HISTORY OF HUNGARY

Hungary is a country in Central Europe. Its history under this name dates to the early

Middle Ages, when Pannonian Basin was conquered by the Hungarians, a semi-nomadic people

in that time. For history of the area before this period, see Pannonian basin before Hungary.

Early history

Grand Prince Árpád crossing the Carpathians. A detail of the Arrival of the

Hungarians, Árpád Feszty's and his assistants' vast (1800 m²) cycloramic canvas, painted to

celebrate the 1000th anniversary of the Magyar conquest of Hungary, now displayed at the

Ópusztaszer National Historical Memorial Park in Hungary.

The Roman Empire conquered territory west of the Danube between 35 and 9 BC From 9

BC to the end of the 4th century AD Pannonia, the western part of the basin was part of the

Roman Empire. In the final stages of the expansion of the Roman empire, for a short while the

Carpathian Basin fell under Mediterranean influence Greco-Roman civilization - town centers,

paved roads, and written sources were all part of the advances to which the "Migration of

Peoples" put an end.

After the Western Roman Empire collapsed under the stress of the migration of Germanic

tribes and Carpian pressure, the Migration Period continued bringing many invaders to Europe.

Among the first to arrive were the Huns, who built up a powerful empire under Attila in 435

AD. Attila the Hun was regarded in past centuries as an ancestral ruler of the Hungarians, but

this is now considered to be erroneous. It is believed that the origin of the name "Hungary" does

not come from the Central Asian Hun nomadic invaders, but rather originated from the 7th

century, when Magyar tribes were part of a Bulgar alliance called On-Ogour, which in Bulgar

Turkic meant "(the) Ten Arrows". After Hunnish rule faded, the

Germanic Ostrogoths, Lombards then Slavs came to Pannonia, and the Gepids had a presence in

the eastern part of theCarpathian Basin for about 100 years. In the 560s the Avars founded

the Avar Khaganate, a state which maintained supremacy in the region for more than two

centuries and had the military power to launch attacks against its neighboring empires. The Avar

Khaganate was weakened by constant wars and outside pressure, and

the Franks under Charlemagne managed to defeat the Avars, ending their 250-year rule. In the

middle of the 9th century, the Slavic Balaton Principality, also known as Lower Pannonia, was

established by the Franks as a frontier march when they destroyed the Avar state in the western

part of the Pannonian plain; however this vassal state was destroyed in 900 by Hungarian tribes.

Much of early Hungarian history is recorded in the following Hungarian chronicles, retelling the

early legends and history of the Huns, Magyars and the Kingdom of Hungary:

Anonymi Gesta Hungarorum (Anonymous "Deeds of the Hungarians") by Magister P.

(around 1200)

Gesta Hunnorum et Hungarorum  or Gesta Hungarorum (II) ("Deeds of the Huns and

Hungarians" or just "Deeds of the Hungarians") by Simon of Kéza (late 13th century)

Chronicon Pictum  ("Illuminated Chronicle") (late 14th century)

Chronicle of the Hungarians by Johannes de Thurocz (1480s)

Middle Ages (895–1526)

Árpád was the Magyar leader whom sources name as the single leader who unified the

Magyar tribes via the Covenant of Blood (Hungarian: Vérszerződés), forging what was thereafter

known as the Hungarian nation. Árpád led the new nation to the Carpathian Basin in the 9th

century. From 895 to 902 the whole area of the Carpathian Basin was conquered by the

Hungarian. After that, an early Hungarian state (the Principality of Hungary, founded in 895)

was formed in this territory. The military power of the nation allowed the Hungarians to conduct

successful fierce campaigns and raids as far as today's Spain .  A later defeat at the Battle of

Lechfeld in 955 signaled an end to raids on western territories (Byzantine raids continued until

970), and links between the tribes weakened. The ruling prince (fejedelem) Géza of theÁrpád

dynasty, who ruled only part of the united territory, the nominal overlord of all seven Magyar

tribes, aimed to integrate Hungary into Christian Western Europe, rebuilding the state according

to the Western political and social model.] He established a dynasty by naming his son Vajk (the

later King Stephen I of Hungary) as his successor. This was contrary to the then-dominant

tradition of the succession of the eldest surviving member of the ruling family. By ancestral right

prince Koppány, -as the oldest member of the dynasty- should have claimed the throne,

but Géza chose his first-born son to be his successor. The fight in the chief prince's family started

after Géza's death, in 997. Duke Koppány took up arms, and many people in Transdanubia

joined him. The rebels represented the old faith and order, ancient human rights, tribal

independence and pagan belief, but Stephen won a decisive victory over his uncle Koppány, and

had him executed.

King Stephen I of Hungary, patron saint of Kings (from the Chronicon Hungariae Pictum).

The Patrimonial Kingdom

The Kingdom of Hungary in the 1090s

Hungary was recognized as a Catholic Apostolic Kingdom under Saint Stephen I.

Stephen was the son of Géza and thus a descendant of Árpád.

Stephen was crowned by the Holy Crown of Hungary in December 1000 AD in

the capital,Esztergom. The Papacy confers on him the right to have the cross carried before him,

with full administrative authority over bishoprics and churches. By 1006, Stephen had solidified

his power, eliminating all rivals who either wanted to follow the old pagan traditions or wanted

an alliance with the Eastern Christian Byzantine Empire. Then he started sweeping reforms to

convert Hungary into a western feudal state, complete with forced Christianization. Stephen

established a network of 10 episcopal and 2 archiepiscopal sees, and ordered the buildup of

monasteries churches and cathedrals. In the earliest times Hungarian language was written in

a runic-like script. The country switched to the Latin alphabet under Stephen.

