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125996 Other J3aaks by Emerson IFosdiclc THE SECOND MILE THE ASSURANCE OF IM MO RTALITY THE 3VE ANHCOOD O DF THE MASTER. THE MEANING OF PRAYER. THE MEANING OF FAITH THE MEANING OF SERVICE CHRISTIANITY ANI> PROGRESS TWELVE TESTS OF CHARACTER THE MODERN USE OF THE BZKLE ADVENTUROUS RELIGION A PILGRIM AGE TO PALESTINE AS I SEE RELIGION THE HOPE OF THE ^VORLD THE SECRET OF VICTORIOUS LIVING THE POWER TO SEE IT THROUGH SUCCESSFUL CHRISTIAN LIVING A GUII>E TO UNDERSTANDING THE BIBL3 LIVING UNDER TENSION ON BEING A REAL PERSON A HISTORY OF HUNGARY IN BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES By IMRE LUKINICH, D.PH, Professor of the University of Budapest LONDON HUNGARY SIMPKIN MARSHALL LTD. DR. GEORGE VAJNA & CO. ** IV Stationers' Hall Court, E. C. 4 Vaci-utca, Budapest Translated from the Hungarian by CATHERINE DALLAS Copyright Jp57 by^Dr. George Vajna & Co. Budapest * Printed and made in Hungary by Athenaeum Ltd. Budapest CONTENTS Pages Prince , Arpid ^ ...-..,, ^ . ... M ... 5 St. Stephen ... ......, ... ^ ^ ... ^ ... ... _ ... w ... 15 St. Ladislas ... ... w . w . m w w w m 32 Coloman ^. King ^ ^ ..,.. ^. ... 46 Bela III King ... , ^ .., ^. ^ ^ 50 Be"la IV . ... ... King w w . w ^ ... , 59 the last line Andrew III, of the Arpdd .. .^ . w .,. ... 75 the . ... King Louis Great . ^. ........ 83 John Hunyadi, Regent of Hungary ... ^. -. w -. ... ~ . ^ ... 96 King Matthias . , w. ... ^. ^ . 113 Wladislas II and Louis II ... ... m ... w M ... ... , 119 Cardinal Martinuzzi (Friar George) .-.. ^. ... ^ M ... 134 and ... Stephen Bocskay, Prince of Hungary Transylvania . ... 140 Gabriel Bethlen, Prince of Transylvania ^ . w w . ^ ^ ^ 146 . ... ^. -. .- * ... , . ... Cardinal Peter Pdzmany , 153 ... 161 Count Nicholas Zrinyi, Soldier and Poet m w . ^ Francis Rak6czi II, Prince of Hungary and Transylvania w . 169 . -. i go Queen Maria Theresa M . ... ^. ... -. ... -. ^. ... -. ~ - Count Stephen Sze*chenyi ... ..... ^. .- ,- . 187 -. ... -. Louis Kossuth ^ . ^. .*-.-.. ~ ..-. ^. *9^ Francis Deak . 205 PRINCE ARPAD. (t 907.) The monument of Arpdd the Leader in Budapest. The an- cestral settlement, Leledia. Etelkoz. Confederation of the se^en tribes. Arpdd elected Leader. Hungaro-Bulgarian war. The Nation's new home. The settlement. Arpdd's work of organization. His death. At the far end of the Andrdssy-tit, the most handsome thoroughfare in Budapest, stands the Millenary column, It was raised to commemorate the occupation of the country by our Magyar ancestors a thousand year ago. The column is surmounted by an angel, slim and tall, who announces to the world in the words of the great national poet that although diminished in number, the nation is still unbroken in spirit after centuries of vicissitudes and struggle. Round the base of the monument are several equestrian statues the splendid creations of George Zala's genius representing some of the Hungarian leaders, who conquered the country. The central figure, resting his right hand on his club, gazes earnestly, almost if to sternly, into the distance before him, as read the future destiny of the people whom, after untold hardship and many a battle, he has led to the banks of the Danube. Obviously not merely ambitious, but also able to command, we cannot but feel that Prince Arpdd deserves the respect and homage even of his remotest descendents. Of his person and subsequent exploits little is known. The his- tory of his rule was not recorded by his contemporaries, or possibly, if any of the Hungarian Druids acquainted with the art of writing did leave records of it, they have been lost in the ensuing ages. 'Traditional lore, handed down by word of mouth from generation to generation, has kept alive the memory of his arresting personality and of the great achievement that made his name famous the occupation of Hungary by the Hungarians. The full significance of that historic event and the prominent part played in it by Prince Arpdd will be best understood if we cast a glance into the history of the Hungarians or Magyars as they are called in their own language previous to it. Their original home was probably somewhere on the western boundary of Southern Siberia, though we do not know exactly where it was situated. The total number of Hungarians at that time did not exceed that of the Hun- garian prisoners in Siberia during the world war. In course of time this small nation split into two bodies, and the smaller of the two migrated westward. Today we can give no reason for this separation. Was it over-population that made co-existence difficult, or did internal feuds compel the vanquished to flee? Or was material adversity responsible for the exodus? Who today can tell? In their westward migration the Hungarians had to battle their way along a route best by danger. They were in few number, for even some decades latter, when they had been joined by other tribes, their total strength