A Glimpse of Hungary's History
There is no other country in Europe that has been so much wronged when written about as Hungary. This is not to be wondered at, as both the language and…
Note: This article has been excerpted from a larger work in the public domain and shared here due to its historical value. It may contain outdated ideas and language that do not reflect TOTA’s opinions and beliefs.
“A Glimpse of Hungary's History” from Peeps at Many Lands: Hungary by H. Tornai de Kövër, 1911.
There is no other country in Europe that has been so much wronged when written about as Hungary. This is not to be wondered at, as both the language and race differ greatly from the other nations dispersed over Europe, and as a fighting people the Hungarians always made and had plenty of enemies. The origin of this undoubtedly Asiatic race is not established to this very day, many researches have been made to find traces of the lost brothers, who, according to folklore, still exist in the heart of Asia, but with no definite result. Some maintain that they are Turko-Tartaric, others that they are descendants of the Fin-Ugor people, and most likely they are a mixture of both. Their language proves them to be Orientals from some inner part of Asia.
There is a pretty legend about the origin of the Magyars, stating them to be descendants of Nimrod, who is said to have been the father of Hunyor and Magyar. These two sons, whilst hunting in distant lands, came suddenly face to face with some beautiful fairies of the woods, and carried them away as their wives. But they also saw that the country they had strayed into was rich in pasture-land, so on returning to their own country they easily gained their father's consent to settle on the newly discovered territory. Hunyor and his tribe settled in the country beyond the Volga, Magyar and his people along the Don.
After many generations the Huns (descendants of Hunyor) became so numerous that they decided to emigrate from their country, and soon overran the greater part of Central Europe, led by their great leader Attila, called "the Scourge of God." A great kingdom was founded, but was soon overthrown, owing to the constant strife between Attila's two sons. A remnant of these people settled in Transylvania, where they subsequently mixed with the incoming Magyars, and exist to this very day in Erdely (Transylvania), in the south-east of Hungary. Some of the Huns returned to their original country, and it is from them that the Magyars heard of the rich soil to be found in the west.
After a few centuries they emigrated in that direction. But apart from this legend, who and from where the Magyars came before they settled in their present country we can only guess by their ancient customs, religion, legends, and language. They came in under the leadership of the Seven Dukes, who led their own and many other wandering tribes that followed them into the present country, which was then but thinly populated by Germans, Slovaks, and Slovens. All these they defeated in the great battles of the Honfoglalas (Home-making). The first ruler was Arpad. At the end of the tenth century they began to embrace the Christian religion: until then they had been heathens. They had adored one supreme being called Isten and other lesser spirits, and had held their religious ceremonies in the woods by the side of springs.
It is a great mistake to think that they were barbarians. On the contrary, the leaders and better classes were evidently more cultured than most European nations at that time. The workmanship of their old jewels and arms shows them to have had Persian culture. But they had living amongst them many wild nomadic people, who for many years caused uneasiness. Whenever they appeared, plunder and bloodshed was the outcome. On their sturdy, fleet little horses they swept down unawares and with great swiftness upon the neighbouring countries, and penetrated even as far as France. In Spain there is a saying to this day to frighten naughty children with—"The Ungaros are coming." This may be an old saying, or it may be fear of the gipsies that gave rise to it, because of these there are plenty speaking the Hungarian tongue even in Spain.
The first Christian King of Hungary was Vayik, who was christened when a youth, and received the Christian name of Stephen. There were several risings in order to abolish the new religion and return to paganism, but under the wise and strong hand of King Stephen the people eventually gave up their nomadic habits, the worship of spirits and the offering of sacrifices were done away with. Before the reign of Stephen, the Taltos-ok (priests of the old Shamanism) were the leaders of the people in matters of religion. The favourite sacrifice was a snow-white stallion, offered to Hadur, the god of war.