From 1000 to 1844, Latin was the official language of the country. He followed the

Frankish administrative model: The whole of this land was divided into counties (megyék), each

under a royal official called an ispán count (Latin: comes)—later főispán (Latin: supremus

comes). This official represented the king’s authority, administered its population, and collected

the taxes that formed the national revenue. Each ispán maintained an armed force of freemen at

his fortified headquarters (castrum or vár).

What emerged was a strong kingdom that withstood attacks from German kings and

Emperors, and nomadic tribes following the Hungarians from the East, integrating some of the

latter into the population (along with Germans invited toTransylvania and the northern part of the

kingdom, especially after the Battle of Mohi), and conquering Croatia in 1091. According to an

alternative history based on the document Pacta Conventa, which is most likely a

forgery Hungary and Croatia created a personal union. There is no undoubtedly genuine

document of the personal union, and medieval sources mention the annexation into the

Hungarian kingdom.

After the Great Schism (The East-West Schism /formally in 1054/, between

Western Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christianity.) Hungary determined itself as the

easternmost bastion of Western civilisation (This statement was affirmed later by Pope Pius II

who wrote that to Emperor Friedrich III, "Hungary is the shield of Christianity and the defender

of Western civilization").

Important members of the Árpád dynasty:

Coloman  the "Book-lover" (King: 1095–1116):

One of his most famous laws was half a millennium ahead of its time: De strigis vero

quae non sunt, nulla amplius quaestio fiat (As for the matter of witches, no such things exist,

therefore no further investigations or trials are to be held).

Béla III  (King: 1172–1192)

He was the most powerful and wealthiest member of the dynasty, Béla disposed of

annual equivalent of 23,000 kg of pure silver. It exceeded those of the French king (estimated at

some 17,000 kilograms) and was double the receipts of the English Crown. He rolled back the

Byzantine potency in Balkan region. In 1195, Bela III had expanded the Hungarian Kingdom

southward and westward to Bosnia and Dalmatia, helping to break up the Byzantine Empire, and

extending suzerainty over Serbia.

Andrew II of Hungary  (King: 1205–1235)

In 1211 Andrew II of Hungary (ruled from 1205 to 1235) granted the Burzenland (in

Transylvania) to the Teutonic Knights. In 1225, Andrew II expelled the Teutonic Knights from

Transylvania, hence Teutonic Order had to transfer to the Baltic sea. In 1224, Andrew issued

the Diploma Andreanum which unified and ensured the special privileges of the Transylvanian

Saxons. It is considered the first Autonomy law in the world.

He led the Fifth Crusade to the Holy Land in 1217. He set up the largest royal army in the

history of Crusades (20,000 knights and 12,000 castle-garrisons). The Golden Bull of 1222 was

the first constitution in Continental Europe. It limited the king's power. The Golden Bull — the

Hungarian equivalent of England’s Magna Carta — to which every Hungarian king thereafter

had to swear, had a twofold purpose: to reaffirm the rights of the smaller nobles of the old and

new classes of royal servants (servientes regis) against both the crown and the magnates and to

defend those of the whole nation against the crown by restricting the powers of the latter in

certain fields and legalizing refusal to obey its unlawful/unconstitutional commands (the ius

resistendi). The lesser nobles also began to present Andrew with grievances, a practice that

evolved into the institution of the parliament, or Diet. Hungary became the first country where

the parliament had supremacy over the kingship. The most important legal ideology was

the Doctrine of the Holy Crown.

Important points of the Doctrine: The sovereignty belongs to the noble nation→(the Holy

Crown). The members of the Holy Crown are the citizens of the Crown's lands. None can reach

full power. The nation is sharing a portion of the political power with the ruler. Minority cannot

rule over majority (against tyranny and oligarchy).

By the early 16th century, the Ottoman Empire became the second most populous state in

the world, which opened the door to creation of the largest armies of the era.

Louis II of Hungary and Bohemia the young king, who died at the Battle of Mohács, painted

by Titian

The magnates, who did not want another heavy-handed king, procured the accession

ofVladislaus II (King: 1490–1516), king of Bohemia (László II in Hungarian), precisely because

of his notorious weakness: he was known as King Dobže, or Dobzse (meaning “Good” or,

loosely, “OK”), from his habit of accepting with that word every paper laid before him.Under his

reign the central power began to experience severe financial difficulties, largely due to the

enlargement of feudal lands at his expense. The magnates also dismantled administration and

institute systems of the country. The country's defenses declined as border guards and castle

garrisons went unpaid, fortresses fell into disrepair, and initiatives to increase taxes to reinforce

defenses were stifled. Hungary's international role was wasted, its political stability shaken, and

social progress was deadlocked.

In 1514, the weakened old King Vladislaus II faced a major peasant rebellion led

by György Dózsa, which was ruthlessly crushed by the nobles, led by János Szapolyai. The

resulting degradation of order paved the way for Ottoman preeminence. In 1521, the strongest

Hungarian fortress in the South, Nándorfehérvár (modern Belgrade) fell to the Turks, and in

1526, the Hungarian army was crushed at the Battle of Mohács. The young king Louis II, and the

leader of the Hungarian army, Pál Tomori died in the battle. The early appearance

ofprotestantism further worsened internal relations in the anarchical country.

Through the centuries Hungary kept its old "constitution", which granted special

"freedoms" or rights to the nobility, the free royal towns such as Buda, Kassa (Košice), Pozsony

(Bratislava), and Kolozsvár (Cluj-Napoca) and groups like the Jassic people or Transylvanian

Saxons.

Early modern age (1526–1700)

After some 150 years of war in the south of Hungary, Ottoman forces conquered parts of

the country, continuing their expansion until 1556. The Ottomans achieved their first decisive

victory over the Hungarian army at the Battle of Mohács in 1526.

The Siege of Eger (1552), in which 2,000 Hungarians fought with close to 35,000-40,000

Turk warriors. The battle finished with Hungarian victory.

