A Concise History of Hungary

366 Pages·2001·5.765 MB·English

by  Miklós Molnár

CAMBRIDGE CONCISE HISTORIES
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CHRONOLOGY
c.2000bc SeparationoftheFinno-UgriclanguagesinwesternSiberia
1000–500bc SeparationoftheUgrians,Magyarpeoplegroupinthesouthern
Uralregion(Bashkiria)
ad500–800 Migrationof theHungariantribesfromtheUralstotheBlack
Searegion
862 Established at Etelköz, near the River Don, the Hungarians
ventureintoFrankishterritories
895–900 ConquestoftheCarpathianbasin
899–970 ForaystotheWestandtotheBalkans
900–1301 ReignoftheHouseofÁrpád
1001 Coronation of István I (St Stephen). Foundation of the state,
Christianisation,paganrevolts
1077–1116 LászlóI(StLadislas)andKálmánI(Coloman)expandtheinflu-
ence of the kingdom to the Balkans, Croatia and Dalmatia.
Advancesinjusticeandculture
1172–96 BélaIIIstrengthensthepowerofthestateandthepropertyofthe
laynobles
1192–5 ThePrayCodex,containingtheoldestHungariantext
1222 TheGoldenBullof András(Andrew)II;firstcharterof equal
rightsforthenobility
1241–2 Mongol-Tatarinvasion,followedbyBélaIV’sreconstruction
1301 ExtinctionofthedynastyoftheHouseofÁrpád
1310–82 TwoNeapolitanAngevinkings,Charles-RobertandLouisIthe
Great.Periodofprogressandexpansion.LouisbecomesKingof
Polandin1370
1367 FoundationoftheUniversityofPécs
1387–1437 SigismundIof Luxemburg,thefutureemperor.Half acentury
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Chronology xiii
of strugglewiththebarons.WithdrawalfromtheBalkansand
fromDalmatia
1416–56 TheOttomanEmpirethreatensHungary
1456 János(John)Hunyadi,militaryleader,governor(1446–52)and
greatcommander,stopsTurkishexpansionatNándorfehérvár
(Belgrade)
1458–90 MatthiasI,Hunyadi’sson,reconstructsthekingdomandintro-
ducesRenaissanceculture
1514 The great peasant revolt under the leadership of György
(George) Dózsa. István Werböczi’s corpus of civil law
(Tripartitum)establishesthecustomaryrightsofthenobilityto
thedetrimentofthepeasants,whoarereducedtoservitude
1526 At Mohács, Suleiman I the Magnificent annihilates the
Hungarianarmy.Tworivalkings,János(John)Szápolyaiandthe
HabsburgFerdinandI,dividethecountrybetweenthem
1541 ThesultanoccupiesBuda,theTurkssettleinthemiddleof the
country.ThedivisionofHungaryintothreeparts–theTurkish,
theTransylvanianandthewesternpartunderHabsburgrule–
laststilltheendoftheseventeenthcentury
The Reformation reaches Hungary and contributes to literary
developmentasdoestheCounter-Reformation
Transylvania,underOttomanrule,becomesasemi-independent
principality
1568 TheTransylvanianTordaDietproclaimsreligiousfreedom
1571 István (Stephen) Báthori, the future king of Poland, is elected
princeofTransylvania
1604–6 UprisingagainsttheHabsburgsledbyIstván(Stephen)Bocskai
1613–29 Transylvania’sgoldenageunderGáborBethlen.Waragainstthe
Habsburgs
1657–1705 LeopoldI,kingofHungaryandemperor,introducesHabsburg
absolutisminHungary
1686 LiberationofBuda,retreatoftheTurks
1687 TransylvaniafallsunderViennesedomination
1699 PeacetreatywiththeOttomanEmpire,theendof 158yearsof
occupation
1703–11 War of liberation of Ferenc (Francis) Rákóczi II against the
Habsburgs
1722–3 The Hungarian Diet sanctions the succession to the throne of
the female line of the house of Habsburg. The nobility retain
theirprivileges
1740–80 TheconciliatoryandenlightenedreignofMariaTheresa
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xiv Chronology
1780–90 Joseph II, an enlightened absolute monarch, tries to impose
reformsbutfailsinthefaceofresistancebythenobility
1795 AtBuda,executionoftheleadersofthe‘Jacobinconspirators’
1800–48 Thelanguagereformmovement.Flourishingof Hungarianlit-
erature
1830 PublicationoftheworkHitel(Credit)byCountIstván(Stephen)
Széchenyi, the initiator of modernisation and founder of the
HungarianAcademyofSciences
1832–48 PeriodofreformsintheDiet.Lajos(Louis)Kossuthemergesas
leader of the liberal–radical opposition. The Diet committees
supportnationaldemands
The opening of the National Theatre at Pest. Suspension
bridgetolinkPestandBuda.ThefirstrailwaylinefromPestto
Vác
