The Crossing Itineraries of John of Capestrano and John Hunyadi, 1455–1456

The present article reconstructs from a comparative perspective the itineraries of John Hunyadi and the Franciscan John of Capestrano (1386–1456), from their encounter in Győr (June 1455) to the death of the former governor in Zemun, near Belgrade, on 11 August 1456. The older scholarship on the subject is integrated with fresh information from new editions of Capestrano’s correspondence, Franciscan sources left unexplored by historical research, and a closer examination of the already-known documentation. The result is a much clearer and more coherent picture of the itineraries of the two historical figures, which modifies or completes the data already known. The comparative perspective, which emphasizes the relations between the two leaders, proves particularly useful for the periods when their itineraries overlap, such as during their joint journey through the eastern and the southern regions of the Hungarian kingdom (December 1455-January 1456), which has allowed the identification of stops that were previously unknown (such as Turda and Hațeg). The extraordinary mobility of the two personalities and the need to organize truly mobile “chancelleries” are discussed in the same comparative key. From a methodological point of view, the study is intended as a reflection on the need to overcome the limitations of the biographical approach in studying itineraries, especially by integrating contemporary tools from the digital humanities.