Subsequent decades were characterized by political chaos. A divided Hungarian nobility

elected two kings simultaneously, János Szapolyai (1526–1540, of Hungarian-German origin)

and the Austrian Ferdinand of Habsburg(1527–1540). Armed conflicts between the new rival

monarchs further weakened the country from the internal side. With the conquest of Buda in

1541 by the Turks, Hungary was riven into three parts. The north-west (present-day Slovakia,

western Transdanubia and Burgenland, western Croatia and parts of north-eastern present-day

Hungary) remained under Habsburg rule; although initially independent, later it became a part of

Habsburg Monarchy under the informal name Royal Hungary. The Habsburg Emperors

would from then on be crowned also as Kings of Hungary. Turks were unable to conquer

Northern and Western parts of Hungary.

The eastern part of the kingdom (Partium and Transylvania) became at first an

independent principality, but gradually was brought under Turkish rule as a vassal state of the

Ottoman Empire. The remaining central area (most of present-day Hungary), including the

capital of Buda, became a province of the Ottoman Empire. Much of the land was devastated by

recurrent warfare. Most small Hungarian settlements disappeared. Rural people living in the now

Ottoman provinces could survive only in larger settlements known as Khaz towns, which were

owned and protected directly by the Sultan. The Turks were indifferent to the sect of Christianity

practiced by their Hungarian subjects.

For this reason, a majority of Hungarians living under Ottoman rule became Protestant

(largely Calvinist), as Habsburg counter-reformation efforts could not penetrate Ottoman lands.

Largely throughout this time, Pozsony (Pressburg, today: Bratislava) acted as the capital (1536–

1784), coronation town (1563–1830) and seat of the Diet of Hungary (1536–1848).

Nagyszombat (modern Trnava) acted in turn as the religious center, starting from 1541. The vast

majority of the seventeen and nineteen thousands Ottoman soldiers in service in the Ottoman

fortresses in the territory of Hungary were Orthodox and Muslim Balkan Slavs instead of ethnic

Turkish people. Southern Slavs were also acting as akinjis and other light troops intended for

pillaging in the territory of present-day Hungary.

In 1558 the Transylvanian Diet of Turda declared free practice of both

the Catholic and Lutheran religions, but prohibited Calvinism. Ten years later, in 1568, the Diet

extended this freedom, declaring that: "It is not allowed to anybody to intimidate anybody with

captivity or expelling for his religion". Four religions were declared as accepted (recepta)

religions, while Orthodox Christianity was "tolerated" (though the building of stone Orthodox

churches was forbidden). Hungary entered the Thirty Years' War, Royal (Habsburg) Hungary

joined the Catholic side, until Transylvania joined the Protestant side.

In 1686, two years after the unsuccessful siege of Buda, a renewed European campaign

was started to enter the Hungarian capital. This time, the Holy League's army was twice as large,

containing over 74,000 men, including German, Croat, Dutch, Hungarian, English, Spanish,

Czech, Italian, French, Burgundian, Danish and Swedish soldiers, along with other Europeans as

volunteers, artilleryman, and officers, the Christian forces reconquered Buda. The second Battle

of Mohács was a crushing defeat for the Turks, in the next few years, all of the former Hungarian

lands, except areas near Timişoara (Temesvár), were taken from the Turks. At the end of the

17th century, Transylvania became part of Hungary again.[44] In the 1699 Treaty of

Karlowitz these territorial changes were officially recognised, and in 1718 the entire Kingdom of

Hungary was removed from Ottoman rule.

Concurrently, between 1604 and 1711, there was a series of anti-Austrian, and anti-

Habsburg uprisings which took place in the Habsburg state of Royal Hungary (more precisely, in

present-day Slovakia and in present day western and central Hungary), as well as anti-Catholic

uprisings, which were to be found across the Hungarian lands. Religious protesters demanded

equal rights among Christian groups. The uprisings were usually organized from Transylvania.

Ethnic aftermath of Ottoman wars

As a consequence of the constant warfare between Hungarians and Ottoman Turks,

population growth was stunted and the network of medieval settlements with their urbanized

bourgeois inhabitants perished. The 150 years of Turkish wars fundamentally changed the ethnic

composition of Hungary. As a result of demographic losses including deportations and

massacres, the number of ethnic Hungarians in existence at the end of the Turkish period was

substantially diminishes.

Late Modern period (1700–1918).

BME, The oldest University of Technology in the World, founded in 1782

There were a series of anti-Habsburg (i.e. anti-Austrian) and anti-Catholic (requiring

equal rights and freedom for all Christian religions) uprisings between 1604 and 1711, which –

with the exception of the last one – took place in Royal Hungary. The uprisings were usually

organized from Transylvania. The last one was an uprising led by 'II. Rákóczi Ferenc', who after

the dethronement of the Habsburgs in 1707 at the Diet of Ónód took power as the "Ruling

Prince" of Hungary. The Hungarian Kuruc army lost the main battles at Battle of

Trencin however there were also success actions, for example whenÁdám Balogh almost

captured the Austrian Emperor with Kuruc troops. When Austrians defeated the uprising in

1711, Rákóczi was in Poland. He later fled to France, finally Turkey, and lived to the end of his

life (1735) in nearby Rodosto. Ladislas Ignace de Bercheny who was son of Miklós Bercsényi

immigrated to France and created the first French hussar regiment. Afterward, to make further

armed resistance impossible, the Austrians blew up some castles (most of the castles on the

border between the now-reclaimed territories occupied earlier by the Ottomans and Royal

Hungary), and allowed peasants to use the stones from most of the others as building material

(the végvárs among them). The 18th century also saw one of the most famous Hungarian hussars

namedMichael Kovats. He created the modern US cavalry in the American Revolutionary

War and is commemorated today with a statue in Charleston, North Carolina.

