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David Szabo

aka Balázs Magyar

I've been standing here in the middle of the main square of Cluj-Napoca for 120 years, but you probably don't know me yet. Let me introduce myself to you!

My name is Magyar Balázs. Historians say that I was one of King Mathias’ best warlords, which is completely true. Who could find a better warlord? My problem is that more people know my daughter’s husband Kinizsi Pál than me. Yes, I’m a little bit jealous.

My date of birth is unknow. Unfortunately, I don't know it either, because Alzheimer's found me in these last few hundred years. Maybe my native village was Mera, but I don't remember that either because of the Alzheimer.

I don’t remember much from my childhood, only that I played a lot with my little brother Kelemen. Once I realized that I was fighting in Hunyadi János’s army. After he died, I and Mathias continued fighting against the Hussites. Of course, I led the army.

Later Mathias enrolled the best defeated and still living Hussite soldiers into the Black Army of Hungary. They say that in Mathias’ time it was stronger than NATO is nowadays.

Then, in 1468, I went all the way to Moravia on an expedition. Between 1482 and 1483, I got the position of Croatian-Slavonian ban. Between 1473 and 1475, I was also a voivod of Translylvania.

I was and am so loyal to Mathias that I also died in the year of Mathias’ death, in 1490. If you go to the main square of Cluj-Napoca, you can see that I’m still looking up at him. But now my legs are tired, because I have been standing there for hundreds of years, and even the flag of Bosnia is pretty heavy in my hand. Even if my legs and hands hurt, I’m here to show people an example of loyalty.

After I died, my daughter Benigna and her husband got everything that I owned. But this is another story. I will let Kinizsi tell it.

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