Targe with the emblem of the King of Hungary, Matthias Corvinus Obverse view

Matthias Hunyadi (1443–1490) alias Corvinus (the Crow), King of Hungary from 1458, when he was just 15 years old, died during his troops' occupation of Vienna in 1490. It was on this occasion that this emblematic targe, or pavise, was created, to be laid on the king's casket. In its center, we can see the coats of arms of the sovereign (Hungary, Bohemia, Dalmatia) and between the inscribed words ALMA DEI GENITRIX MARIA INTERPELLA PRO REGE MATI (May the venerable Mother Mary take our Lord Matthias into her care) there are the coats of arms of several dioceses and provinces of Galicia and Moravia. The targe, which is rectangular in shape, has a space created in the middle for the placement of an arm.
Matthias Corvinus was known for his many military campaigns, having been appointed a knight by his father (John Hunyadi) in 1456 during the siege of Belgrade. Furthermore, it was during his reign that Hungary had the most land ever recorded in its history. Not just a combatant, the man was also an erudite and spoke German, Italian, Romanian, and other Slavic languages, not to mention Latin, and he promoted the arts and literature. A good example of this is that he established the University of Bratislava (1465). Having died without any heirs, Matthias' empire was divided between the Austrian royals and the Ottoman Empire. Today, Matthias Corvinus is the most illustrious figure in Hungarian history and is still revered throughout the country.