[edit]The Period of Reforms (1825–1848)

In the 1820s, the Emperor was forced to convene the Hungarian Diet, and thus a Reform Period

began. Nevertheless, its progress was slow, because the nobles insisted on retaining their

privileges (no taxation, exclusive voting rights, etc.). Therefore the achievements were mostly of

national character (e.g. introduction of Hungarian as one of the official languages of the country,

instead of the former Latin).

Count István Széchenyi, the most prominent statesmen of the country recognized the urgent need

of modernization and their message got through. The Hungarian Parliament was reconvened in

1825 to handle financial needs. A liberal party emerged in the Diet. The party focused on

providing for the peasantry in mostly symbolic ways because of their ability to understand the

needs of the laborers. Lajos Kossuth emerged as leader of the lower gentry in the Parliament.

Habsburg monarchs tried to preclude the industrialization of the country. A remarkable upswing

started as the nation concentrated its forces on modernization even though the Habsburg

monarchs obstructed all important liberal laws about the human civil and political rights and

economic reforms. Many reformers (like Lajos Kossuth, Mihály Táncsics ) were imprisoned by

the authorities.

Transition to Communism (1944–1949)

The Soviet Army occupied Hungary from September 1944 until April 1945. The siege

of Budapest lasted almost 2 months, from December 1944 to February 1945 (the longest

successful siege of any city in the entire war, including Berlin) and the city suffered widespread

destruction, including all the Danube bridges which were blown up by the Germans in an effort

to slow the Soviet advance.

By signing the Peace Treaty of Paris, Hungary again lost all the territories that it had

gained between 1938 and 1941. Neither the Western Allies nor the Soviet Union supported any

change in Hungary's pre-1938 borders, which was the primary motive behind the Hungarian

involvement in the war. The Soviet Union itself annexed Sub-Carpathia (before 1938 the eastern

edge of Czechoslovakia), which is today part of Ukraine.

The Treaty of Peace with Hungary signed on 10 February 1947 declared that: "The

decisions of the Vienna Award of November 2, 1938, are declared null and void" and Hungarian

boundaries were fixed along the former frontiers as they existed on 1 January 1938 except a

minor loss of territory on the Czechoslovakian border. Many of the Communist leaders of 1919

returned from Moscow. The first major violation of civil rights was suffered by the ethnic

German minority, half of which (240,000 people) were deported to Germany in 1946–1948,

although the great majority of them did not support Germany and were not members of any pro-

Nazi movement. There was a forced "exchange of population" between Hungary and

Czechoslovakia, which involved about 70,000 Hungarians living in Slovakia and somewhat

smaller numbers of ethnic Slovaks living in the territory of Hungary. Unlike the Germans, these

people were allowed to carry some of their property with them.

The Soviets originally planned for a piecemeal introduction of the Communist regime in

Hungary, therefore when they set up a provisional government in Debrecen on 21 December

1944, they were careful to include representatives of several moderate parties. Following the

demands of the Western Allies for a democratic election, the Soviets authorized the only

essentially free election in eastern Europe in November 1945 in Hungary. This was also the first

election held in Hungary on the basis of universal franchise. People voted for party lists, not for

individual candidates. At the elections the Independent Smallholders' Party, a center-right

peasant party, won 57% of the vote. Despite the hopes of the Communists and the Soviets that

the distribution of the aristocratic estates among the poor peasants would increase their

popularity, the Hungarian Communist Party received only 17% of the votes. The Soviet

commander in Hungary, Marshal Voroshilov, refused to allow the Smallholders' Party to form a

government on their own. Under Voroshilov's pressure, the Smallholders organized a coalition

government including the Communists, the Social Democrats and the National Peasant Party (a

left-wing peasant party), in which the Communists held some of the key posts. On 1 February

1946 Hungary was declared a Republic, and the leader of the Smallholders, Zoltán Tildy,

became President handing over the office of Prime Minister toFerenc Nagy. Mátyás Rákosi,

leader of the Communist Party, became deputy Prime Minister.

Another leading Communist, László Rajk became minister of the interior responsible for

controlling law enforcement, and in this position established the security police (ÁVH). The

Communists exercised constant pressure on the Smallholders both inside and outside the

government, nationalizing industrial companies, banning religious civil organizations and

occupying key positions in local public administration. In February 1947 the police began

arresting leaders of the Smallholders Party, charging them with "conspiracy against the

Republic". Several prominent figures decided to emigrate or were forced to escape abroad,

including Prime Minister Ferenc Nagy in May 1947. Later Mátyás Rákosi boasted that he had

dealt with his partners in the government, one by one, "cutting them off like slices of salami."

At the next parliamentary election in August 1947 the Communists committed

widespread election fraud with absentee ballots (the so-called "blue slips"), but even so, they

only managed to increase their share from 17% to 24% in Parliament. The Social Democrats (by

this time a servile ally of the Communists) received 15% in contrast to their 17% in 1945. The

Smallholders' Party lost much of its popularity and ended up with 15%, but their former voters

turned towards three new center-right parties which seemed more determined to resist the

Communist onslaught: their combined share of the total votes was 35%.

Faced with their second failure at the polls, the Communists changed tactics, and, under

new orders from Moscow, decided to eschew democratic facades and speed up the Communist

takeover. In June 1948 the Social Democratic Party was forced to "merge" with the Communist

Party, creating the Hungarian Working People's Party, which was dominated by the Communists.

Anti-Communist leaders of the Social Democrats, such as Károly Peyer or Anna Kéthly, were

forced into exile or excluded from the party. Soon after, President Zoltán Tildy was also

removed from his position, and replaced by a fully cooperative Social Democrat, Árpád

Szakasits. Ultimately, all "democratic" parties were organized into a so-called People's Front in

February 1949, thereby losing even the vestiges of their autonomy. The leader of the People's

Front was Rákosi himself. Opposition parties were simply declared illegal and their leaders

arrested or forced into exile.

