Kingdom of Hungary

Coordinates: 47°29′46″N 19°02′22″E / 47.49611°N 19.03944°E / 47.49611; 19.03944
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Hungarian Kingdom
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Kingdom of Hungary
Names ↓
Magyar Királyság (
Latin)
Königreich Ungarn (German)
1000–1918[a]
1920–1946
Motto: Regnum Mariae Patronae Hungariae (
Latin)[1]
Mária királysága, Magyarország védőnője (Hungarian)
Kingdom of Mary, the Patroness of Hungary (English)
Anthem: Himnusz (1844–1946)
"Hymn"
Royal anthem
God save, God protect Our Emperor, Our Country!
(1797–1918)
The Kingdom of Hungary (green) in 1190
The Kingdom of Hungary (green) in 1190
The Kingdom of Hungary (dark green) and Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia (light green) within Austria-Hungary in 1914
The Kingdom of Hungary (dark green) and Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia (light green) within Austria-Hungary in 1914
CapitalBudapest
Historical capitals:
Official languages
  • Latin
    (ceremonial/liturgical/administrative until 1844)
  • German (1784–90; 1849–67)
  • Hungarian (1836–49; 1867–1946)
  • Italian (1871–1918, Fiume)

Other spoken languages:
Charles IV
• 1920–44 (Regent)
Miklós Horthy
Stephen Francis Victor
Prime Minister
 
• 1848 (first)
Lajos Batthyány
• 1945–46 (last)
Zoltán Tildy
Legislature
Monarchy abolished
1 February 1946
Area
1200[3]282,870 km2 (109,220 sq mi)
1910[4]282,870 km2 (109,220 sq mi)
1930[5]93,073 km2 (35,936 sq mi)
1941[6]172,149 km2 (66,467 sq mi)
Population
• 1200[3]
2,000,000
• 1790[7]
8,000,000
• 1910[4]
18,264,533
• 1930[5]
8,688,319
• 1941[6]
14,669,100
Currency
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Principality of Hungary
Hungarian Republic (1919–20)
First Hungarian Republic
First Czechoslovak Republic
Kingdom of Romania
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
First Austrian Republic
Second Hungarian Republic

The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen I at Esztergom around the year 1000;[8] his family (the Árpád dynasty) led the monarchy for 300 years. By the 12th century, the kingdom became a European power.[8]

Due to the Ottoman occupation of the central and southern territories of Hungary in the 16th century, the country was partitioned into three parts: the Habsburg Royal Hungary, Ottoman Hungary, and the semi-independent Principality of Transylvania.[8] The House of Habsburg held the Hungarian throne after the Battle of Mohács in 1526 continuously until 1918 and also played a key role in the liberation wars against the Ottoman Empire.

From 1867, territories connected to the Hungarian crown were incorporated into Austria-Hungary under the name of Lands of the Crown of Saint Stephen. The monarchy ended with the deposition of the last king Charles IV in 1918, after which Hungary became a republic. The kingdom was nominally restored during the "Regency" of 1920–46, ending under the Soviet occupation in 1946.[8]

The Kingdom of Hungary was a

Kingdom of Croatia, being in personal union with it, united under the King of Hungary
.

According to the demographers, about 80 percent of the population was made up of Hungarians before the Battle of Mohács, however in the mid-19th century out of a population of 14 million less than 6 million were Hungarian due to the resettlement policies and continuous immigration from neighboring countries.[11][12] Major territorial changes made Hungary ethnically homogeneous after World War I. More than nine-tenths of the population of modern Hungary is ethnically Hungarian and speaks Hungarian as their mother tongue.

Today, the feast day of the first king Stephen I (20 August) is a national holiday in Hungary, commemorating the foundation of the state (Foundation Day).[13]

Names

The

Regnum Marianum (Kingdom of Mary
); or simply Hungaria, were the names used in official documents in Latin from the beginning of the kingdom to the 1840s.

The German name Königreich Ungarn was used officially from 1784 to 1790[14] and again between 1849 and the 1860s.

The Hungarian name (Magyar Királyság) was used in the 1840s, and then again from the 1860s to 1946. The unofficial Hungarian name of the kingdom was Magyarország,[15] which is still the colloquial, and also the official name of Hungary.[16]

The names in the other native languages of the kingdom were:

Fiume
), Regno d'Ungheria.

In Austria-Hungary (1867–1918), the unofficial name

Transleithania was sometimes used to denote the regions of the Kingdom of Hungary. Officially, the term Lands of the Crown of Saint Stephen
was included for the Hungarian part of Austria-Hungary, although this term was also in use prior to that time.

