Péter Kasza
István Brodarics (ca. 1480–1539) is one of the most famous Humanist of Hungary in the first half of the 16th century. He thanks his fame to his report written and published 1527 about the tragic defeat at Mohacs 1526. But one must not forget about his correspondence (the critical edition is going to be published in a couple of weeks), which proves not only, that he was well known among his contemporaries but definitely highlight the fact that Brodarics practically knew every VIP-person of his age: rulers, statesmen, high-priests, Humanists, and the list can be continued.
But who was this man? He definitely belonged to the leading elite of Hungary, he was representative of two Hungarian kings. Thus these mean, he was a Hungarian? On the other hand, he was born somewhere (we do not exactly know, where) in Slavonia between Drava and Sava, and he was wearing a name of Slavic origin. Thus these mean, he was a Slavic?
Did he show towards the region, between the two abovementioned rivers some specific respect, as to his homeland, or did he totally grow out of it, and did he leave it behind?
In the first half of my planned lecture I am going to answer these questions based the answers upon results of my recently finished researches. In connection to the identity of Brodarics, using his correspondence as main source, I am going to examine his signatures which can highlight what his name really was, or what form of his name can be accepted as the most probable one, and how he used it. Afterwards I am going to show his feelings about Slavonia via citations from his letters.
In the second part of the lecture my intention is to draw a picture about the Brodarics-family and the Zagrebian beginning of Brodarics’ career based upon my researches in Zagrebian archives which results has been published yet only in Hungarian.