On 18 August 1949 the parliament passed the new constitution of Hungary (1949/XX.)

modeled after the 1936 constitution of the Soviet Union. The name of the country changed to the

People's Republic of Hungary, "the country of the workers and peasants" where "every authority

is held by the working people". Socialism was declared as the main goal of the nation. A new

coat-of-arms was adopted with Communist symbols, such the red star, hammer and sickle.

Former President of the Republic László Sólyom, who was an active participant of writing the 1989 version of the 1949 constitution was among those who raised concerns over the weakening of the checks and balances.

The government also launched what it dubbed the 'war against public debt', intended to reduce the debt of the state as much as possible. As a result of the enacted measures, the national debt decreased from 82% of the GDP in 2010 to 76% of the GDP by the end of 2012, and is planned to decrease to 73% of the GDP by the end of 2013.

Countries and their Cultures

Hungary is a landlocked country in central Europe. Covering an area of 35,934 square

miles (93,030 square kilometers), the country is in the Carpathian Basin, surrounded by the

Carpathian Mountains, the Alps, and the Dinaric Alps. The Danube River divides Hungary and

bisects the capital, Budapest. Hungary lies within the temperate zone and has four distinct

seasons.

. Hungary has lost population since the early 1980s. The population was 10,065,000 in

1999, 48,000 less than it had been a year earlier. As in several European countries, the

population of the elderly is on the rise and that of children on the decrease.

The officially recognized minorities are Armenians, Bulgarians, Croats, Germans,

Greeks, Poles, Romanians, Roma (Gypsy), Ruthenians, Serbs, Slovaks, Slovenes, and

Ukrainians. The largest minority is the Roma, who make up about 5 percent of the population,

numbering approximately 500,000. The second largest minority are the Germans, who number

an estimated 170,000. There are 80,000 to 110,000 Slovaks as well as about 35,000 Croatians,

15,000 to 25,000 Romanians, 80,000 to 100,000 Jews, and 5,000 Serbs.

Hungarian belongs to the Ugor branch of the Finno-Ugric language family. Before World

War II, German was the most important and frequently used second language. During the

socialist period, Russian was mandatory in schools and universities. English has become the

most valued second language, particularly for younger people with entrepreneurial ambitions and

in academia, the sciences, and various businesses and services.

The Hungarian language constitutes one of the most significant national symbols. History

also has a central meaning in national awareness and identity. Related to history is the national

coat of arms, which depicts the House of Árpád's Árpád led the Hungarian conquest in

896 C.E. and his offspring founded the state and ruled until the male line died out in the early

fourteenth century. On this family crest is the crown that national tradition connects with the

person of King István (997–1038) (Saint Stephen), the country's first Christian king.

This crown, usually called Sacred Crown or Holy Crown, has always been endowed with

a mystical and transcendent meaning. Historically, the crown validated and legitimated the ruler.

Even though the kingdom of Hungary ceased to exist in 1918, the crown continues to hold

deeply meaningful national significance.

The red, white, and green flag also is a powerful national symbol. The national anthem,

written in 1823, is symbol of the eastern origins and history of the Hungarians in the form of a

prayer that begs God to help the nation.

The gigantic painting entitled "The Arrival of the Hungarians" is another national

symbol. Feszty originally painted it for the millennial celebration (1896).

The most significant manifestation of national unity is the sense of linguistic and cultural

connection that includes the national language, literature.

By 1968 Hungary had become the "happiest barrack in the lager" as a result of the

economic reforms of the New Economic Mechanism and with some social and political

liberalization. In 1989, Hungary was the first Socialist Bloc country to open the "Iron Curtain,"

providing a transit route for thousands people emigrating from East Germany to West Germany,

precipitating the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Germany.

The "softer" regime under János Kádár was successful in weakening traditional national

consciousness, along with previously closely knit community networks and religious worldviews

FOOD AND CUISINE OF HUNGARY

Magyar kenyér (Hungarian bread) remains very important in the rural and urban cuisine. For the

last one hundred fifty years, wheat has been one of the most important crops both for domestic

use and exportation. Pig breeding became the most important type of animal breeding in the

1870s, and since then the meat and by products of pigs have predominated in the national diet.

The cuisine at most village weddings includes chicken soup with special csiga noodles

that were traditionally believed to have fertility-inducing properties, gulyás , stuffed cabbage,

sweetened millet, sweetened rice and other rice dishes, and butter-cream tortes and other baked

goods.

According to the national self-image, Hungarians are wine drinkers, but beer drinking is

more common. Since the early 1990s there has been an attempt to familiarize the population with

regional wines.

. Before World War II, Hungary was an agricultural country. During the socialist regime,

forced industrialization took place. However, more than half the population does some

agricultural work for household use and supplemental income.

. Tourism continues to be a great Hungarian success. The production of barley, corn,

potatoes, wheat, sugar beets, and sunflower seeds, along with grapes and wine making, is

important. Mines are no longer subsidized by the government, and many mines have closed.

 Imports include metal ores and crude petroleum, while exports include agricultural

products, consumer goods, leather shoes, machinery, transport equipment, chemicals, textiles,

wines, iron, and steel.

Between 1948 and 1989, more than half of foreign trade was with the Soviet Union and

other socialist countries. Since the early 1990s, foreign

Early in the socialist period, the nationalization of industries, commerce, and most

services, along with the forced collectivization of agrarian landholding, brought about the end of

private property. Communist Party leaders, secretaries, and members lived better and had access

to more goods than did the rest of the population. Privatization of industry, commerce, and some

services took place after 1990 as Western capital flowed into Hungary. As a result of a complex

and controversial system of property compensation, most arable land and real properties were

reprivatized after more than four decades. The income gap then widened between the rich and

the poor. It increased in 1998 as 38 percent of the population earned below the minimum annual

wage. In contrast, the rich seem to have increased their wealth at a rapid rate

 Alcoholism is a widespread and significant problem. In addition, drug abuse has

increased since the end of the socialist regime. After the outbreak of the war in the former

Yugoslavia in 1991, Hungary became a favorite place for international organized crime

organizations that engage in drug, weapons, and people smuggling; prostitution rings; and money

laundering. The crime rate is rapidly increasing. The population worries about the lack of public

safety and generally blames crimes on the Roma as well as refugees and other foreigners.