1848–9 Revolution at Pest (15 March). War of independence. King
FerdinandVsanctionsthe‘Aprillaw’ofconstitutionaltransfor-
mationandabolitionofserfdom.HungariangovernmentatPest
War of liberation against Austria (September 1848–August
1849). Abdication of Emperor Ferdinand. The young Francis-
JosephIisenthroned(2December1848)
AfterthevictoriousspringcampaigntheHungarian(Honvéd)
armyretreats.TheNationalAssembly,transferredtoDebrecen,
proclaimsHungary’sindependenceandthedethronementofthe
Habsburgs(14April1849).Kossuthpresident–governor
In response to Francis-Joseph’s appeal, the army of Tsar
NicholasIinvadesHungary.TheHungarianarmylaysdownits
arms in front of the Russians at Világos (15 August). Kossuth
goesintoexile
1849–67 Executionsandrepression.Neo-absolutistregime,passiveresis-
tance.Beginningofthereconciliation
1865 Ferenc(Francis)DeákembarksontalkswithViennaregarding
therestitutionofconstitutionalfreedoms
1866 TheAustrianarmyisdefeatedbythePrussiansatSadowa
1867 Austro-Hungarian compromise based on mutual concessions.
Thestartofthe51-yearperiodofdualism.CountGyula(Julius)
Andrássy’sgovernment
1868 TheHungarianParliamentadoptsliberallawsregardingeduca-
tionandtherightsof thenationalminoritiesof thekingdom.
Hungarian–Croatiancompromise
1871–9 GyulaAndrássyministerofforeignaffairsofthedualmonarchy
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Chronology xv
1873 Pest,BudaandÓbudaareunited,Budapestisborn
1875–90 Kálmán (Coloman) Tisza heads the liberal government, the
advocatesofindependenceareinopposition
1896 Hungary’smillennium
1905 TheLiberalPartylosestheelections
1906–10 Coalition governments. Serious conflicts with the minorities,
withthetradeunionmovementandwiththeSocialDemocratic
Party
1908 Annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina (2 million inhabitants) by
themonarchy
1910 Last census before the war. Hungary (without Croatia) has
18,246,000inhabitantsofwhom54.5percentareofHungarian
mothertongue.Morethan1.5millionHungariancitizenshave
emigratedtotheUnitedStates
1912 Generalstrike
1913 István(Stephen)Tisza’sgovernment
1914 Theassassinationof thecrownprinceatSarajevo.Outbreakof
theFirstWorldWar
1916 ThedeathofFrancisJosephI
1918 ThedefeatanddisintegrationoftheAustro-Hungarianmonarchy
(October).Democraticrevolution.AbdicationofKingCharlesIV.
Mihály(Michael)KárolyipresidentoftheRepublic
1919 TheRepublicofCouncilsandthedictatorshipoftheproletariat.
Thecollapseof BélaKun’sregime(1August);Romanianoccu-
pation.AdmiralMiklós(Nicolas)Horthyandthenationalarmy
enterthecapital
1920 MiklósHorthyelectedregentofthekingdom
The Treaty of Trianon (4 June). Hungary loses, excluding
Croatia,twothirdsofitsterritoryand10.5millioninhabitants,
amongthemmorethan3millionMagyars
1921–31 Count István (Stephen) Bethlen president of the Council of
Ministers.Consolidation.Revisionistforeignpolicy
1927 Italian–Hungariantreaty
Monetarystabilisation.Thenewcurrency,thepengö,isworth
12,500crowns
1931 Economiccrisis.ThedepartureofBethlen
1932–6 The government of Gyula (Julius) Gömbös. Turn to the right
andrapprochementwithHitler
1938 The first anti-Jewish law. Hitler’s arbitration at Vienna:
HungaryregainspartofUpperHungary(Slovakia)
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xvi Chronology
1939 HungaryoccupiesCarpathianUkraine
Thesecondanti-Jewishlaw
RiseoftheHungarianNazis,theArrow-Cross,attheelections
1940 The second Vienna arbitration:northern Transylvania is
returnedtoHungary
AdherencetothetripartitepactofBerlin–Rome–Tokyo
1941 Hungary attacks Yugoslavia. Suicide of Prime Minister Pál
(Paul)Teleki
HungaryentersthewaragainsttheSovietUnion(26June)
1942–4 Miklós (Nicolas) Kállay appointed head of government. He
attemptsoverturestowardstheAllies
1943 TheHungarianSecondArmyisannihilatedatVoronezhonthe
Don.SecretnegotiationswithBritain
1944 GermanyoccupiesHungary(19March).Thepro-Germangov-
ernmentofDömeSztójay
The deportation of about 437,000 Jews from the provinces to
Naziconcentrationcamps
TheRedArmycrossestheHungarianborder
Horthy proclaims armistice on the radio (15 October). The
Germansoccupystrategicpoints.
