B. Alsáni, Bartholomew of Vasvár, B. Himfi, J. Kétyi
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Member of a baron family from the south, who started a church career. In 1373 he was King Louis's vice-chancellor, from 1374 to 1408 Bishop of Pécs, who was appointed cardinal by Pope Orban VI in the tenth year of his office as a bishop. For a short time he was the chancellor of the university of Pécs. He was also a diplomat of the ruler, he participated in the Turin peace treaties with Venice in 1381. He was the one who had the relics of Hermit St Paul brought over to Hungary from Venice at the request of the ruler. Some people thought that he might have been the author of Historia de translatione. His tomb is in the cathedral of Pécs.
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Bartholomew, clerk of Vasvár
The first representative of literate men, who tried to live from their knowledge acquired as a secular person. His father was the judge of Vasvár, King Ladislaus IV's privileged city. Bartholomew appeared with his magister's degree (= master) in 1306 in Kőszeg as the clerk of the office bearers of the Kőszeg family, Palatine Ivan and the keeper of the treasury, Nicholas. He served these powerful barons for three generations, he even lent big sums of money for his lords and in return he received a land gift. After this he became the clerk of the Vasvár chapter, where they had no reading canon. We do not know much about him after 1314, but it is certain that he sent his eldest son, John to study (presumably abroad) (1330). He left his estates to the chapter of Vasvár to take care of his sons. After a time John and Bartholomew became the canon of the chapter, John became the dean in 1348, then from 1350 the guardian canon. He also bore the title magister, referring to his university education.
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ban Benedict Himfi
A nobleman from the 14th century, who appeared in written sources since 1343 and died as King Louis's favourite man in 1380. He spent the majority of his adventurous life on the battlefields of his King's campaigns ( in 1376 he led an army against Venice) and performed diplomatic duties (for example, at the papal court of Avignon). The sources mention him as a court warrior or court knight from 1347, and since then he was the ispán (bailiff) of strategically important counties (from 1352 he was the captain of the Somló castle, from 1357 he was the ispán (bailiff) of Komárom, from 1358 the ispán (bailiff) of Pilis, between 1360-62 ispán (bailiff) of Szatmár, Máramaros and Ugocsa, between 1365-66 ispán (bailiff) of Krassó and Keve, between 1371-75 ispán (bailiff) of Temes and Csanád, between 1379-80 ispán (bailiff) of Pozsony, Bakony, Győr, Fejér and Komárom). During his stay in Avignon he obtained indulgences and different papal permission for himself and his family, he founded a chapel, covered the expenses of Franciscan and Dominican chapter meetings, and his confessor was a Franciscan monk (John of Buda, guardian from Sebes). He correponded with his family, friends and villeins in Latin, so he must have been a literate man. The most adventurous motif of his life was when his daughter, Margaret was captured by the Turks and sold as a slave on the island of Crete. Her father went on a pilgrimage in 1376 to find her, but Margaret Himfi got back to Hungary only after the death of her father, around 1405.
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John Kétyi
A Minorite chronicler wrote about the years of King Louis I's reign between 1345-55. A fragment of his work was included in the Buda and Dubnic Chronicles and John Thuróczy's chronicle, but the whole work, in its original form was lost. Researchers found that the author was a member of the Franciscan order, who continued the historiographic traditions of his order in his work. Some of the researchers identify the Unknown Minorite with John Kétyi (or Egri), who led the cloister school of Eger, and was the chaplain of King Louis's mother, and the confessor of the King and the Queen Mother. In 1358 he was Queen Elisabeth's minister at the Avignon court, who drew Pope John XXII's attention to himself. Untill 1363 he was the head of the order in Hungary, but then he was removed from his office because of a minor offence of property, and he may have become a parish priest at Beregszász at the end of his life. Other researches identify him with Dénes Lackfi, who was King Louis's teacher and diplomat, and Archbishop of Zagreb and Kalocsa.
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