The Anatomy of a Political Assassination: The Assassination of Cardinal György Fráter (Martinuzzi) and its Consequences

Kanász, Viktor (2019) The Anatomy of a Political Assassination: The Assassination of Cardinal György Fráter (Martinuzzi) and its Consequences. FOLIA HISTORICA CRACOVIENSIA, 25 (1). pp. 83-109. ISSN 0867-8294

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Abstract

On 17 December 1551 on the grounds of alleged treason, soldiers of Chief Sergeant Sforza Pallavicini and Giovanni Battista Castaldo, the head of Fer­dinand I’s army, killed the Pauline monk, Archbishop of Esztergom, and Vo­ivode and Governor of Transylvania, Primate György Fráter (Martinuzzi/ Utyaszenich) in his castle at Alvinc. It all happened after the monarch himself had recommended Fráter, one of the most prestigious politicians of the contemporary Kingdom of Hungary, for the red hat to Pope Julius III. This controversial act created a stir throughout the Christian world, and it had an effect on not only the subsequent history of the Kingdom of Hungary, but also on the relations between the Habsburgs and the papacy, as Ferdinand I was only tempora­rily absolved from excommunication. Regarding the murder, an investiga­tion was launched headed by Nuncio Girolamo Martinengo, during which 139 statements were recorded and numerous letters and letter extracts were collected, which form a unique source collection on the relations between Hungary, the Habsburg Empire and the papacy. As well, they provide the opportunity to explore not only the life of Fráter, but also Hungary’s con­temporary internal politics, its relations with the Habsburgs and the Otto­man Empire, the informational channels, and finally the subjects’ farming methods. The investigation was closed in 1555 with the final exoneration of Ferdinand and his soldiers. The paper introduces the reasons for the assas­sination, the death of György Fráter and the ensuing investigation of the Holy See.

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