Portrait of King Matthias Corvinus

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Matthias Corvinus, also known as Matthias I  (23 February 1443 – 6 April 1490), ruled Hungary and Croatia from 1458 to 1490 after a series of military campaigns earned him the throne of Bohemia in 1469 and the title Duke of Austria in 1487. His father, John Hunyadi, Regent of Hungary, had passed away in 1456, leaving Matthias as his son. In 1457, Matthias was imprisoned along with his older brother, Ladislaus Hunyadi, on orders from King Ladislaus V of Hungary, who executed Ladislaus Hunyadi and sparked a rebellion that forced the King to flee Hungary. After the unexpected death of King Ladislaus, Matthias's uncle Michael Szilágyi convinced the Estates to elect Matthias king unanimously on 24 January 1458. Under his uncle's guardianship at first, Matthias quickly took control of government within two weeks as king. As ruler, Matthias launched wars against Czech mercenaries who dominated Upper Hungary and Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor, who claimed Hungary for himself. The Ottoman Empire conquered Serbia and Bosnia in this period, terminating a buffer zone along the southern frontiers of the Kingdom of Hungary. In 1463, Matthias signed a peace treaty with Frederick III, acknowledging the Emperor's right to call himself King of Hungary. The Emperor returned the Holy Crown of Hungary on April 29, 1464, which Matthias used in his coronation as king. In this same year, Matthias invaded Ottoman-held territories and seized fortresses in Bosnia before realizing he could expect no significant aid from Christian powers and abandoning his anti-Ottoman policy.