After the death of the last male descendant of the house of Arpad, the Anjous reigned in Hungary. The pages of Hungarian history are marked by violence and bloodshed. There was the ever-recurring Mongol invasion and the Turkish raids into the country. The greatest defender of Christianity was Hunyady Janos (John Hunyady), who, with the aid of his great strategic knowledge and bravery, kept the Turks at bay for many years. Not only Hungary but all the Western nations must feel indebted to this hero, who spent his life in keeping the Osman out of Western Europe. It was owing to his great fame that his son was elected King of Hungary. The Turks, after their last great defeat by John Hunyady, left Hungary in peace for over sixty years.
Nothing is precisely known of the origin of the Hunyadys: John is supposed to have been a shepherd in his early youth. This great champion of Christianity rose from obscurity to the highest rank in the country, and his son Matthias, styled Matthias Corvinus, became King of Hungary in 1458, and through his genius reformed Hungary and the Hungarians. They were a purely fighting nation.
Under Matthias Corvinus the flower of the renaissance blossomed in Hungary. He spent thousands on his world-renowned library. He introduced the best sculptors, painters, and goldsmiths from Italy, and the latter combined their art with the remaining patterns of the ancient trinkets of the Hungarians, and out of this union sprang the wonderful gold enamel works and jewels, mostly made at that time in Erdely (Transylvania). To-day a necklace of this kind of work is priceless, and we may find several examples in the old noble families of Hungary and Transylvania.
King Matthias was the most wealthy and most luxurious ruler at that time in Europe, but he was also manly, upright, and, above all, wise and just. At his Court all underhand actions were despised, and he never stooped to use poison to attain his political ends as his brother kings and princes of that time did in Italy and France. The Turks feared him, the princes of other countries did homage to him. And the stronghold of Buda at that time was the centre of European court life, into which Beatrix, King Matthias' second wife, the daughter of the King of Naples, brought court etiquette. It became more and more refined, and gained the reputation of being the seat of learning and culture.
Matthias Corvinus died without leaving a legitimate heir to his throne, this causing many disasters and the decline of the Hungarian nation in the subsequent period, the greatest disaster being the battle of Mohacs, in which the flower of Hungarian manhood was ruthlessly destroyed by the Turks, who had entered the country in great force. The ruler at that time was King Bela, who could not collect a large army because of the jealousies and quarrellings of his two greatest commanders, both leading Hungarian noblemen. He went to war with an unprepared army of 20,000 men; all of these perished in battle or whilst trying to escape the horrible massacre that followed.
The heroism of the young king and his 20,000 followers was of no avail against a well-organised army of 300,000 Turks. They were but a handful, and were swept away like dry leaves before a storm. It was then that the Sultan of Turkey, Soliman, rode into the stronghold of Buda and delivered it up to his soldiers to pillage. The Turks worked great havoc among the beautiful art treasures, and the wonderful library of King Matthias was destroyed and many of the documents relating to Hungary's nobility were burnt, lost, destroyed, or taken to Turkey.
After the disastrous battle of Mohacs, Hungary, for over a hundred and fifty years, was under the Turkish yoke. Many deeds of heroism were done in these years. The Turks, after their conquest, made no attempt to bring order or civilisation into the country they had taken, the cities of which they burnt to the ground. On the contrary, they only sacked her of her riches, depopulated her most fertile districts, and drove thousands of nobles and peasants into slavery. The slave markets of Turkey were full of Hungarians at that time.
Until the reign of Matthias Corvinus only one occupation was deemed suitable, and that was fighting. Fighting against the Germans, Turks, and Tartars was the chief joy of the Hungarians. By their deeds of heroism they attained riches and received nobility and distinction. The great ambition was to attain to nobility and a higher social degree. The cause of many a disaster, too, was that all these petty nobles and great commanders were for ever at loggerheads. Spite, intrigue, and envy weakened their ranks on every side and made them a ready prey to the Turks.
When the evil was done, they had plenty of opportunities of proving their noble patriotism and undaunted courage. But most of these feats of bravery were of no avail to themselves, as all the great heroes of that time perished fighting whilst defending their strongholds, with a few hundreds or thousands of men, against the formidable Turkish army. Szondy, Losonczy, and Dobo are names that will live as long as the memory of Hungarian deeds endures.