Capital cities

Name Time period
Székesfehérvár 1000–1543
Esztergom 1000–1256
Buda 1256–1315
Temesvár (now Timișoara) 1315–1323
Visegrád 1323–1408
Buda 1408–1485
Vienna (Bécs) 1485–1490
Buda 1490–1536 (1541)
Lippa (now Lipova) – Eastern Hungarian Kingdom 1541–1542
Gyulafehérvár (now Alba Iulia) – Eastern Hungarian Kingdom 1542–1570
Pressburg (Pozsony, now Bratislava) 1536–1784
Buda 1784–1849
Debrecen 1849
Buda 1849–1873
Budapest 1873–1944
Debrecen 1944
Budapest 1944–1946

History

Origins

The Hungarians, led by

Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor in Battle of Lechfeld
.

Middle Ages

High Middle Ages

King Stephen I of Hungary

The principality was succeeded by the Christian Kingdom of Hungary with the coronation of St Stephen I (son of principal Géza. Originally called Vajk until baptized) at

canonized as a Catholic saint in 1083 and an Eastern Orthodox
saint in 2000. Around the 11th century, the Kingdom of Hungary became a
Catholicism in the Hungarian Kingdom was a state religion.[19][20]

After his death, a period of revolts and conflict for supremacy ensued between the royalty and the nobles. In 1051 armies of the

The Holy Crown of Hungary along with other regalia

This period of revolts ended during the reign of

Zvonimir
who died without an heir.

Béla III

However, kingship over all of Croatia would not be achieved until the reign of his successor

Kingdom of Croatia (1102–1526) and Kingdom of Hungary from 1102 as a form of a personal union, i.e. that they were connected by a common king.[26] Also, one of the greatest Hungarian jurists and statesmen of the 16th century, István Werbőczy
in his work Tripartitum treats Croatia as a kingdom separate to Hungary.

Especially Arabic and Byzantine travelers from this time praised the richness country, the dense pastures, the nicely cultivated lands, the plentiful animals in waters and forests. They said that the wheat is cheap, the markets are populous, the cities flourish and the folk are wealthy. Although it is hardly credible that they refer to all layers of society, the documents were inspired by the reality.[27]

In 1222

Golden Bull
which laid down the principles of law.

Mongol invasion
The Meeting of Ladislaus IV and Rudolf I during the Battle on the Marchfeld, painting by Mór Than (1873)

In 1241, Hungary was invaded by the

Béla IV lost the War of Babenberg Succession, his army was defeated at the Battle of Kressenbrunn by the united Bohemian forces. However, in 1278, Ladislaus IV of Hungary and Austrian troops fully destroyed the Bohemian army at the Battle on the Marchfeld
.

Local autonomies (including Cumania, Székely Land in Transylvania, Zipser Saxons in Szepes County, and Transylvanian Saxons in Transylvania - represented by the Transylvanian Saxon University) in the late 13th century

Late Middle Ages

The Árpád dynasty died out in 1301 with the death of Andrew III. Subsequently, Hungary was ruled by the Angevins until the end of the 14th century, and then by several non-dynastic rulers – notably Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor and Matthias Corvinus – until the early 16th century.

The Anjou Age
King Charles I of Hungary
The administrative divisions of medieval Hungary

When Andrew III's predecessor, Ladislaus IV, was assassinated in 1290, another nobleman was set up as titular King of Hungary: Charles Martel of Anjou. Charles Martel was the son of King Charles II of Naples and Mary of Hungary, the sister of Ladislaus IV. However, Andrew III took the crown for himself and ruled without inconvenience after Charles Martel's death in 1295. Upon Andrew's death in 1301, the country was divided between powerful lords hostile to each other. A coalition of some of these oligarchs first crowned Wenceslaus III, who quickly fled from the anarchy, then Otto III, who was forced to leave by the Kán family. Charles, remaining as the only candidate, was finally crowned King Charles I in 1310. His famous battle at Rozgony, described as "most cruel battle since the Mongol invasion of Europe" by the Chronicon Pictum, ended his war of reunification.[28][29]

He implemented considerable economic reforms and defeated the remaining nobility who were in opposition to royal rule, led by

Máté Csák III. The kingdom of Hungary reached an age of prosperity and stability under Charles I. The gold mines of the Kingdom were extensively worked and soon Hungary reached a prominent standing in European gold production. The forint
was introduced as a currency, replacing the denars, and soon after Charles's reforms were implemented, the economy of the Kingdom started to prosper again, having fallen into a parlous state following the Mongol invasion.

Charles exalted the cult to Saint Ladislaus I, using him as a symbol of bravery, justice and purity. He also venerated his uncle,

Saint Margaret, which added relevance to the lineage inheritance through the feminine branches.[30]

Charles restored the royal power which had fallen into feudal lords' hands, and then made the lords swear loyalty to him. For this, he founded in 1326 the

chivalric order
in the world, and included the most important noblemen of the Kingdom.

