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G. P. PUTNAM’S SONS NEW YORK AND LONDON
[Illustration: _Frontispiece._ SALLY FROM FORTRESS OF SZIGETVÁR. (See
p. 317.)]
The Story of the Nations
THE
STORY OF HUNGARY
BY
ARMINIUS VÁMBÉRY
PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BUDA-PESTH
WITH THE COLLABORATION OF
LOUIS HEILPRIN
NEW YORK & LONDON
G. P. PUTNAM’S SONS
The Knickerbocker Press
1886
COPYRIGHT BY
G. P. PUTNAM’S SONS
1886
Press of
G. P. PUTNAM’S SONS
New York
PREFACE.
In complying with the request of the publishers of the _Nations_ Series
to write the Story of Hungary, I undertook a task which was out of the
range of my previous literary undertakings, which had for the most
part been devoted to the geography, history, and philology of Central
Asia. The principal reason which induced me to enter upon what is for
me a new literary field, was my desire to make American and English
readers acquainted with the record of my native country, and to present
the various phases of the history of Hungary in the light best suited
to attract the attention of the citizens of England and of the Great
Republic, to whose opinion we Hungarians are by no means indifferent.
My willingness to prepare the present volume was further due to the
fact, that it was not the _History_, but the _Story_ of Hungary, I
was asked to write; an undertaking in which I had simply to deal with
the salient events, the most noteworthy personalities, and the most
thrilling episodes in a narrative which covered nearly a thousand
years, and was not called upon to consider the philosophical side
of the history, or to discuss the deeper-lying motives or the less
significant details of national action.
For a task such as that presented to me, I concluded that the knowledge
and the ideas of a Hungarian man of letters were not inadequate;
I have, nevertheless, had recourse, in certain instances, to the
assistance of writers who had given special attention to our national
history, with the idea of making as accurate as possible this _the
first Story of Hungary written in English_.
The distance between Buda-Pesth and New York rendered it impossible for
me to give my personal attention to the proofs while the volume was
being put into type. The proof-reading was therefore entrusted to the
care of Mr. Louis Heilprin, a gentleman who is evidently thoroughly
familiar with the subject, and to whom I desire to express my
obligations not only for the care he has taken with the proof-reading,
but also for his attention in securing in my English text the most
accurate and most effective forms of expression.
I take this opportunity of expressing, also, my thanks for the kind
coöperation of my countrymen, Messrs. Sebestyén, Csánki, Acsády, and
Vargha.
A. V.
BUDA-PESTH, _August, 1886_.
CONTENTS.
I.
PAGE
THE COUNTRY AND THE PEOPLE OF HUNGARY, 1-17
A bird’s-eye view, 1—Carpathian mountains, 5—Water system,
7—Climate, 9—Various nationalities, 13—Constitution, 16.
II.
HUNGARY BEFORE THE OCCUPATION BY THE MAGYARS 18-26
Prehistoric times, 18—Pannonia and Dacia, 20—The Marcomanni,
21—Huns, 23—Gepidæ, 24—Baján, prince of the Avars, 25.
III
THE ORIGIN OF THE HUNGARIANS 27-41
Nimrod and his descendants, 27—Two kindred races, 29—Cradle
of the Magyar race, 32—Country between the Volga and Danube,
33—The seven dukes, 36—Invasion of Hungary, 37—Defeat of
Svatopluk, 39.
IV.
THE REIGN OF THE DUKES 42-52
Árpád the first duke, 42—Defeat of King Berengar, 44—Battle
of Presburg, 45—Battle of Merseburg, 47—_Melancholy Magyars_,
49—Duke Geyza, 51.
V.
THE CONVERSION TO CHRISTIANITY 53-64
Shamanism, 53—Missionaries, 55—Baptism of Stephen,
58—Discontent, 59—Rigorous laws, 61—Changes in manners and
customs, 63.
VI.
ST. STEPHEN, THE FIRST KING OF HUNGARY 65-96
St. Stephen’s Day, 66—Influence of religious ideas, 69—Character
of Stephen, 71—Embassy to Rome, 74—St. Stephen’s crown, 75—Papal
bull, 77—Christian church the corner-stone, 79—Cathedral of
Stuhlweissenburg, 81—Increase of royal authority, 83—Revenues,
85—Prosperity of the country, 87—Attack of Conrad, 89—Stephen’s
advice to his son, 91—Stephen canonized, 96.
