János Bánfihunyadi (; 1576 – 28 August 1646), better known by his Latinized name Johannes Banfi Hunyades or his pseudonym Hans Hungar, was a Hungarian alchemist, chemist and metallurgist. He emigrated to England in 1608 and built a reputation among the academic circles of England and Hungary, associating with such figures as the alchemist Arthur Dee, astrologer William Lilly, physician Jonathan Goddard and scientist Kenelm Digby.
Born in Nagybánya, Hungary in 1576, Banfi Hunyades took an apprenticeship in goldsmithing in his hometown. Between 1606 and 1608 he took a journey through Europe, passing through Germany and arriving in England by 1608. Upon his arrival he became a successful goldsmith in London, visiting Hungary several times before settling in England upon his marriage to Dorothy Colton in 1619, to whom he had 4 children. Banfi Hunyades kept up his contacts with several eminent Hungarian figures and, in 1633, he was invited by the Prince of Transylvania to occupy a position at his planned academy. As of 1633, Banfi Hunyades took a position at Gresham College, lecturing and experimenting in chemistry with several eminent scientists at the college until as late as 1642. In 1646, before a planned trip with Arthur Dee to Hungary in search of antimony, Banfi Hunyades died on 28 August.
Biography
Banfi Hunyades was born in 1576 in Rivulus Dominarum (Nagybánya), then part of the Kingdom of Hungary, now known as Baia Mare, Romania. He was born to Hungarian Calvinist priest and superintendent for Tiszántúl, . Benedek had written a text on the Bubonic plague in 1577 (Az mirigyhalálról való rövid ker. értelem), suggesting a family interest in science. His family was possibly descended from the noble Hunyadi family, more specifically King of Hungary Matthias Corvinus, though such reports aren't corroborated by any independent genealogical source other than his son's grave. It is more likely Bánfihunyadi is a toponymic surname, based on Benedek's birthplace of Bánffyhunyad (present-day Huedin, Romania).
Municipal records of Baia Mare indicate Banfi Hunyades owned and operated a vineyard and pressing house. He became an apprentice of goldsmithing in his birthplace, working under a coiner. As of 1606, Banfi Hunyades was in Kassa (today Košice in Slovakia), a popular destination for journeymen goldsmiths.
He soon set of on a journey through Europe, possibly passing through Rudolf II's court in the Holy Roman Empire and the court of Maurice of Hesse-Kassel. Maurice of Hesse-Kassel's court was an epicenter of occult and alchemical activity in Europe at the time, with several English alchemists and natural philosophers visiting it. It is not definitely known that he passed through either country, but a later notebook reveals a method of transmutation which he attributes to 'a certain famous and generous Bohemian lord', alongside a reference to Edward Kelley, who worked in the court of Rudolf II. Banfi Hunyades was in Germany around 1608, where he bought a Károli Bible.
Banfi Hunyades arrived to England in 1608, becoming a well off goldsmith in London, though he never joined the Goldsmith's Guild as he lived outside the City of London. In 1613, he sent a letter to his brother informing him of his position and wealth, promising to visit Nagybánya the next year and asking him to take care of his books and instruments left in Hungary. He clearly kept close links to Hungary, conversing and corresponding in Hungarian with Hungarians in London and in his home country. On 5 July 1617, he donated a lavishly bound German edition of the Hungarian Károli Bible to the Bodleian upon a visit to Oxford, as a parting gift for a trip to Hungary. George Gomori has suggested that Banfi Hunyades was at Oxford to meet with Thomas Allen, as William Lilly later received a manuscript of Allen's from Banfi Hunyades.