Rise of the Raven

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• Iasiman schrieb am 30.07.2026, 06.56 Uhr:

  Rise of the Raven – ultra‑patriotic fiction packaged as history
  
  Rise of the Raven is not history; it is filmed national mythology. The series starts from a real figure — John Hunyadi ( romanian: Ioan de Hunedoara, german: Johann Hunyadi ) — but turns him into a pure Hungarian archetype, a spotless knight, a “raven hero” who single‑handedly saves Europe. The problem? Medieval reality doesn’t fit this narrative, so the screenwriters carve away everything that doesn’t serve the myth.
  
  The first casualty is Hunyadi’s identity. Serious historians — Hungarian, Romanian, German — agree that the Hunyadi family had Romanian paternal origins, and that their rise came from the mixed, layered nobility of Transylvania. The series ignores this entirely, because a national hero must be “pure,” not “transylvanian , romanian and mixed.”
  
  The second casualty is Vlad Țepeș ( Vlad the Impaler,  aka Dracula ). Instead of the anti‑Ottoman ruler, member of the Order of the Dragon, military ally of Hunyadi, and placed on the romanian Wallachian throne with Hunyadi’s support, the series gives us a “sultan’s right hand,” an exotic ornament designed to make the Hungarian knight shine brighter. It’s a deliberate distortion: the audience needs an exotic antagonist, and Țepeș is perfect for the role of “dark foil.”
  Reality is the opposite: Vlad Țepeș was a co‑author of anti‑Ottoman campaigns, not an obedient vassal.
  
  The third casualty is the geopolitical context. The show simplifies everything into a Hollywood scheme: “Hungarians defend Europe, Romanians are ambiguous, Turks are monsters.” In the 15th century, alliances were fluid, and Romanians, Hungarians, Saxons, and Serbs often fought together. But complexity doesn’t help ratings, so it gets erased.
  
  The fourth casualty is military truth. Hunyadi was an exceptional strategist, but not a superhero. He lost battles, made compromises, negotiated with the Ottomans when necessary. The series turns him into a video‑game character with absolute morality and guaranteed victory.
  
  The fifth casualty is Vlad Dracul (Țepeș’s father). The film portrays him as a “gipsy‑like traitor,” a dark figure kissing the sultan’s ring. In reality, Dracul was a knight of the Order of the Dragon, an ally of Sigismund of Luxembourg, and fought against the Ottomans. But you can’t have two heroes in the same show, so one must be degraded.
  
  The sixth casualty is medieval Transylvania. The series presents it as an exclusively Hungarian space, ignoring reality: Romanian majority, Saxon urban centers, mixed nobility, and southern influences. It’s a narrative ethnic cleansing, not history.
  
  The seventh casualty is genealogy. Hunyadi is presented as “the son of the Hungarian nation,” although genealogically he was the product of a mixed world. The series cannot accept this, because national myths require simplicity, not nuance.
  
  The eighth casualty is the relationship between Vlad Țepeș and Hunyadi. In reality, they were strategic partners, not enemies. The show turns them into polar opposites to create dramatic tension. It’s an artistic choice, not a historical one.
  
  The ninth casualty is the audience. Hungarians get an absolute hero, Romanians get an exotic villain, and the rest of Europe gets a spectacle. It’s entertainment, not history.
  
  The tenth casualty is the truth itself. The series is not obliged to be historical, but it presents itself as such. That’s the problem: fiction becomes “popular truth,” while real history becomes an inconvenient detail.
  
  Rise of the Raven is a well‑made, spectacular production, but it has no obligation to reality. It is ultra‑patriotic fiction, built on a familiar scheme: the shining Hungarian hero, the dark Romanian, the monstrous Turk. Real history is far more interesting — and far harder to digest. And the Hungarian filmmakers… simply cannot resist.
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• Martina schrieb am 16.11.2025, 14.19 Uhr:

  Na das war mal ein saftiger ungarischer Historienschinken! Ich hätte nicht gedacht, dass mir die Serie gefallen würde, aber sie war definitiv das Beste, was ich dieses Jahr in diesem Genre gesehen habe! Natürlich hat das Ganze einen politischen Beigeschmack. Die Ungarn als Türsteher Europas gegen die einfallenden Muslime. Aber wenn man das ausblenden kann, darf man sich von der Qualität dieser europäischen Produktion ruhig beeindruckt zeigen. Kulissen, Kostüme, Schlachten – da steckt Geld drin.
  Schadet auch nicht, dass der Hauptdarsteller lecker aussieht und die Romantik ihren (geringen) Anteil hat.
  Historisch gesehen ist natürlich vieles nicht korrekt, aber wichtige Eckpunkte der Geschichte werden behandelt und insgesamt einige Jahrzehnte entsprechend zusammengefasst.
  Schade, dass die Buchvorlage bisher nicht ins Deutsche übersetzt wurde. Hätte mich interessiert. Die Geschichte von Hunyadis Sohn Matthias Corvinus, später König von Ungarn, böte Stoff für eine zweite Staffel.
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• User 1656114 schrieb am 18.06.2025, 19.56 Uhr:

  Ordentlich gemachte ungarische Serie über die Kriege von Christen gegen Moslems im 15 Jahrhundert u.a. in Ungarn und Serbien. Es spielen einige Darsteller mit, die man aus österreichischen Serien schon kennt. Ansonsten gibt es viele Kampfszenen, bei denen man teilweise schon sieht, dass das Budget geringer war, als in Amiserien, was mich jetzt aber nicht so gestört hat. Schöne Kostüme und ein ordentliches Drehbuch runden das Ganze ab. 3,5 von 5
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