VII.
THE KINGS OF THE HOUSE OF ÁRPÁD 97-150
Wealth of the Árpáds, 98—Charter of the Golden Bull, 99—Vatha,
102—Envoys of Henry III., 103—The brothers’ feud, 105—Power
of paganism broken, 107—Battle of Mogyoród, 109—Increase of
population, 111—Religious movement in Europe, 114—The “bookish”
king, 115—Struggle between uncle and nephew, 117—Béla’s oath,
119—Royal chancery, 121—Battle on the Drave, 124—Andrew II.,
125—Complaints of the nobles, 127—Golden Bull, 129—Mongol
invasion, 132—Plain of Theiss, 135—Battle of Muhi, 139—Béla’s
flight, 141—Colonization, 142—Frederic, Duke of Austria,
144—Alliance of houses of Hapsburg and Árpád, 145—Ladislaus IV.,
147—The sun of the Árpáds sets, 150.
VIII.
THE ANJOUS IN HUNGARY 151-193
The Czech party victorious, 152—Otto’s march through Buda,
153—Charles Robert of Anjou crowned, 154—Czech depredations,
155—Battle of Kassa, 157—Zách family condemned, 160—Wallachian
campaign, 161—Louis the Great, 164—Assassination of Andrew,
165—The Pope’s sentence, 167—Successes in Servia, 169—Europe
threatened by a new foe, 171—Cultivation of the arts of peace,
174—End of union between Poland and Hungary, 175—Coronation of
Charles, 177—Sigismund, ruler of Hungary, 179—Execution of Kont,
181—Approach of Bajazet, 183—Election of new king, 185—King of
Hungary becomes Emperor of Germany, 187—Church of Rome, 189—Siege
of Galambócz, 191—Death of Sigismund, 193.
IX.
JOHN HUNYADI; THE GREAT CHAMPION OF CHRISTIANITY 194-216
Every noble a born soldier, 195—Battle of Semendria, 196—Heroism
of Simon Kemény, 199—Entrance of Turkish army, 201—League against
the Turks, 203—Terms of peace, 205—Battle of Varna, 207—Defeat
of the Hungarians, 209—Invasion of Albania, 211—John Capistrano,
213—Death of Hunyadi, 215.
X
KING MATTHIAS 217-256
Personal courage, 220—Wars with the Poles and Czechs, 222—The
_Black Troop_, 224—Siege of Vienna, 225—Severe disciplinarian,
229—Character of Matthias, 231—Embassy to Charles VIII.,
233—Brilliant court receptions, 235—“An Earthly Paradise,”
238—New laws, 240—King Matthias the Just, 241—Critical position,
243—Wealth, 245—Renaissance, 247—Court dinners, 249—Library,
251—Palace at Buda, 253—Death of Matthias, 256.
XI.
THE PERIOD OF NATIONAL DECLINE, AND THE DISASTROUS
BATTLE OF MOHÁCS 257-289
A dark page, 257—John Corvinus, 259—Deputation of Uladislaus,
261—Disorders of the times, 263—A distinguished brawl,
267—Condition of the Hungarian peasants, 269—Peasant war,
271—Popular feeling, 273—Indifference of the king, 275—Frivolous
amusements, 277—Fuggers, 279—_Kalandos_ League, 281—Siege of
Shabatz, 283—King Louis roused from his lethargy, 285—Battle of
Mohács, 287—Hungarians pay a heavy penalty, 289.
XII.
THE TURKISH WORLD, AND THE RISE OF PROTESTANTISM
IN HUNGARY 290-336
Sack of Buda, 293—A nation with two kings, 295—Ambitious
schemes of Solyman, 297—Gallant George Szondi, 299—Stephen
Losonczy, 301—Temesvár taken by the Turks, 305—Depressing days,
307—Heroic defence of Erlau, 308—Plans of Solyman, 311—He lays
siege to Szigetvár, 313—Wearisomeness of the siege, 315—Fall of
Szigetvár, 317—The poet Balassa, 319—Spread of Luther’s ideas,
322—Laws against Lutherans, 323—Teachings of Calvin, 325—The
anti-reformation movement, 327—Nicholas Zrinyi, 329—Last great
campaign of the Osmanlis, 331—Rout of the Turks, 333—Peace of
Szatmár, 335—Desolation of Hungary, 336.
