(Communication in the Middle Ages: The Appointment of Hungarian Chaplains in Aachen)

Abstract: King Louis I of Hungary, a devout believer, built a Hungarian pilgrimage chapel (1366) near the Marian church in Aachen, where two chaplains were to serve. He provided material support to ensure the livelihood of the two clergymen. The chaplains were required to be fluent in Hungarian. Based on research of historical sources, we have identified the names of eight chaplains over a period of 86 years. The list shows that part were descendants of older German families living in Hungary. Therefore, in addition to their knowledge of Hungarian, they also had a good command of German. One of the eight, Paul Scalitzer, did not know Hungarian; he came from the Diocese of Bamberg, and his appointment did not meet the founder’s conditions, making it an exceptional case for unknown reasons. Detailed biographies of the chaplains are not well-documented, but one, Gallus of Nižné Raslavice, was the son of a royal notary and familiar, while another, Stephen of Cluj-Napoca, was a royal chaplain. The administrative process for appointing a chaplain typically took at least six months, though the case of Nicholas Brant took over two years. By the 16th century, with the rapid decline of Hungarian pilgrims, the people of Aachen found this bureaucratically lengthy process less meaningful. This paper discusses the challenges in managing the two chaplaincy positions and communication strategies in the medieval period.

Author: Nemeš, Jaroslav

DOI: 10.17846/CL.2024.17.2.31-45

Publication order reference: doc. Mgr. Jaroslav Nemeš, PhD.; Comenius University Bratislava, Faculty of Education, Department of History and History Didactics, Račianska 59, 813 34 Bratislava, Slovakia; email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; ORCID ID: 0000-0001-7015-6404, WOS Researcher ID: ABB-9212-2020, SCOPUS Author ID: 57192701437

Source: Konštantínove listy, 2024, vol.: 17, issue: 2, pages: 31-45 (PDF file)

Keywords: MIDDLE AGES, KINGDOM OF HUNGARY, MEDIEVAL PILGRIMAGE, AACHEN, HUNGARIAN CHAPEL

Language: SLOVAK

Recommended Citation:

Nemeš, Jaroslav. 2024. Komunikácia v stredoveku: Menovanie uhorských kaplánov v Aachene [Communication in the Middle Ages: The Appointment of Hungarian Chaplains in Aachen]. In Konštantínove listy [Constantine’s Letters] 17/2, 31-45.