HorthyappointstheNaziFerenc(Francis)Szálasiaspresidentof
theCouncilofMinisters
BloodyterroroftheArrowCross.Assassinationordeportation
of105,000Jewsfromthecapital
NationalAssemblyandprovisionalgovernmentatDebrecen(22
December).ThreeCommunistministers
1945 ArmisticesignedinMoscow
YaltaConference(February)
TheSovietarmyliberatesBudapest(13February)andthewhole
country(4April).AlliedControlCommissionpresidedoverby
MarshallVoroshilov
Legislative elections (4 November). Smallholders’ Party 57 per
cent, Communist Party 17 per cent. Coalition government,
includingfourcommunists
1946 ProclamationoftheRepublic.PresidentZoltánTildy
Newcurrency.Oneforintequals400,000quadrillionpengös
Nationalisationofthebanksandoftheironandsteelindustry
1947 Three-yearplanofreconstruction
Peace treaty signed in Paris. The Soviet army remains. Arrests
andprocessesaimedattheSmallholders’Party.Deportationof
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Chronology xvii
itsgeneralsecretaryBélaKovácstotheSovietUnion.Forcedres-
ignation of the president of the Council of Ministers, Ferenc
(Francis)Nagy
1948 Forced fusion of the Social Democratic Party with the
CommunistParty.Theparty’snameischanged,itsgeneralsec-
retaryMátyás(Matthias)Rákosileadsthecountry.Policeregime
Further nationalisation of economic and educational institu-
tions(RomanCatholicandProtestantones)
1949 ThetrialsofCardinalJózsefMindszentyandotherChurchdig-
nitaries
Elections:thePopularFrontcandidatesachieve96.27percentof
thesuffrage
ThetrialandexecutionofLászlóRajk
1950–2 TotaldictatorshipoftheCommunistParty.Forcedindustrialisa-
tion,persecutionof thekulaks,trials,executions.JánosKádár
isarrested
1953–5 The death of Stalin. The reformer Imre Nagy becomes prime
minister.MátyásRákosiremainstheleaderoftheparty.Struggle
between reformists and Stalinists. Imre Nagy is ousted
(March–April1955)
1956 The Twentieth Congress of the Soviet Communist Party
(February)
The opposition movement of Hungarian writers and of the
PetöfiCirclegrows.TheRussiansoustRákosi(18–21July)
ThesolemnfuneralofRajkandothervictimsofStalinistterror
(6October)
Mass demonstration and insurrection in Budapest. The first
Soviet intervention. Imre Nagy president of the Council of
Ministers. Cabinet of democratic coalition and the establish-
ment of Workers’ Councils. Hungary withdraws from the
Warsaw Pact (23 October–3 November). The Soviet army
invadesHungary(4November)
János Kádár takes over. Arrests. The exodus of 200,000
Hungarians
1957–63 Massrepression.ThetrialofImreNagy;fiveexecutions(16June
1958).Trialofwritersandfreedom-fighters.Over300executions
1961 Recollectivisationofagriculture
1963 Generalamnesty.Politicalrelaxation
1968 Thelaunchingofeconomicreforms
1972 Thereformreachesanimpasse
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xviii Chronology
1985 The Kádár regime, reputed to have been prosperous and the
mostliberal,runsoutofsteam.Heavyforeigndebts
1987 Democratic opposition spreads. Decline in purchasing power
andconsumption
1988 Kádáriseliminatedfrompower
Foundationofdemocraticpoliticalparties
1989 Thecrisisoftheregimedeepens
NationalfuneralforImreNagyandtheothervictimsofrepres-
sion
Round-tablenegotiationsforademocratictransition
ProclamationoftheHungarianRepublic(23October)
1990 Legislative elections. The Democratic Forum forms a centre–
rightcoalitiongovernment,headedbyJózsef(Joseph)Antall
ÁrpádGönczpresidentoftheRepublic
1994 Legislativeelections.TheSocialist(ex-Communist)Partygetsan
absolutemajority.Gyula(Julius)Hornformsacoalitiongovern-
mentwiththeLiberalDemocrats
1996 CommemorationoftheeleventhcentenaryofHungary
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