XIII.
THE AUSTRIAN RULE (1526-1780) 337-373
Ferdinand elevated to the throne of Hungary, 338—Turks averse to
increase of Hapsburg power, 339—Vienna the seat of government,
341—Obstacle to Germanizing schemes, 343—Rebellion, 345—Peace
of Vienna, 346—Jesuits gain a foothold, 347—Gabriel Bethlen,
348—Old policy of the Transylvanian princes, 350—Disturbance of
the “balance of power,” 351—Gloomy outlook for the Hungarians,
353—General conspiracy, 355—Kurucz-Labancz era, 357—Negotiations
begun, 358—Siege of Vienna raised, 359—_Bloody Tribunal of
Eperjes_, 360—Colonization of the Alföld, 361—Oppressive
taxes, 362—Francis Rákóczy II., 363—New rising of the people,
364—Compact of Szatmár, 367—Inauguration of new policy, 369—Maria
Theresa’s appeal, 370—Gratitude of the queen, 371—Social
revolution, 372.
XIV.
THE EMPEROR JOSEPH II.—THE NATIONAL REACTION
AND THE NAPOLEONIC WARS 374-399
A king refuses to be crowned, 375—Imbued with
eighteenth-century views, 386—German made the official
language, 379—Shocks the prejudices of the people, 381—Crown
removed to Vienna, 382—War declared against Turkey,
385—Succession of Leopold II., 387—Hungary declared an
independent country, 389—Laws securing religious liberty,
390—Arbitrary government of Francis I., 391—Hungarian
Jacobins, 392—Echo of the French ideas, 394—Liberal leaders
arrested, 395—Bloody executions, 396—Main functions of the
diets, 397—Constitution ignored, 398—Levy of recruits, 399.
XV.
SZÉCHENYI, KOSSUTH, AND THE STRUGGLE FOR
LIBERTY IN 1848-1849 400-440
Hungarian Academy of Sciences, 400—Stephen Széchenyi,
402—Congress of Vienna, 404—Speaks in Hungarian,
406—Publication of “Credit,” 409—Introduction of
horse-racing, 410—Danube Steam Navigation Company, 411—Louis
Kossuth, 412—Leaders of public opinion, 414—Censorship
of the press, 415—Kossuth’s imprisonment, 416—_Pesti
Hirlap_, 417—Attacks on Kossuth, 418—Policy of the
Viennese government, 420—Revolutions of 1848, 421—_Talpra
Magyar_, 422—Reforms of the diet, 423—Hungary a modern
state, 424—Rebellion of Croatians, Wallachs, and Serbs,
426—_Honvéds_, 427—Vote for troops and funds, 428—Death of
Széchenyi, 429—Invasion of Windischgrätz, 430—Klapka achieves
his first triumph, 431—Alliance between Francis Joseph and
the Czar, 432—Surrender of Világos, 433—Persecution of the
patriots, 434—Work of reconciliation, 435—Austria-Hungary,
436—Pardon for political offenders, 440.
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
PAGE
SALLY FROM FORTRESS OF SZIGETVÁR _Frontispiece_
SELF-IMMOLATION OF SZONDI xiv
DANUBE FROM THE RUINS OF VISEGRÁD 3
ICE GROTTO OF DEMÉNFALVA 5
BORDERS OF THE DANUBE 7
BUDA-PESTH 11
COACHMAN 12
HUNGARIAN TYPES 13
CHILDREN FROM THE DISTRICT OF THE SAVE 15
A “KOLA” 17
ROMAN AND DACIANS, FROM TRAJAN’s COLUMN 19
A ROMAN TEMPLE 21
HUNGARIAN SHEPHERD 31
ELECTION OF ÁLMOS, THE FIRST DUKE 35
ÁRPÁD TAKES POSSESSION OF HUNGARY 43
BAPTISM OF ST. STEPHEN 57
CORONATION OF ST. STEPHEN 67
THE PEOPLE SEDUCED BY VATHA CLAIM THE
RE-ESTABLISHMENT OF PAGANISM 101
DUEL BETWEEN ST. LADISLAUS AND AKERS 113
BÉLA IV. RETURNS TO HIS COUNTRY, DEVASTATED
BY THE MONGOLS 143
CASTLE OF ÁRVA 153
CATHEDRAL OF GRAN 163
CASTLE OF BETZKÓ 173
CASTLE OF HUNYAD 196
PRESBURG 219
FORTRESS OF BUDA 227
RUINS OF VISEGRÁD 237
JELLACHICH SQUARE, AGRAM 255
HEROIC DEFENCE OF ERLAU 309
PASHA’S HOUSE 319
HUNGARIAN PEASANTS IN AN INN 321
A CSIKÓS 339
HUNGARIAN PEASANTS 349
PEASANT GIRL FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD
OF BUDA-PESTH 365
HUNGARIAN PEASANT 371
HUNGARIAN PORTER (DOOR-KEEPER) 377
SLOVAK WOMAN AND CHILDREN 383
GYPSY HUTS 401
OLD GYPSY WOMAN 403
HALT OF GYPSIES 405
GYPSIES AND LADY 419
HOUSE AT KRAPINA 423
HUNGARIAN GYPSY 425
HUNGARIAN LADY 435
WOMAN’S HEAD-DRESS 437
CARTS 439
BARKS ON DANUBE 440
[Illustration: SELF-IMMOLATION OF SZONDI. (See p. 301.)]
