Abstract
In the summer of 1475, Matthias Corvinus, Stephen the Great, and Basarab Laiotă established a coalition against the Ottomans. The coalition reached a major turning point in 1477 when Wallachia was lost for good to the Ottoman Empire. Unfortunately, little is known about the way in which the events of 1477 unfolded. This is due to the limited charters and narrative sources that have survived the period. However, by placing the few known historical accounts within the epoch’s European political context, the baleful consequences that these events had on the 1475 coalition can be identified. Moreover, the importance they had for the people and “states” from both sides of the Carpathian arc can be illustrated in the same manner. The year 1477 set the premises for the geopolitical situation of Southeastern Europe and determined its political and military evolution for the upcoming decades. In the present paper, we thereby intend to present the historical context of the events from 1477 and their consequences.
Keywords
alliance, Basarab Laiotă, European policy, Hungarian Kingdom, Matthias Corvinus, Moldavia, Ottoman Empire, Stephen the Great, Wallachia
