Tinódi történeti hitelességének kérdéséhez: kortárs beszámoló a „szalkai viadalról”
On the Historical Accuracy of Tinódi: a Contemporary Report about the Encounter of Szalka

Summary/Abstract: The poem by Sebestyén Tinódi called “About the Encounter on the Plain of Szalka” commemorated the victory won by the Hungarian border troops over the Ottoman Turks in the region of Ipolyszalka on 9 September 1544. The author of the present paper has recently found a contemporary report, namely a letter written by Tamás Dalmady to the judge of Selmecbánya, which, narrating the very subject of the poem, has made it possible to confront the two sources with each other. Before this analysis is done, the historical context is sketched, namely the Ottoman offensive in Northern Hungary in the summer and fall of 1544, as well as the landowning society of the region introduced, and the series of events reconstructed as precisely as possible. The comparison of the report and the poem has revealed important divergences and differences as regards the events themselves, the chronology, the actors and the troops involved in the battle. The analysis of the individual differences highlights those personal incentives that motivated Tinódi in writing the poem. This is important not only because a forgotten victory is concerned, but also because the analysis gets us closer to both the working methods and personality of Tinódi himself.

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