Regent of Hungary

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Regent of Hungary
Kormányzó
Standard of the Regent
Longest serving officeholder
Miklós Horthy
StyleHis Serene Highness
ResidenceBuda Castle
AppointerRoyal Diet
Term lengthNo fixed term
Formation1446 (historic)
1 March 1920
Final holderMiklós Horthy
Abolished15 October 1944
DeputyIstván Horthy
(19 February – 20 August 1942)

The regent of Hungary was a position established in 1446 and renewed in 1920. It was held by Admiral Miklós Horthy until 1944. Under Hungary's constitution there were two regents, one a regent of the ruling house, called the Nádor, and another called "Kormányzó" (which can mean "governor"). As the Entente had banned the legitimate Nádor from taking his place, the choice fell on electing a governor-regent: Admiral Horthy was chosen. Thus, he was regent of the post-World War I state called the Kingdom of Hungary and served as the head of state in the absence of a monarch, while a prime minister served as head of government. Horthy was styled "His Serene Highness the Regent of the Kingdom of Hungary" (Hungarian: Ő Főméltósága a Magyar Királyság Kormányzója).

History of the position

Historical examples

John Hunyadi

John Hunyadi, Regent in 1446–1453 (Chronica Hungarorum, 1488)

On the untimely death of

Ladislaus Posthumus of Bohemia and Hungary. Featuring prominently in the brief ensuing civil war, Władysław III's side was thus reinforced by Hunyadi's noticeable military abilities, and was rewarded by Władysław with the captaincy of the fortress of Belgrade, a latter dignity that he shared with Miklós Újlaki
.

At the

Carinthia, and Carniola and threatening Vienna
, Hunyadi's difficulties elsewhere compelled him to make a truce with Frederick for two years.

Mihály Szilágyi

Mihály Szilágyi, Regent in 1458

On 20 January 1458,

Mihály Szilágyi
, the new king's uncle as regent, because of Matthias' young age. Throughout 1458 the struggle between the young king and the magnates, reinforced by Matthias's own uncle and guardian Szilágyi, was acute. But Matthias, who began by deposing Garai and dismissing Szilágyi, and then proceeded to levy a tax, without the consent of the Diet, in order to hire mercenaries, easily prevailed.

Lajos Kossuth

Lajos Kossuth, Governor-President in 1849

During the

Hungarian State
, the declaration was a step characteristic of his love for extreme and dramatic action, but it added to the dissensions between him and those who wished only for autonomy under the old dynasty, and his enemies did not scruple to accuse him of aiming for Kingship. The dethronement also made any compromise with the Habsburgs practically impossible. Lajos Kossuth became head of state as Governor-President of Hungary.

After World War I

Main articles:
Hungarian-Romanian War of 1919

Upon the dissolution and break-up of

monarchists violently purging the nation of communists, leftist intellectuals, and others whom they felt threatened by, especially Jews. This period was known as the "White Terror". In 1920, after the pullout of the last of the Romanian
occupation forces, the Kingdom of Hungary was restored.

On 1 March 1920, the National Assembly of Hungary re-established the

Austro-Hungarian Empire (Emperor Charles I of Austria who was King Charles (Karoly) IV of Hungary) from exile as the return of a Habsburg on the Hungarian throne was unacceptable to the Entente powers (Archduke Joseph August, a Habsburg, had been rejected by them as a regent after assuming the position for a few weeks in 1919).[1] Instead, with National Army officers controlling the parliament building, the assembly voted to install the former Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Fleet (Austro-Hungarian Navy), and current Minister of War and Commander of the National Army, Admiral Horthy as head of state; he defeated Count Albert Apponyi
by a vote of 131 to 7 and became the new Regent of Hungary.

Bishop Ottokár Prohászka then led a small delegation to meet Horthy, announcing, “Hungary’s Parliament has elected you Regent! Would it please you to accept the office of Regent of Hungary?” To their astonishment, Horthy declined unless his powers were expanded. As Horthy stalled, the politicians folded, and granted him "the general prerogatives of the King, with the exception of the right to name titles of nobility and of the patronage of the Church." Those prerogatives included the power to appoint and dismiss prime ministers, to convene and dissolve parliament, and to command the armed forces. With those sweeping powers guaranteed, Horthy took the oath of office.[2] (King Charles did try to regain his throne twice; see Charles IV of Hungary's attempts to retake the throne for more details.)

Functions

The Hungarian state was legally a kingdom, but it had no king, as the Allies of World War I would not have tolerated any return of the Habsburgs. The country retained its parliamentary system following the dissolution of Austria-Hungary, with a prime minister appointed as head of government. As head of state, Horthy retained significant influence through his constitutional powers and the loyalty of his ministers to the crown.[3] Although his involvement in drafting legislation was minuscule, he nevertheless had the ability to ensure that laws passed by the Hungarian parliament conformed to his political preferences.

End of the regency

During

Operation Margarethe to keep them in the war.[4]
Horthy was allowed to remain in his position, but he was forced to remove his prime minister and appoint one that would appease the Germans.

After

Romania withdrew from the Axis and accepted an armistice with the Soviet Union in August 1944, Horthy decided to secretly negotiate with the Soviets. On 15 October 1944, Horthy announced in a national radio broadcast that Hungary had signed an armistice with the Soviets. The Germans responded with Operation Panzerfaust. This included arresting both Horthy and his son Miklós. Horthy was forced to sign a statement that renounced the armistice and turned over control of the government to Ferenc Szálasi as Magyar királyi miniszterelnök (Royal Hungarian Prime Minister). Szálasi was the leader of the pro-Nazi Arrow Cross Party.[5] Horthy later explained his capitulation: "I neither resigned nor appointed Szálasi Premier, I merely exchanged my signature for my son’s life. A signature wrung from a man at machine-gun point can have little legality."[6]

Szálasi led the Government of National Unity from 15 October 1944 to 28 March 1945. The Hungarian parliament approved the formation of a Council of Regency (Kormányzótanács). On 4 November 1944, Szálasi was sworn in as the "National Leader" (Nemzetvezető), so he became the head of state in addition to being the head of government as Prime Minister of Hungary.[7] While the Horthy regency had come to an end the Hungarian monarchy was not abolished by the Szálasi regime. The need for a regent, or a regency, ended when the Kingdom of Hungary was replaced by the Second Hungarian Republic on 1 February 1946.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Die amtliche Meldung über den Rücktritt" (in German). Neue Freie Presse, Morgenblatt. 1919-08-24. p. 2.
  2. ^ Sakmyster, Thomas L. (1994). Hungary's Admiral on Horseback: Miklós Horthy, 1918-1944. East European Monographs. p. 56.
  3. ^ Deak, Istvan, "A Fatal Compromise? The Debate Over Collaboration and Resistance in Hungary", in The Politics of Retribution: World War II and Its Aftermath, edited by Deak, Gross, and Judt, Princeton University Press, pp. 39–52
  4. ^ Earl F. Ziemke, Stalingrad to Berlin: The German Defeat in the East, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1968
  5. ISBN 963-07-5386-3
    .
  6. ISBN 0-9665734-3-9
    .
  7. ^ Hungary: Notes - archontology.org
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