Psychological problems, particularly depression, increased significantly between 1988 and 1996,

and, although the number of suicides has been declining, Hungary continues to have the highest

rate of suicide in the world.Gender Roles and Statuses

Men are expected to work, earn, and provide for their families, while women are

expected to take care of the children and the domestic chores. These ideal roles are rarely

achieved today. In the last couple of generations, the rate of divorce and remarriage has

increased dramatically. Since the change of regime (in 1989), cohabitation of unmarried couples

and the number of children born outside of marriage have grown. These patterns are more

common among those with less formal education, money, and social prestige.

Most Hungarian men do not help with the housework, and few women object to this

arrangement. Only among a small percentage of young, mostly urban couples and an even

smaller segment of middle-aged intellectuals and professionals is there evidence of a changing

pattern in the gendered division of labor in the domestic sphere., and Kinship

. Marriages are no longer arranged. Young people usually marry for love or to have

children. The perpetual shortage of apartments is a problem for married couples. Young married

couples frequently move into the small apartment of either set of parents. While traditionally a

young married couple lived near the parents of the groom, today, if a couple cannot set up an

independent new household, they move in with the set of parents who will welcome them and

has the most room. Most households consist of a married or unmarried couple and their

children.tiquette

Hospitality entails an extraordinary effort to feed and care for guests. Guests are always

encouraged to step into one's home first.

According to surveys in the early 1990s, 72 percent of Hungarians are Roman Catholic,

21 percent are Calvinist Reformed, 4 percent are Lutherans, nearly 1 percent are Jewish about 2

percent are "nondenominational" or "other."

Hungarian Recipes

Bográcsgulyás

(Hungarian beef and pepper stew)

Bográcsgulyás (boh-GRACH goo-YAHSH), or goulash, is one of the classics of Hungarian cuisine. Variations of this basic dish are popular throughout Central Europe. Bogrács is Hungarian for "kettle", and gulyáswas originally the word for "cowboy." Today goulash refers to both the herdsmen and the stew they first cooked in their kettles. 

Csipetke

(Hungarian pinched noodles)

Csipetke (chip-ET-keh) are one of the many varieties of simple noodles or dumplings found in Hungarian cooking. They are often dropped directly to simmering soups and stews to cook and are a common addition to bográcsgulyás. 

Erdélyi Rakott Káposzta

(Hungarian pork and sauerkraut casserole)

This layered sausage and sauerkraut dish comes from the Transylvania, or Erdély, region of Hungary and Romania. Erdelyi rakott kaposzta is Transylvanian comfort food, rich and warming for a wintertime meal.

(Hungarian simmered peppers and tomatoes)

Originally a Serbian dish, lecsó (LET-choh) has been fully assimilated into the Magyar kitchen. This simple pepper and tomato ragout is served both as a side dish and as an appetizer in Hungary. It is an essential component of many Hungarian dishes. A preserved version is also used in recipes as a substitute for fresh tomatoes and peppers when they are not in season.

Meggyleves

(Hungarian sour cherry soup)

Sour cherry soup is enjoyed by Hungarian families as cherries come into season in late spring and early summer. Each family has its own favorite recipe. Also known as meggykeszőce. 

Paprikás Csirke

(Hungarian chicken paprikash)

Paprikás csirke, or "paprika chicken," is one Hungary's most famous dishes. Chicken is simmered in a paprika-flavored sauce until tender and sour cream is stirred into the sauce to enrich it.

Töltött Káposzta

(Hungarian meat and rice stuffed cabbage rolls over sauerkraut)

Cabbage leaves wrapped around a meaty filling and baked in a tomatoey sauce are a common item on tables throughout Eastern Europe. This excellent Hungarian version seasons the stuffed cabbage rolls liberally with Hungarian paprika and simmers them on a bed of flavorful sauerkraut. 

Töltött Paprika

(Hungarian stuffed peppers)

Stuffed peppers are a favorite dish in Hungary, simple and homey. The practice of stuffing vegetables actually originated with the Turks. But after years of domination by the Ottomans, Hungarians adopted töltött paprika as their own.

List of Hungarian dishes

name ImageRegio

nDescription

Borleves wine soup

Goulash

Gulyásleves Goulash soup

name ImageRegio

nDescription

Főzelék thick vegetable stew

HalászléFisherman's Soup

traditional red fish soup spiced with hot paprika

Hideg meggylevesSour cherry soup

chilled sour-cherry soup

HúslevesChicken soup

clear chicken or veal meat soup with soup vegetables and thin soup pasta called csipetke

Jókai bableves a bean soup named after the author Mór Jókai

Lecsómixed vegetable stew,[1] the Hungarian 'Ratatouille', it is similar to the Romanian ghiveci or the Bulgarian gjuvec

Palóclevesnamed after the Palóc, an ethnic group of Northeastern Hungary

name ImageRegio

nDescription

Pörkölt

meat stew in a thick paprika-spiced sauce, similar toragout; generally translated into English as goulash (not to be confused with goulash soup)

Köménymagleves

caraway seed soup

SzékelygulyásGoulash stew, made with sauerkraut and several kinds of meat

Chicken Paprikash

called Csirkepaprikás (a stew with a lot of sweet paprika, cream or sour cream called tejföl

Paprikás krumplipaprika-based stew with spicy sausage and potatoes

Vadgombaleves wild mushroom soup

GombapaprikásCalled "Mushroom Paprikash" in English, this is an easy to fix, traditional vegetarian dish of the Hungarians.

