems clear. It was a powerful statement of national identity, designed to exclude foreign princes, particularly the Habsburgs.
The Habsburg Counter-Argument
The target of this law, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I, was a master of political gamesmanship. Instead of ignoring the decree, he did something brilliant: he argued that he, in fact, met all the criteria.
His argument went like this:
1. Birthplace: “I was born in Bécsújhely (Wiener Neustadt),” he said. “And during the reign of your great King Matthias Corvinus, that city was under Hungarian control. Therefore, I was born within the lands of the Hungarian Crown.”
2. Language: “I speak Hungarian.” While Maximilian was a polyglot, this was likely a serious stretch. He probably knew a few phrases and commands, enough for a political claim but not for a true conversation.
3. Ancestry: “I have Hungarian ancestors.” This was his strongest point. Through complex dynastic marriages, he could indeed trace his bloodline back to the Árpád dynasty, the original Hungarian royal house.
So, was he right? It was a mixture of legalistic trickery, half-truths, and one solid fact. His real goal wasn’t to convince the Hungarian nobility that he was a true Magyar, but to create enough of a legal pretext to justify his family’s ambition.
Toys and Tragedy: A Personal Reflection
The Habsburgs’ political maneuvering often felt cold and distant from the real fate of Hungary. A poignant symbol of this is a gift from Emperor Maximilian I to the young boy who would become King Lajos (Louis) II of Hungary. In the picture here, you can see medieval toy knights, given by Maximilian to his adopted son, the future king.
It is a heartbreaking image when you know what was to come. Lajos (Louis), King of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia, died in the Battle of Mohács in 1526 at the age of 20. I can’t help but think: I wish the Habsburgs had sent real soldiers to him when he grew up, instead of toy knights when he was a child.
Unfortunately, the young, brave king, whose queen, Habsburg Maria, had sent him against the Ottomans, received no real soldiers from his Austrian relatives before the battle. Yet, after his death, the German mercenaries of Emperor Charles V., right after the Sack of Rome in 1527, hurried to Hungary to support Habsburg Ferdinand’s claim to the Hungarian throne.
And in a way, this answers my question: who is the Hungarian? He who loves his country and is willing to die for it. Lajos (Louis) II, for all his flaws and his short life, made that ultimate sacrifice for his kingdom.
You can watch the animated video of the Battle of Mohács with English subtitles here:
The figures in the picture were made around 1505 in Mühlau near Innsbruck, Austria. Each bronze figure is 11 cm high and 6.5 cm wide and can be found in the Kunsthistorisches Museum of Vienna, Austria.
King Lajos (Louis) II of Hungary (1506-1526) as a child
Late medieval and early modern toys are rare. Each of these toys has a horse, mounted onto a base plate with functioning spoked wheels, and a rider riveted to the saddle, allowing it to tilt backward when struck by an opponent’s lance.
Toy knights
Such a game is depicted in Hans Burgkmair’s well-known woodcut from the chapter on the education of a young prince in the book called Weisskunig. The book emphasizes the importance of tournaments as models of combat in the education of noble boys.
These toys are thought to have been commissioned for Maximilian’s grandsons, Charles V and Ferdinand I, to whom the Weisskunig was dedicated.
Charles V. meets Ferdinand at Worms in 1527
We know that Maximilian also ordered two similar toys for young King Louis II of Hungary in 1516 from armorer Kolman Helmshmid, demonstrating his personal interest in the education of his descendants.
The Sallet of King Louis II
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