Charles married four times. His fourth wife was

Władysław I of Poland. When Charles died in 1342, his eldest son by Elizabeth succeeded him as Louis I
. In the first years of his reign, Louis was advised closely by his mother, making her one of the most influential personalities in the Kingdom.

Charles had arranged the marriage of his second son, Andrew, with his cousin Joanna, the granddaughter of King Robert of Naples, in 1332. Robert died in 1343, bequeathing his kingdom to Joanna but excluding the claim of Andrew. In 1345, a group of noble Neapolitan conspirators murdered Andrew at Aversa. Almost immediately, Louis declared war on Naples, conducting a first campaign in 1347–1348 and a second in 1350. He eventually signed peace with Joanna in 1352. Louis also waged wars against the Serbian Empire and the Golden Horde, restoring the Hungarian monarchs' authority over territories along the frontiers which had been lost during the previous decades.

In 1370 Louis's uncle, Casimir III of Poland, died without male issue. Louis succeeded him, thus establishing the first union of Hungary and Poland. This lasted until 1382 when Louis himself died without male issue; his two daughters, Mary and Jadwiga, then ascended the thrones of Hungary and Poland respectively.

The Age of Sigismund
Sigismund of Hungary

Louis I of Hungary always kept good and close relationships with the Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV of Luxembourg and finally proclaimed Charles's son Sigismund of Luxembourg to succeed him as King of Hungary. Sigismund became a renowned king who created many improvements in the Hungarian law system and who rebuilt the palaces of Buda and Visegrád. He brought materials from Austria and Bohemia and ordered the creation of the most luxurious building in all of central Europe. In his laws can be seen the traces of the early mercantilism. He worked hard to keep the nobility under his control. A great part of his reign was dedicated to the fight with the Ottoman Empire, which started to extend its frontiers and influence to Europe. In 1396 was fought the Battle of Nicopolis against the Ottomans, which resulted in a defeat for the Hungarian-French forces led by Sigismund and Philip of Artois, Count of Eu. However, Sigismund continued to successfully contain the Ottoman forces outside of the Kingdom for the rest of his life.

Losing popularity among the Hungarian nobility, Sigismund soon became victim of an attempt against his rule, and

Albert V of Austria
, who was later crowned as King Albert of Hungary in 1437.

Hunyadi family
Portrait, Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary, Hunyadi, relief
Renaissance portrait of Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary, (marble relief by Giovanni Dalmata (attributed to), Benedetto da Maiano (previous attribution) 1476)
Western conquests of Matthias Corvinus

The Hungarian kingdom's golden age was during the reign of Matthias Corvinus (1458–1490), the son of John Hunyadi. His nickname was "Matthias the Just". He further improved the Hungarian economy and practised astute diplomacy in place of military action whenever possible. Matthias did undertake campaigning when necessary. From 1485 until his death, he occupied Vienna, aiming to limit the influence and meddling of the Holy Roman Empire in Hungary's affairs.

At the time of the initial Ottoman encroachment, the Hungarians successfully resisted conquest. John Hunyadi was leader of the Crusade of Varna, in which the Hungarians tried to expel the Turks from the Balkans. Initially, they were successful, but later at the Battle of Varna, the Ottomans won a decisive if Pyrrhic victory. Wladyslaw III was decapitated during this battle.

In 1456, John Hunyadi delivered a crushing defeat of the Ottomans at the Siege of Belgrade. The Noon Bell commemorates the fallen Christian warriors. In the 15th century, the Black Army of Hungary was a modern mercenary army, with the Hussars the most skilled troops of the Hungarian cavalry. In 1479, under the leadership of Pál Kinizsi, the Hungarian army destroyed the Ottoman and Wallachian troops at the Battle of Breadfield. The army of Hungary destroyed its enemies almost every time when Matthias was king.[citation needed]

Matthias died without legitimate heir, and was thus succeeded by Vladislaus II Jagiellon (1490–1516), the son of Casimir IV of Poland. In turn, Vladislaus was succeeded by his son Louis II (1516–26).

In 1526, at the Battle of Mohács, the forces of the Ottoman Empire led by Suleiman the Magnificent annihilated the Hungarian army. In trying to escape, Louis II drowned in the Csele Creek. The leader of the Hungarian army, Pál Tomori, also died in the battle.

Early modern history

The divided kingdom

Due to a serious defeat by the Ottomans (

Habsburgs would take the Hungarian throne if Louis died without heirs, Ferdinand was elected king by a rump diet
in December 1526.

