Erzsébet Szilágyi (, c. 1410–1483) was a Hungarian noblewoman, wife of

John Hunyadi John Hunyadi (; ; ; ; ; – 11 August 1456) was a leading Kingdom of Hungary, Hungarian military and political figure during the 15th century, who served as Regent of Hungary, regent of the Kingdom of Hungary (1301–1526), Kingdom of Hungary ...

and mother of

Matthias Corvinus Matthias Corvinus (; ; ; ; ; ) was King of Hungary and King of Croatia, Croatia from 1458 to 1490, as Matthias I. He is often given the epithet "the Just". After conducting several military campaigns, he was elected King of Bohemia in 1469 and ...

King of Hungary The King of Hungary () was the Monarchy, ruling head of state of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1000 (or 1001) to 1918. The style of title "Apostolic King of Hungary" (''Magyarország apostoli királya'') was endorsed by Pope Clement XIII in 1758 ...

. Elizabeth was the daughter of

Ladislaus Szilágyi Ladislaus Szilágyi (; born at the end of the 14th century) was a Hungarian nobleman, general, captain of the fortress of Bradics, Sources *Fraknói Vilmos: Michael Szilágyi, The uncle of King Matthias (Bp., 1913) *W.Vityi Zoltán: King Matth ...

and

Catherine Bellyéni Katherine (), also spelled Catherine and other variations, is a feminine given name. The name and its variants are popular in countries where large Christian populations exist, because of its associations with one of the earliest Christian sa ...

, members of two influential Hungarian families of the 15th century that were loyal to the King

Sigismund of Hungary Sigismund of Luxembourg (15 February 1368 – 9 December 1437) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1433 until his death in 1437. He was elected King of Germany (King of the Romans) in 1410, and was also King of Bohemia from 1419, as well as prince-elect ...

. She had several siblings, including

Mihály Szilágyi Mihály () is a Hungarian masculine given name. It is a cognate of the English Michael and may refer to: * Mihály András (1917–1993), Hungarian cellist, composer, and academic teacher * Mihály Apafi (1632–1690), Hungarian Prince of Transy ...

, who had an important role after the death of Elizabeth's husband,

. Hunyadi was the regent of the Kingdom of Hungary and supreme commander of the armies, an excellent fighter, that counted with the favor of the

Pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

for confronting the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

. He was the most powerful nobleman of the Kingdom had huge estates and hundreds of lower noblemen that supported him. After his death in 1456, his older son

Ladislaus Hunyadi László Hunyadi or Ladislaus Hunyadi ( Slovak: ''Ladislav Huňady''; 1431Bánhegyi 2008, p. 17. – 16 March 1457) was a Hungarian nobleman. Ladislaus Hunyadi was the elder of the two sons of John Hunyadi, voivode of Transylvania and later reg ...

became the head of the House of Hunyadi, however after murdering Count Ulrich von Cilli, the counselor of the King

Ladislaus V Ladislaus V, more commonly known as Ladislaus the Posthumous (; ; ; ; 22 February 144023 November 1457), was Duke of Austria and King of Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia. He was the posthumous son of Albert of Habsburg with Elizabeth of Luxembourg. ...

of Hungary, he was executed. Then Elizabeth's only son

Matthias Corvinus of Hungary Matthias Corvinus (; ; ; ; ; ) was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1458 to 1490, as Matthias I. He is often given the epithet "the Just". After conducting several military campaigns, he was elected King of Bohemia in 1469 and adopted the tit ...

was taken to

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

by the young King, who feared for his life before the instability caused by the execution of Ladislaus Hunyadi.

and Elizabeth founded

Szilágyi – Hunyadi Liga Szilágyi – Hunyadi Leaguehttps://www.rubicon.hu/magyar/oldalak/1458_oktober_8_matyas_kiraly_elfogatja_szilagyi_mihaly_kormanyzot/, 19 March 2015 was a movement led by Michael Szilágyi and his sister Erzsébet Szilágyi, created with the obje ...

and became the leaders of this Liga, and after the sudden death of King Ladislaus (possibly poisoned), she negotiated the release of Matthias, who was soon elected as King of Hungary in 1458. After this, Elizabeth became the mother of the King, and continued being a great influence in the Kingdom. Matthias had an illegitimate son in 1473, and soon was sent to the estates of his grandmother, who raised him with the best teachers of the Kingdom. The illegitimate

John Corvinus John Corvinus (, Croatian language, Croatian: ''Ivaniš Korvin'', Romanian language, Romanian: ''Ioan Corvin''; 2 April 1473 – 12 October 1504) was the illegitimate son of Matthias Corvinus of Hungary, Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary, and his ...

never became King of Hungary after the death of Matthias because of the pressure of the noblemen and the widow of the monarch, but enjoyed titles and properties, fighting the Turkish armies until the end of his life as his grandfather and father did before. His grandmother Elizabeth lived in

Óbuda Óbuda (, ) is, together with Buda and Pest, one of the three cities that were unified to form the Hungarian capital city of Budapest in 1873. Today, together with Békásmegyer, Óbuda forms a part of the city's third district, although the to ...

most of his life, and founded several monasteries and chapels, following her deeply religious beliefs. She died around 1483.Schönherr Gyula: Hunyadi Corvin János : 1473-1504, Budapest, Magyar Történelmi Társulat, 1894.

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Szilagyi, Erzsebet Erzsebet 1410s births 1483 deaths Hunyadi family 15th-century Hungarian women 15th-century Hungarian nobility Hungarian queen mothers Mothers of Austrian monarchs Mothers of Bohemian monarchs