Meat dishes

NameOther names

ImageRegio

nDescription

Töltött káposztaCabbage roll

stuffed cabbage

Töltött paprikaPunjena paprika

Stuffed peppers - ground meat, rice and spices are used for the filling

Töltött tojásDeviled egg

Deviled eggs, cold in mayonnaise or warm, baked in the oven with sour cream

Szüz tekercsekRouladen

literally "Virgin roulade" filled with minced meat

PecsenyeFatanyéros, Hungarian Mixed Grill

thin pork steak served with cabbage or the dish fatányéros, a Hungarian mixed grill on wooden platter[2]

NameOther names

ImageRegio

nDescription

Bécsi szeletWiener schnitzel, but made of pork,Borju bécsi (using veal), rántotthús

Bécsi szelet is literally "Viennese slice" in English

Stefánia szeletMeatloaf

or Stefania slices (Hungarian meatloaf with hard boiled eggs in the middle. Makes decorative white and yellow rings in the middle otf the slices

Túrós csuszasmall dumplings called galuska baked with quark cheese called túró - served savoury with bacon or sweet

Rakott Krumplipotato casserole, se recipe on Wikibooks Cookbook

Rakott káposzta layered cabbage

Rántott sajtflat cheese croquette, cheese rolled in breadcrumbs and, deep fried

Pacalpörkölt pörkölt made of tripe

NameOther names

ImageRegio

nDescription

1 értem I understand

2 Elnézést excuse me

3 Szívesen gladly

4 Jóestét good evening

5 Jóreggelt good morning

6 Jóéjszakát good night

7 Kérem please

8 Bocsánatot sorry

9 Köszönöm thank you

Hungarian or Magyar cuisine is the cuisine characteristic of the nation of Hungary and its primary ethnic group, the Magyars. Traditional Hungarian dishes are primarily based on meats, seasonal vegetables, fruits, fresh bread, cheeses and honey.

Spices

Hot peppers

Hungarian food is often spicy, due to the common use of hot paprika. Sweet (mild) paprika is also common. Additionally, the combination of paprika, lard and yellow onions is typical of Hungarian cuisine,[3] and the use of the thick sour cream called tejföl.

In addition to various kinds of paprika and onions (raw, sweated, seared, browned or caramelized), other common flavor components include:

Almonds and Almond oil/extract

Anise

Basil

Bay leaf

Black peppercorn

Caraway

Chervil

Chives

Cinnamon

Cloves

Coriander

Dill

Garlic

Horseradish

Juniper berries

Lemon juice and peel

Lovage

Mace

Marjoram

Mustard (prepared and seeds)

Oregano

Parsley

Poppy seeds

Rosemary

Savory

Tarragon

Thyme and creeping thyme

Vanilla

Vinegar (white and cider)

White peppercorn

History

"Paprikáscsirke nokedlivel" - paprika chicken with Nokedli

Hungarian cuisine has influenced the history of the Magyar people. The importance of livestock and the nomadic lifestyle of the Magyar people is apparent in the prominence of meat in Hungarian food and may be reflected in traditional meat dishes cooked over the fire like goulash (in Hungarian "gulyás", lit. "herdsman's (meal)"),[3] pörkölt stew and the spicy fisherman's soup called halászlé are all traditionally cooked over the open fire in a bogrács (or cauldron). In the 15th century, King Matthias Corvinus[4][5] and his Neopolitan wife Beatrice, influenced by Renaissance culture, introduced new ingredients and spices like garlic, ginger, mace, saffron and nutmeg,[6] onion and the use of fruits in stuffings or cooked with meat.[7] Some of these spices like ginger and saffron are no longer used in modern Hungarian cuisine.[8] At that time and later, considerable numbers of Saxons (a German ethnic group), Armenians, Italians, Jews and Serbs settled in the Hungarian basin and in Transylvania. Elements of ancient Turkish cuisine were adopted during the Ottoman era, in the form of sweets (for example different nougats, like white nougat called törökméz,[9] quince (birsalma) sweets, Turkish Delight), Turkish coffee, the cake called bejgli or rice dishes like pilaf (in Transylvania), meat and vegetable dishes like the eggplant, used in eggplant salads and appetizers, stuffed peppers and stuffed cabbage called töltött káposzta. Hungarian cuisine was influenced by Austrian cuisine under the Austro-Hungarian Empire; dishes and methods of food preparation have often been borrowed from Austrian cuisine, and vice versa. Some cakes and sweets in Hungary show a strong German-

Austrian influence. All told, modern Hungarian cuisine is a synthesis of ancient Asiatic components mixed with Germanic, Italian, and Slavic elements. The food of Hungary can be considered a melting pot of the continent, with its own original cuisine from its original Magyar people.

[edit]Hungarian meals

Debreceni sausage with mustard

In Hungary people usually have a large breakfast. Hungarian breakfast generally is an open sandwich with fresh bread or a toast, butter, cheese or different cream cheeses, túró cheese or körözött (Liptauer cheese spread), cold cuts such as ham, véres hurka (similar to black pudding), liver pâté (called májkrém or kenőmájas), bacon, salami, beef tongue, mortadella, disznósajt (head cheese), sausages like kabanos, beerwurst or different Hungarian sausages or kolbász.[10] Even eggs, (fried, scrambled or boiled), French toast called bundáskenyér and vegetables (like peppers, bell peppers, tomatoes, radish, scallion and cucumber) are part of the Hungarian breakfast. Sometimes breakfast is a cup of milk, tea or coffee with pastries, a bun, a kifli or a strudel[3] with jam or honey, or cereal like muesli and perhaps fruit. Children can have rice pudding (tejberizs) or Semolina Cream (tejbegríz) for breakfast topped with cocoa powder and sugar or with fruit syrup. Hot drinks are preferred for breakfast.