[Illustration: HUNGARY]
[Illustration]
THE STORY OF HUNGARY.
CHAPTER I.
THE COUNTRY AND THE PEOPLE OF HUNGARY.
ALEXANDER PETÖFI, the great Hungarian poet, in one of his beautiful
poems, sings thus of his native land:
“If the earth be God’s crown
Our country is its fairest jewel.”
And truly were we able to ascend the airy heights and obtain a
bird’s-eye view of Hungary, we would fain admit that it is one of the
fairest and most blessed spots on the face of the earth.
In the Northwest of Hungary, on the banks of the Danube, begins the
mountainous region known under the name of the Carpathian range, which
for beauty is not surpassed by the Alps, and in extent fairly rivals
them. This mountain range, encircling like a gigantic evergreen wreath
one half of the country, extends all along its northern boundary and,
after enclosing the eastern portion of it, stretches westward to where
it is intersected by the waters of the Danube, not terminating there,
however, but branching off into the countries lying along the lower
course of that river.
The whole range of the Carpathians is characterized throughout its
immensely long course by considerable breadth, forming at some
places quite a hilly country and high plateaus, as, for instance, in
Transylvania which, although properly belonging to Hungary, formerly
enjoyed a sort of independence under its own name. This territory is
covered almost entirely by the Carpathians, but, of course, designated
here by different names.
We shall proceed now in due order.
In the Northwest, there where the Danube enters Hungarian territory
near Dévény, the mountain chain begins, under the name of the
Northwestern Carpathians; these, describing the shape of a half moon,
extend from Presburg (Pozsony) to the Hernád-Tarcza valley. Formerly
three groups only were mentioned in connection with this section:
namely, the Tátra, Fátra, and Mátra, a representation of which, as
well as of the four rivers, the Danube, Theiss, Drave, and Save, is
embodied in the arms of the country, whence Hungary is designated as
“the country of the three mountains and four rivers.” The Northwestern
Carpathians are, however, a gigantic mountain mass of immense bulk,
subdivided into several distinct ranges. Of these one, the Northwestern
border mountain-range, starting near the Danube in Presburg County and
extending in the shape of a wide arch in a northeastern direction as
far as the sources of the Árva river, divides Hungary from Moravia,
Silesia, and Galicia. This ridge is constantly rising, and reaches
the highest elevation at its northern edge. Another range is the
Little Kreván, which begins in Árva County, and extends through the
flatlands between the Vág and Nyitra rivers. East of this are the Gömör
mountain-range, famous for its stalactitic caves, including Aggtelek;
the Mátra range, extending from Miskolcz to Vácz; and the loftiest
of all, the High Tátra, whose highest peaks are those of Jégvölgy,
Gerlachfalva, and Lomnicz, rising to an altitude of between 8,000 and
9,000 feet. The mountains belonging to this group are snow-covered,
and what renders them peculiarly interesting are the so-called
_tengerszemek_ (eyes of the sea), limpid lakes of unfathomable depth,
which, according to popular belief, are connected with the sea, and
about which a good many old-time legendary tales are current amongst
the people. These lakes are met with at the height of 1,900 metres
above the level of the sea.
[Illustration: DANUBE FROM THE RUINS OF VISEGRÁD.]
