Here is my latest article that is closely connected to the age of King Lajos I and General Lackfi: the Hungarian superhero, Toldi Miklós...
One of the best-known works of Hungarian literature is the narrative poem “Toldi” by Arany János, and the “Toldi trilogy” (Toldi, Toldi’s Love, Toldi’s Evening). He was a great hero who served under the flags of King Lajos and King Zsigmond and had immense physical strength.
However, the biography of the real Toldi Miklós can only be partially revealed based on the sources, as only sporadic data can be found in the documentary sources. At the beginning of his career, he may have served in the family of Meggyesi Simon. He first appeared in documents in 1351 as a deputy Comes of Sáros County.
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As the archbishop’s vassal, Toldi was almost constantly in the king’s entourage. In 1359, he was commissioned by his master to fetch two lion cubs from Florence. In 1363, King Lajos I appointed Toldi to lead a campaign to defend the Holy See’s possessions. The campaign was a victory over the troops of Milan, which had invaded the papal territories.
After completing his mission, Toldi probably remained in Italy as a mercenary, for in 1365 he was one of the leaders of the so-called “White Troop” or “White Company” of English and Hungarian knights.
The complicated political situation in Italy is not discussed here, but one of the features of the fighting was that it often involved the services of mercenaries. Fortunately, the treaty of 14 January 1365, in which Cardinal Albornozi Egyed, the papal envoy, accepted the service of the ‘white troops’ for six months against the German mercenaries of Hannes Baumgarten, who was in the service of Pisa, has been preserved for our times.
In the letter of commission, the name of the English commander-in-chief was immediately followed by the name of Nicolaus comes Thodi de Ungarus (Count Thodi Miklós of Hungary), which suggests that Toldi may have been the commander of the Hungarian part of the force.
All in all 20 English and 10 Hungarian commanders took the oath after the treaty was signed, it can be concluded that one-third of the army was Hungarian.
Since the army numbered 5,000, Toldi was therefore in command of an army of about 1,600 men, of whom about 1,000 were probably well-equipped heavy cavalry soldiers. Some of the archers in the Hungarian company may have been Cuman warriors.
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You can read more on my page:
https://www.hungarianottomanwars.com/toldi-miklos-cc1320-1390/