Villásreggeli (literally breakfast with fork) is a more luxurious big breakfast given on special occasions or holidays. Often guests are invited. Deviled eggs, cold steak, cold salads, salmon-omelet, pancakes, körözött, caviar, foie gras, cheez-its, fruit salads, compote, fruit yogurts, fruit juices, champagne and pastries, cakes and cookies may be served.

Lunch is the major meal of the day, usually with several courses. Cold or hot appetizers[11] may be served sometimes (for example fish, egg or liver), then soup. Soup is followed by a main dish. The main dish is a dish including meat and salad, which precedes the dessert. Fruit may follow. In Hungary, pancakes are served as a main dish, not for breakfast. Salad is always served with meat dishes, made of lettuce with tomatoes, cucumbers and onions[11] or a simple thin sliced cucumber salad in vinaigrette. Salads like Salade Olivier or potato salad are made of boiled potatoes,[1] vegetables, hard-boiled eggs, mushrooms, fried or boiled meat or fish, in vinaigrette, aspic or mayonnaise. These salads are eaten as appetizers or even as a main course.

Some people and children eat a light meal in the afternoon, called uzsonna, usually an open sandwich, pastry, slice of cake or fruit. Dinner is a far less significant meal than lunch. It may be

similar to breakfast, usually an open sandwich, yogurt or virsli (hot dog sausage) with a bun, more seldom a cake, pancakes (palacsinta), and it consists of only one course.

[edit]Typical Hungarian dishes

Gulyás in a traditional "bogrács" (cauldron)

[edit]Soups

Gulyásleves (goulash soup; it is possible to cook gulyás like a stew as well, for example Székelygulyás)

Halászlé (a famous hot and spicy fish soup with hot paprika)

Húsleves (clear chicken (or veal meat) soup with soup vegetables and thin soup pasta called csipetke)

Hideg meggyleves (chilled sour-cherry soup)

Jókai bableves (a bean soup named after the author Jókai Mór)

Vadgombaleves (wild mushroom soup)

Borleves (wine soup)

Palócleves (named after the Palóc, an ethnic group of Northeastern Hungary)

Köménymagleves (caraway seed soup)

Zöldségleves (vegetable soup, made for example of peas, carrot, parsley)

Krumplileves (potato soup)

Tojásleves or Rántott leves (soup made with srambled eggs and caraway seeds)

[edit]Main courses

Stuffed cabbage

Gundel Palacsinta filled with nuts and chocolate sauce

Töltött káposzta (stuffed cabbage)

Töltött paprika (Stuffed peppers - ground meat, rice and spices are used for the filling)

Töltött tojás (Deviled eggs, cold in mayonnaise or warm, baked in the oven with sour cream)

Főzelék (thick vegetable stew)

Lecsó (mixed vegetable stew, made of tomato and paprika, somewhat similar to ratatouille)[12]

Szűz tekercsek (literally "Virgin roulade" filled with minced meat)

Pecsenye (thin pork steak served with cabbage or the dish fatányéros, a Hungarian mixed grill on wooden platter)[13]

Wiener schnitzel (called Bécsi szelet)

Fasírt

Stefánia szelet or Stefania slices (Hungarian meatloaf with hard boiled eggs in the middle. Makes decorative white and yellow rings in the middle of the slices)

Túrós csusza (noodles with quark cheese called túró - served savoury with bacon or sweet)

Székelygulyás (Goulash stew; can be made from three kinds of meat and sauerkraut)

Pörkölt (meat stew) - similar to ragù

Chicken Paprikash called Csirkepaprikás (a stew with a lot of sweet paprika, cream or sour cream called tejföl)

Paprikás krumpli (paprika-based stew with spicy sausage and potatoes)

Rakott Krumpli (potato casserole, see recipe on Wikibooks Cookbook)

Rakott káposzta (layered cabbage with Pörkölt and rice and sour cream- recipe from Transylvania/Erdely)

Rakott palacsinta (layered Hungarian crepes with sweet cottage cheese, raisins, jam and walnuts)

Rántott húsos szendvics (Wiener schnitzel between two slice of bread or in a roll)

Palacsinta (stuffed Hungarian crepes, usually filled with jam. Other fillings are sweet quark cheese with raisins or meat)

Császármorzsa (sweet crepe crumbs)

Hortobágyi palacsinta (savoury crepe filled with veal stew)

Rántott sajt, (flat cheese croquette, cheese rolled in breadcrumbs and, deep fried)

Gundel palacsinta (Gundel crepe, stuffed with walnuts and served in chocolate sauce, often flambéed)

Szilvásgombóc and nudli (sweet plum dumplings and small noodles, rolled in sweet fried butter breadcrumbs or streusel)

Túrógombóc (Hungarian sweet quark cheese dumpling)

[edit]Sausage and cold cuts

Téliszalámi

Hurka (sausage, two types: liver sausage called májas hurka, made of pork liver, meat and rice and black sausage called véres hurka, which is equivalent to the black pudding)

Téliszalámi - (or Winter salami, salami made of spiced meat, cold smoked, and dry ripened, the most famous brand made by Pick Szeged)

Herz Szalámi

Csabai szalámi and kolbász (spicy salami and smoked sausage, made in the town of Békéscsaba)

Gyulai kolbász (spicy sausage, made in the town of Gyula)

Debreceni kolbász (Debrecener sausage)

Disznósajt (pig cheese, meat jelly, meat slices in aspic with additional gelatin)

Szalonna (Hungarian bacon, fatback, back bacon rind, has more fat than usual breakfast bacon)

Virsli (a Frankfurter-like long and thin sausage, consumed boiled with bread and mustard)

Ló kolbász (Horse sausage)