That range of mountains which extends eastwards from the Hernád-Tarcza
valley to the southeastern angle of Mármaros County is called the
Northeastern Carpathians. It includes the Wooded Carpathians and the
Eperjes-Tokay range, in the southern part of which, the Hegyalja, the
king of the wines, the famous Tokay wine, is produced.
[Illustration: ICE-GROTTO OF DEMÉNYFALVA.]
The southeastern chain of the Carpathians divides where Mármaros
County, Transylvania, and Bukovina converge into an angle, forming
several main lines which enclose the territory of Transylvania in an
almost quadrangular shape and give it the character of a high plateau.
The name of this group is the Southeastern Carpathians. Parts of it
are the Transylvanian northern and eastern border ranges; the Hargita
range, with the remarkable Mount Büdös, containing several caves from
which issue strong gases, and the beautiful lake of St. Anna at a
height of 950 metres; the southern border range, the largest and most
massive portion of the Carpathian mountains; the mountain group of
the Banate and the mineral mountain range of the Banate, the latter
owing its name to the gold, silver, and other ores as well as the coal
abounding in it. This group projects as far as the basin of the Danube
and forms there the passes known as the Iron Gate, which greatly impede
navigation. To the Transylvanian Hungarian range, extending north from
the Maros river, belong the mineral mountains of Transylvania, rich in
gold and other ore, and the mountain called Királyhágó, which marks the
frontier between Hungary and the independent Transylvania of old.
Thirty-eight passes lead from this mountain-system of gigantic
dimensions, partly into the countries adjacent to Hungary, partly
into the regions divided by them. Of these the most important are:
the Jablunka pass, communicating with Silesia and the valley of the
Vistula; the Vereczke pass between Munkács and Stry, supposed to be the
pass through which the Hungarians entered their present country; the
Radna pass, leading into Bukovina; the Ojtóz pass, communicating with
Moldavia; the Tömös pass, leading to Bucharest; and the Red Tower pass,
leading into Little Wallachia.
Besides the Carpathian mountains Hungary also contains a less
considerable portion of the Alps, belonging to the so-called Noric
Alps. They lie in trans-Danubian Hungary, the Pannonia of old. They
embrace the Austro-Styrian border-range, between the valleys of the
Danube and Drave; the Vértes-Bakony ranges, of which the Bakony forest
forms a part; and the group of the Buda mountains, producing the
celebrated wines of that name.
Croatia and Slavonia, which are parts of the Hungarian realm, are also
traversed by mountains belonging to the Alpine system.
We perceive from the preceding account that a large portion of the
country is mountainous, but over a third part of it is level land,
and so fertile that it may compare to the prairies in North America.
The great Hungarian plain, the so-called Alföld (Lowland), boasts of
the best soil for the production of wheat, and, stretching down from
the offshoots of the Central Carpathians to the frontiers of Servia
contains upward of 35,000 square miles.
[Illustration: BORDERS OF THE DANUBE.]
The extent of the water system of a country and its distribution is
always of the first importance. In this respect, too, Hungary has been
blessed by nature. Of the sea she has but little; a small portion only
of the Adriatic washes her shores, the so-called Hungarian Sea-Coast,
where Fiume, the only important Hungarian seaport city, is situated.
The country possesses also some interesting lakes; one, Lake Balaton,
forty-seven miles long and nine miles wide, has the characteristics
of the sea to such an extent that it is called the Hungarian Sea. In
this extensive water is to be found the savory _fogas_ fish, and on its
shores is situated Balaton-Füred, one of the favorite watering-places
of Hungary, and near this place is the famous echo of Tihany. Another
large lake is the Fertö (Neu-Siedler), eighteen miles long and about
five miles wide, which became perfectly dry in 1863, so that even
houses were built on its bed, but the waters have returned to it within
the last few years. Several smaller lakes, besides the two mentioned,
are scattered throughout the country.
With rivers the country is abundantly supplied. Its mightiest stream is
the Danube, after the Volga, the largest river in Europe. The whole of
Hungary belongs to its basin. Its length in Hungary is 600 miles, and
it leaves the country at Orsova, after having formed several islands in
its course. The largest among these is the Great Csalló region, which
contains two towns and over a hundred villages; and the most beautiful
of them is Margit (Margaret) Island, near Buda-Pesth—quite a miniature
paradise, frequented by a great many strangers, who come here to get
the benefit of its excellent baths. Of the numerous affluents of the
Danube the Theiss is the most important; it has its sources in the
country and empties into the Danube on Hungarian soil, near Titel. It
is navigable for steamships. The Save and Drave are after the Theiss
the largest tributaries of the Danube. All these rivers send their
waters, through the medium of the Danube, into the Black Sea.
