he Corvins’ Castle

Welcome to the fortress of Hunedoara, that became the castle of the

most pre-eminent king of the medieval - Matia Corvin.
The monument has a special glamour due to its different construction
styles, the presence of military and civil innovations as well as for the
impetuous court life that animated it for more than 400 years.
 The Corvins' Castle impresses by the presence that dominates the
city of Hunedoara. For those ones attracted by the Middle Age, the
Corvins' Castle represents an unique monument in Romania and one of
the most interesting in Europe.
 The Corvins’ Castle is located in Romania, the southwestern part of
Transylvania, the Center of Hunedoara County, the southwestern part of the
town, on the last eastern ramifications of Poiana Rusca Mountains.
The Corvins’ Castle has the following position as absolute co-ordinates: 45°
44’ northern latitude and 45° 44’ eastern latitude.
• History …
 • Ioan of Hunedoara (owner of the castle
between 1419 and 1456)
(Johannes de Hunyad) (the owner of the castle
since 1419 to 1456) is one of the most important
political and military leaders of the 15th century
Europe. Ioan of Hunedoara entered in the service of
King Sigismund of Luxemburg. He was appointed as
Ban of Severin, then Governor of Transylvania. Among
the most important military campaigns against the
Ottomans are “The Long Campaign” between October
1443 and February 1444 (in Serbia, Bulgaria and
Herzegovina). The battle at Varna (1444) when king
Vladislav died represented the moment when Ioan of
Hunedoara became one of the most important
characters in the Hungarian kingdom.
In 1446 he was elected Governor of Hungary and protector of the new
child-king Ladislau the 5th). In 1448 he was defeated in the battle of
Kosovopolje (Serbia). But the most important was the battle at Belgrad, in
1456 against the Sultan Muhammad the 2nd (conqueror of Constantinopole).
The Sultan was forced to abandon the offensive to the Western Europe. Ioan
of Hunedoara died of plague soon after this battle, in August 11.
• Ladislau (owner of the castle
between 1456 and 1457)
The oldest son of Ioan of Hunedoara
and Elisabeth Szilagyi. He had a short
military career.
He was Captain of Bratislava (1452),
Slavian – Croatian Ban (1453), Ban of
Timiºoara (1456-1457). He was the victim of
the internal crisis that followed after the
death of his father.
• Matthew Corvin (owner of the castle
between 1457 and 1482)
The latin name is Matthias
Corvinus (1443-1490), king of
Hungary between 1458 and 1490, son
of Ioan of Hunedoara and Elisabeth
Szilagyi. He succeeded on the
Hungarian throne to Ladislau the 5th.
During his times the kingdom was
at its greatest territorial extent. In the
same time, the Matia’s court at Buda
became one of the most important
European cultural centers. He
founded the famous library “Corvina”
and intensified the exchanges
between universitary institutions. He
created a strong army of mercenaries
(the Black Knights). Towards the end
of his life he appointed Stefan
Szapolyai governor of the conquered
territories in Austria.
• Ioan Corvin (owner of the castle between
between 1482 and 1504)

Matia Corvin’s illegitimate

son. He claimed the throne of
Hungary. Matia Corvin donated
him the domain of Hunedoara and
Ioan Corvin became the perpetual
count of Hunedoara. Other
nobiliary titles: count of Bistrita,
Ban of Croatia, Slovenia and
Dalmatia. After his death and the
death of his children the family of
Hunedoara died out on the
paternal side.
•Beatrix de Frangepan (1506)
Ioan Corvin of Hunedoara’s widow, remarried to George of
Brandenburg.

•George of Brandenburg (1506-1526)

He inherited the vast properties of the Corvin Family. Marcgraf of
Brandenburg and protector of the king of Hungary, he participated
actively to putting down the revolt lead by Gheorghe Doja. He sold the
castle to the Török Family, the owner of the castle until 1613.