In the case of the defence of Eger, under the commander Dobo, the women of the stronghold played a great part in the keeping of it—for a time at least. The women fought side by side with their dear ones, snatching the swords out of the hands of the dead and fighting for life itself. They poured boiling pitch and oil on to the Turks who were trying to scale the walls. But the many deeds of bravery were of no avail, and one stronghold after the other was taken by them.
Another instance of patriotic heroism was the noble death of Zrinyi at Szigetvar, who, with the few hundred men left him after weeks of fighting, rushed out of his burning castle—which had been set on fire by the Turks—into the midst of the Turkish army, intent on selling his life dearly—and dying the death of a hero. It would take many pages to give a full account of all these deeds of bravery. At last the Hungarians turned to their great enemy, the Germans—that is, the house of Hapsburg—for help. But that country had always been jealous of the political liberties of Hungary and the independent spirit of her nobility. To that Austria for the most part looked on, and to a certain degree helped to undermine Hungary's strength.
It was only when Vienna itself was threatened by the Turks that Austria made up her mind to act against the invader, and, although so late to take action, succeeded in putting an end to the Turkish rule; and in this way Hungary also was freed from her burden, after enduring the rule of her conquerors for many years. Many battles were fought between the Austrians and Hungarians, too, before peace was made. It was during the Austrian and Turkish fighting that the Hungarians accepted the members of the house of Hapsburg as hereditary rulers, to be called Kings of Hungary according to their old Constitution. In Austria the legitimate title is Emperor of Austria.
In the latter part of the Turkish rule the Hungarians, under Rakoczy, the Duke of Transylvania, tried to liberate themselves from the Turkish and Austrian yoke. But it was only under the reign of Maria-Theresia that the Hungarians were quite reconciled to their self-chosen rulers. This young Austrian empress was obliged to wage war with many European countries, and in the many battles that were fought much of the severest fighting was done by those self-same Hungarians who had resisted Austrian despotism for so long.
Maria-Theresia did much for Hungary. The lowlands had been devastated during the Turkish rule, and now these were being colonised by Germans and Slavs. The soil that had been lain waste was cultivated again, and peaceful occupation took the place of perpetual fighting. But, notwithstanding the good that resulted, changes came which were unfortunate for Hungary. Maria-Theresia understood the nature of her Hungarian nobles and won them over to Austrian habits and manners of life.
The great nobles left their strongholds and flocked to the Court of Vienna, and there became more and more German, so that within a short time nothing but their names and great dominions in Hungary showed them to be Hungarians. Not so with the lesser nobility and county gentry. These held to their homes and ancient customs, and kept alive the Hungarian spirit in their people. Thanks to these and their descendants Hungarian freedom has been retained, although not before another great struggle with the house of Hapsburg.
In 1848 the spirit of freedom swept along the whole of Europe, and the Hungarians took to arms to defend their rights which were being threatened. They had a mighty leader in Lajos Kossuth, but they were eventually defeated near Vilagos by the Russians, who were the allies of Austria. Not long before Hungary had begun to develop the true Hungarian spirit, and this was mainly owing to the genius of Count Szecsenyi, who did so much for his country in every way—by giving the people institutions that were most necessary for the spiritual development of the nation.
The defeat of the Hungarians in 1849 was followed by many sad scenes, and after the execution of the bravest who had fought for the rights and laws of Hungary peace was made. Until the year 1867, however, there was much unrest, and complete peace was only then obtained through the diplomacy and wonderful political tact of Hungary's greatest statesman, Ferencz Deak. Under her present ruler she enjoys again her national and political rights. The king, Francis-Joseph, was crowned with the crown of St. Stephen (without which no king is thought to be the legal King of Hungary); he swore to keep the Constitution, and acknowledged Hungary as a separate country, but to be ruled by the same monarch as Austria—a member of the house of Hapsburg—shaving her own Diet, with two houses—that of the Commons and that of the Lords.
Tornai de Kövër, H. Peeps at Many Lands: Hungary. Adam and Charles Black, 1911.
About TOTA
TOTA.world provides cultural information and sharing across the world to help you explore your Family’s Cultural History and create deep connections with the lives and cultures of your ancestors.