Thus harmoniously is the soil of Hungary varied by mountains, valleys,
plains, and high plateaus, and gratefully watered by rivers and lakes;
and if we but add that the country lies between the forty-fourth and
fiftieth degrees of northern latitude, that is, in the most favorable
part of the temperate zone, we may readily infer the superiority of
the climatic conditions prevailing there. There is, of course, great
variety of climate. The winter is raw and cold in the Carpathian
regions; spring sets in later, winter comes earlier, and the cold
sometimes reaches -22° F. In the hilly and level country the climate
is much more genial, the summers hotter, and storms of more frequent
occurrence. Wheat, grapes, and maize do not ripen in the regions
of the higher Carpathians, whilst the Alföld produces the best and
finest wheat, and even rice. The air is most genial on the shores of
the Adriatic, and here are grown the fruits of Southern Europe. The
climate, as a general thing, is dry, especially in the Alföld, where
trees are rare.
Such is the topography and climate of the country which, lying in the
central portion of Middle Europe, stretches between Moravia, Silesia,
Galicia, Bukovina, Roumania, Servia, Bosnia, the Adriatic Sea, Istria,
Carinthia, Styria, and Austria. It covers an area of 125,000 square
miles, and has a population of nearly sixteen millions.
Politically the country is divided into three parts, namely: Hungary
proper (including the formerly detached Transylvania), the city and
territory of Fiume, and Croatia and Slavonia. Dalmatia, too, ought
to belong under the old laws to the country, but, for a long time
already, it has owned the supremacy of Austria.
[Illustration: BUDA-PESTH.]
Buda-Pesth is the capital of the entire kingdom. Situated on both
banks of the majestic Danube, here spanned by three beautiful bridges,
amongst them the famous suspension bridge, it is one of the finest
cities of Europe. It has nearly 400,000 inhabitants, and is the centre
of Hungary’s political, cultural, industrial, and commercial life.
Fine public and private buildings, some of them beautiful specimens of
architectural art, adorn the city, and it boasts wide thoroughfares,
among which the delightful Corso along the left bank of the Danube, and
the Andrássy Út (Road) leading to the city park, where the national
exhibition of 1885 was located, deserve especial mention. The finest
and largest cities, besides Buda-Pesth, are: Presburg (Pozsony),
on the left bank of the Danube, formerly the seat of the Hungarian
Diet; Comorn (Komárom), on the Danube, too, celebrated for its grand
fortifications; Stuhlweissenburg (Székesfejérvár), once the capital of
Hungary; Raab (Györ); Oedenburg (Soprony); Veszprém, one of the oldest
cities; Erlau (Eger), renowned for its excellent wine; Szeged, the
metropolis of the Alföld and one of the largest cities, which in 1879
was almost entirely destroyed by the overflowing of the Theiss, but
has since been rebuilt, more beautifully than before, after the latest
European pattern; Kassa, the finest city in Upper Hungary; Miskolcz;
Debreczen, one of the most remarkable cities of the Hungarian Alföld
and the seat of a considerable industry; Grosswardein (Nagy-Várad),
the scene of many important historical events; Arad, Temesvár, and
Carlsburg (Gyulafejérvár), all fortified cities memorable in history;
Klausenburg (Kolozsvár), the capital of the former principality
of Transylvania; the flourishing Transylvanian towns of Kronstadt
(Brassó) and Hermannstadt (Szeben), inhabited for the most part by
the descendants of Saxons; Fiume, the seaport on the Adriatic; Agram
(Zágráb), the capital of Croatia, a beautiful city, which, however, was
greatly damaged in 1880 by a terrible earthquake; and Eszék, the most
prominent of the Slavonian towns.
[Illustration: COACHMAN.]
[Illustration: HUNGARIAN TYPES.]
The population of the country is composed of various nationalities.