did not amount to the present population of Oxford and Cambridge. The lowlands north and west of the Caspian Sea, where they settled after leaving their original home, did not lend themselves to defence, and they lived in constant danger from surprise attacks. The migrating Hungarians presented the appearance of a band of nomads, but one whose line of march had been well explored, and only when the surrounding terrain had been thoroughly reconnoitred did they pitch their tents usually in grazing ground. They subsisted, like other nomadic tribes, mainly on their flocks and herds, fishing and the chase. Small bands, or even, tribes, of men mounted on swift horses assembled from time to time and set forth on expe- ditions into far-distant regions, to spy out their popula- tions and wealth, and to ascertain that no danger threatened their own camps. Thus their reputation as a stern, disciplined and warlike people had already preceded them when they arrived on the northern shores of the Black Sea. This newly acquired territory was named Lebedia after Lebed, who was the greatest chieftain during their migra- tions. Lebed, though chief of but one tribe, was by universal consent acknowledged leader by all the tribes throughout their wanderings. In course of time the number of these tribes had increased to seven. These went by the names of Nyk, Magyar, Kiirtgyarmat, Tarjdn, Jen6, Kara, and Kaza. It had ever been their custom to invest one of the chieftains with supreme leadership this being imperative to maintain order and discipline who was obeyed without question during their migrations. His authority, however, came to an end the moment they settled down. However, when they came to live in Lebedia, and a little later in Etelkoz, now called Bessara- bia, the chiefs of the seven tribes, prompted by experience, decided to make the paramount chieftainship permanent, i. e. the leader or prince continued to rule even after they had settled and were living in peace. They had come to realize that divided leadership did not conduce to prosperity, for during their wanderings they saw that those families, or tribes, which were governed by one experienced, energetic, and just man prospered and were respected, and they came to the conclusion that if all seven tribes were under the permanent authority of one such man, the importance and strength of the Hungarians would not fail to increase. They soon acted on this wise resolve by choosing Lebed as leader. Although this was a universal choice, their old commander declined the great honour, feeling that it required a strong hand and a keen mind to govern. He recommended either Almos, chieftain of the Magyar tribe, or Arpdd, the valiant son of Almos. And thus it came that Arpdd was duly installed in his high position by being raised on a shield, according to the ancient custom. This meant that the tribes, which during their migrations had been but loosely held together, were now welded into one people, thereafter known to history as the Hungarian Nation. This union was by no means an unimportant matter, since it attracted the attention of the Greek Emperor, who began to take a greater interest in these Turk-like people actually called "Turks" by the Greeks who had made their appearance on the frontiers of the Empire and had just elected to themselves a Prince, Shrewd Greek merchants, under the Emperor's instructions and no doubt also attracted by prospects of trade, visited the Hungarians in Etelkoz, and reported Arpdd, the Prince of the Hungarians, to be "a man wise in mind and council, eminently valiant and qualified for government," also a strict disciplinarian supported by a brave and numerous army, with whom therefore it would be wise to establish friendly relations. This report of the merchants was anything but in welcome the Greek metropolis, already seriously alarmed by the spread of the rising Bulgar Empire, the boundaries of which had been extended to include not only the Bulgaria of today, but also with the exception of the northern and north-western parts what later was to be known as Hungary, Now it seemed that besides these Turco-Bulgars, another race of the same stock was about to settle on the frontiers of the Byzantine Empire. EtelkSz, bounded by rivers on the east and south and on the west by trackless wooded uplands, promised to be an extremely suitable domain for the Hungarians, and the possibility of these two peoples of kindred race event- ually forming an alliance and founding a mighty Empire was a menace fraught with the uttermost peril to Byzan- tium, The Greeks already forsaw the country peopled with hordes of Hungarians and Bulgars, plundering and laying waste the towns and villages and destroying the fruits of Greek civilization. To avert this threatened danger Byzantium resorted to the policy of setting the two kindred races against each other. Whichever con- quered would mean only one foe would threaten the Greek frontiers.