Saint John Capistran and Despot George Brankovic: An Impossible Compromise

The article deals primarily with the failed attempt of Saint John Capistran to win over the Serbian Despot George Brankovic to the Catholic faith on the eve of the planned crusade against the Ottomans that resulted in the defense of Belgrade in 1456. This episode, which took place during the meeting of the two at the diet of the Hungarian Kingdom in Gyor in June 1455, is studied here through the protagonists' correspondence as well as through contemporary chronicles and other relevant sources. The subsequent indirect relationship between Capistran and Brankovic is followed until the time of the Franciscan's death. The author also considers the broader context of historical relations between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches in the middle Danube region at that time.