The conquering Hungarians did not oppress the ancient inhabitants
of the land but left them undisturbed in the use of their native
language, and, even in later days, their tolerance went so far as to
actually favor foreign, and, more particularly, German immigrants,
and to this exceptional forbearance alone must be traced the survival
of so many nationalities, and the lack of assimilation, after so many
centuries. Classified as to languages spoken by the inhabitants, the
chief nationalities number as follows: 1, Hungarians or Magyars,
6,500,000—the ruling, and, so to say, the political nationality of
the country, their language, the Magyar[*] being the language of
the state; 2, Germans, 1,900,000; 3, Roumans, 2,400,000; 4, Slovaks,
1,800,000; 5, Croats and Serbs, 2,400,000; 6, Ruthenes, 350,000. Besides
these there are other nationalities but in insignificant numbers.
[*] The language of the Hungarians, or Magyars, belongs to the
Uralo-Altaic stock, and must be classified with those mixed languages
which have sprung up from the amalgamation of different branches of
the said race. In the case of the Hungarian language we have before
us a mixture of the Finnic-Ugrian and the Turco-Tartar idioms, and
the question of its fundamental basis has been constantly a matter of
dispute between philologists.
Its phonetic system, as a strictly Asiatic language, being essentially
different from that of the Indo-European or Aryan languages, we give
here the following rules of pronunciation to be used in this book:
VOWELS: | CONSONANTS:
_Hungarian._ _English, etc._ | _Hungarian._ _English, etc._
a o in hot. | cs ch in chalk.
á a in far. | cz ts in charts.
e e in net. | gy dy in how d’ you do.
é ai in fail. | ly gl in Italian gli.
i i in pin. | ny gn in Italian ogni.
í ee in deer. | s sh in shirt.
ó o in no. | sz s in saint.
ö eu in French meuble. | ty ty in hit you (tu in
ö eu in French deux. | tune).
u u in full. | zs s in pleasure.
ú oo in too. |
ü u in French juste. |
ü u in French dur. |
The relative numbers of the various religious denominations are, in
round figures, as follows: Roman and Greek (united) Catholics 60%;
Eastern-Greek (non-united), 16%; Lutherans, 7%; Calvinists, 13%;
Unitarians, 1/3 %; Jews, 4%.
With respect to their cultural condition, the people may be said to be
abreast of the nations of Western Europe in every thing but industry,
commerce, and some branches of science. In recent years especially a
great improvement has taken place in popular education, owing to the
large and daily increasing number of schools, and the law which compels
children to attend school. There are, for the purpose of advancing
learning and cultivating the various branches of science, a variety
of conspicuous scientific institutions, literary societies, reading
clubs, and public and private libraries. In journalistic literature the
country is equal to any country on the European continent.
[Illustration: CHILDREN FROM THE DISTRICT OF THE SAVE.]
The constitution of the kingdom is one of the most liberal in
Europe. The estates were represented at the Diet up to 1848, but
under the present constitution the government is based upon popular
representation. The Parliament or National Assembly consists of two
Houses, the House of Representatives and the Upper House, or House of
Lords, and in these two bodies and the king is vested the legislative
power. The national affairs are administered by eight ministerial
departments; the affairs in common with Austria are settled by a
delegation from the two Houses of Parliament which meets an Austrian
Parliamentary delegation once in every year, and administered by three
common ministerial departments—for foreign affairs, for the common
army, and for the finances, respectively.
In conclusion it may be added that the description given above of the
favorable concurrence of soil and climate is fully borne out by the
abundance of fine cattle of every description possessed by the country,
by a bountiful production of cereals which has earned for Hungary the
name of the granary of Europe, by the growth of the greatest variety of
fruit and forest trees, and finally by the rich products of the mining
regions we have adverted to before.
This chapter, however, would be incomplete were we not to mention the
gigantic efforts made by the national government in every direction
during the last two decades to raise Hungary from a mere agricultural
state to an industrial and commercial state as well, by fostering
her domestic industries and providing good highways, a fine net of
railways, steam and other navigation, in order to afford an easy and
cheap outlet to the abundance of natural products with which nature has
blessed her.
These patriotic efforts, considering the short space of time they
cover, have been attended with signal success, and have culminated
in the National Exhibition of 1885, held at Buda-Pesth, which fitly
illustrated to its many visitors, amounting to nearly a million, the
extraordinary progress made by the country in the last years.
[Illustration: A “KOLA.”]
[Illustration]