Nicolaus Olahus (Latin for Nicholas, the Vlach; ; ); 10 January 1493 – 15 January 1568) was the Archbishop of Esztergom, Primate of Hungary, and a distinguished Catholic prelate, humanist and historiographer.
Early life
Nicolaus Olahus was born in Nagyszeben (now Sibiu, Romania). His father, Stephen (, ), a nephew of John Hunyadi, Voivode of Transylvania, was of Romanian descent from his father's side. His mother was Barbara () Huszár. He was a cousin of Matthias Corvinus.
His autobiographical notes and correspondence shed light about how he lived his life. After his studies at Chapter School of Várad (now Oradea, Romania) from 1505 to 1512, he became a page at the court of Ladislaus II. Shortly afterwards, he chose an ecclesiastical career, and was ordained a priest in 1516 or 1518.
While acting as secretary to George Szatmári, Bishop of Pécs, he was appointed a canon of that chapter. In 1522, he became the Archdeacon of Komárom. He was given a secretarial position to the King Louis II in 1526, but was transferred to the service of Mary of Habsburg later on. After the battle of Mohács, Olahus chose to side with the party of King Ferdinand I, but retained his position with the queen-dowager.