•Enyengy Török Gaspar and Nicolae

•Balint Török
•Ioan and Francisc Török
•Ioan Török junior
•Stefan Török
•Catalina Török
•Gabriel
Bethlen (1605,
1613-1629)
Prince of
Transylvania and Partium
and Count of the Szeklers. He
brought the greatest changes
to the castle, those ones
inspired by late Renaissance.
•Stefan Bethlen (1629)
•Stefan and Petru Bethlen (1630-1646)
•Stefan Bethlen (1646-1648)
•Catalina Bethlen, married Zolyomi
(1648-1666)
•Nicolae and Maria Zolyomi, the latest
married Bárkoczy(1666-1671)

•Mihail Apaffy I
      Prince of Transylvania from 1661
•Emeric Tököly
                                          Count
and prince of Hungary. He orders the
inventory of the castle
worked out by Bajoni Janos,
an important document
regarding the court life and
castle’s history.

•Mihail Apaffy the II nd

•Catalina Apaffy (1713-1724)
•Austrian State (1724-1867)
•Austrian - Hungary State
(1867- 1918)

•Romanian State (1918- up to the

present day)
•The legend of the
raven
The legend of well
 On the coat of arm of the Corvin family is carved a raven with a
golden ring in its beak. This family symbol has a legend. It is said that
Ioan of Hunedoara was the illegitimate son of king Sigismund of
Luxemburg of Hungary and his mother was Elisabeta, a very beautiful
woman from the Haþeg region. In order not to dishonor her, the king
married Elisabeta to one of his knights, Voicu. Sigismund also gave
her a ring, as a gift for the unborn child, which will help him to be
recognized when he will go to the royal court.
During a trip of the family, when they halted for lunch, the ring
was forgotten on a side of the towel were the food was placed. A
raven, attracted by the shining of the ring stole it. Ioan of Hunedoara
takes a bow, strokes the raven down and gets his ring back. When
Ioan grew up and got to the royal court tells this story and the king,
impressed by it, decides that the family’s symbol shall be the raven
with a golden ring in its beak.
Moreover, the Corvins’ Family name comes from the Latin word
“Corvus” which means “Raven”.
•Curiosi
ties
 •Cinema
productions
The Corvins’ Castle
was a host and a subject for
many prestigious cinema
productions (artistic movies,
documentary movies or
advertising spots), here being
filmed famous moments of the
Romanian or Universal History
(“François Villon”, “Vlad
Þepeº”, “Mihai Viteazul”,
“Alexandru Lãpuºneanu”,
“Michelangelo Buonarotti”,
“The Damned Kings”, “Vlad”,
“Jacqou le Croquat”, “Blood
Rayne”, “Martin Luther”,
“Henry the 8th”).
 Which are the criteria that make the Corvins’ Castle an interesting
choice for the movie producers?
The monument’s integrality, the generosity of the areas within the
precincts and the protected area of the monument, the architecture and the
related services offered by the urban environment and optionally by the rural
one, located in the vicinity of the castle, environment that preserves
relatively well its traditions.
 The advantages of movie
productions in Hunedoara are
multiple and immediate. Mainly, it
is about the financial benefits
obtained by the castle, which will
lead to the museum’s self-
financing status as well as
additional resources that can be
used to the restoration works.
Also, the economic agents have
benefits by offering quality
services for accommodation and
meal demands related to the
movie teams.
Until now the movie
production represented the only
way through which, for a short
time, the castle is revived with
medieval life.
• Christmas at the
Castle with us
 •An unique
castle
The uniqueness of the monument in Hunedoara consists in the
representativeness of the military 15th century architecture in
southeastern Europe. The most developed civil architectural
elements are here combined. The Western Palace is built following a
French model. This is an unique space in the Hungarian kingdom
and it shows the greatness and the social and financial power of the
Corvin family.
The 17th century constructions are other elements that
transform the castle into a singular one. Also the restoration woks in
the 19th century, together with all the other works named so far, offer
to the visitor a mixture of architectural elements that belong to the
gothic, Renaissance, baroque and neogothic styles.
 General School no. 12
Hunedoara City,
Hunedoara County,
Romania

teacher Adriana Mihai