ABSTRACT
A fundamental task confronted Ferdinand I; he had to impose upon his new subjects a common administration and the minimum requisite royal authority. Inevitably he clashed with the national traditions of the kingdoms of Hungary and Bohemia and their oligarchies who were identical with the nation and identified themselves with their personal privileges and public liberties. Having enjoyed a period of omnipotence after 1490, these oligarchies constituted a weighty opponent for the young king who, bolstered by his early successes in Austria, did not hesitate to apply the principles taught him by his grandfather Ferdinand of Aragon. Intelligent and resolute, Ferdinand I bravely tackled the problems of reorganization, creating a central government, establishing order in Bohemia and struggling to reduce the Diets' power.
