Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary, established a royal library between 1458 and 1480.
Matthias Corvinus , also called Matthias I ( Hunyadi Mátyás , Matija Korvin , Matia Corvin , Matej Korvín , Matyáš Korvín 23 February 1443 -- 6 April 1490 ) , was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1458 to 1490 . Matthias patronized art and science ; his royal library , the Bibliotheca Corviniana , was one of the largest collections of books in Europe .