Although the borders shifted frequently during this period, the three parts can be identified, more or less, as follows:

reconquering Buda

On 29 February 1528, King

John I of Hungary received the support of the Ottoman Sultan. A three-sided conflict ensued as Ferdinand moved to assert his rule over as much of the Hungarian kingdom as he could. By 1529 the kingdom had been split into two parts: Habsburg Hungary and the "eastern-Kingdom of Hungary". At this time there were no Ottomans on Hungarian territories, except Srem's important castles. In 1532, Nikola Jurišić defended Kőszeg and stopped a powerful Ottoman army. By 1541, the fall of Buda
marked a further division of Hungary into three areas. The country remained divided until the end of the 17th century.

In 1547, the Truce of Adrianople was signed between Charles V and Suleiman the Magnificent. Through this treaty, Ferdinand I of Austria and Charles V recognized total Ottoman control of Hungary,[31] and agreed to pay to the Ottomans a yearly tribute of 30,000 gold florins for their Habsburg possessions in northern and western Hungary.[32][33]

On 1 May 1566, Suleiman I led an Ottoman invasion of Habsburg-controlled Hungary, the Ottoman forces of which was one of the most sizable armies he had led in his rule of 46 years.[34] After reaching Belgrade and met with John II Sigismund Zápolya on 27 June, Suleiman I learned that a Croatian-Hungarian nobleman, Nikola IV Zrinski, Ban of Croatia, accomplished an attack on an Ottoman military camp at Siklós.[35][36] Suleiman I held off his attack of Eger for the time being, and began to set off towards Nikola IV Zrinski's fortress at Szigetvár. From 2 August to 7 September, the Ottoman forces had laid siege to the fortress with a force, at the least, of 150,000 against Zrinski's 2,300 defenders. While the siege turned into a victory for the Ottomans, it came at the cost of: 25,000 Ottoman soldiers and Suleiman I, who before the final battle of Szigetvár, due to natural causes of old age and illness.[35]

In the following centuries there were numerous attempts to push back the

Long War or Thirteen Years' War (29 July 1593 – 1604/11 November 1606) led by a coalition of Christian forces. In 1644 the Winter Campaign by Miklós Zrínyi burnt the crucial Suleiman Bridge of Osijek in eastern Slavonia, interrupting a Turkish supply line in Hungary. At the Battle of Saint Gotthard (1664)
, Austrians and Hungarians defeated the Turkish army.

After the Ottoman siege of Vienna failed in 1683, the Habsburgs went on the offensive against the Turks. By the end of the 17th century, they managed to invade the remainder of the historical Kingdom of Hungary and the principality of Transylvania. For a while in 1686, the capital Buda was again free from the Ottoman Empire, with the aid of other Europeans.

The Kuruc age

The Battle of Kuruc-Labanc, kuruc preparing to attack traveling coach and riders, c. 1705
Counties of the Kingdom of Hungary around 1880
Distribution of Hungarians in the Kingdom of Hungary and the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia (1890)
Germans
  Serbs
  Croats
Ethnic and political situation in the Kingdom of Hungary according to the 1910 census

Rákóczi's War for Independence (1703–1711) was the first significant freedom fight in Hungary against absolutist Habsburg rule. It was fought by a group of noblemen, wealthy and high-ranking progressives who wanted to put an end to the inequality of power relations, led by Francis II Rákóczi (II. Rákóczi Ferenc in Hungarian). Its main aims were to protect the rights of the different social orders, and to ensure the economic and social development of the country. Due to the adverse balance of forces, the political situation in Europe and internal conflicts the freedom fight was eventually suppressed, but it succeeded in keeping Hungary from becoming an integral part of the Habsburg Empire, and its constitution was kept, even though it was only a formality.

After the departure of the Ottomans, the Habsburgs dominated the Hungarian Kingdom. The Hungarians' renewed desire for freedom led to Rákóczi's War for Independence. The most important reasons of the war were the new and higher taxes and a renewed Protestant movement. Rákóczi was a Hungarian nobleman, son of the legendary heroine

fokos. At the Battle of Saint Gotthard (1705), János Bottyán decisively defeated the Austrian army. The Hungarian colonel Ádám Balogh nearly captured Joseph I
, the King of Hungary and Archduke of Austria.

In 1708, the Habsburgs finally defeated the main Hungarian army at

Battle of Trencsén, and this diminished the further effectiveness of the Kuruc army. While the Hungarians were exhausted by the fights, the Austrians defeated the French army in the War of the Spanish Succession. They could send more troops to Hungary against the rebels. Transylvania became part of Hungary again starting at the end of the 17th century, and was led by governors.[38][39]

Age of Enlightenment