Ill.

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A Short History of Hungary
The Hungarians are descended from a central Asian people whose original homeland was
beyond the Ural mountains between the Volga and Kama rivers. Led by Arpad and the other
chieftains, they migrated to the Carpathian Basin in the ninth century. In the year 1000 A.D.
Stephen (later St. Stephen) was crowned Hungary's first king by Pope Sylvester U. King Stephen
converted his nation to Christianity, established a state, and instituted the country's first code of
laws, all of which brought Hungary into the European cultural sphere.
During the reign of the Arpad dynasty, the Tatars invaded Hungary (1241-1243), destroying
everything and decimating the population. King Bela IV helped bring about the rebuilding of
Hungary, and moved the royal seat to Buda.
The Golden Age of Hungary was during King Matyas' reign in the second half of the l5
1h
century. A learned man, he brought important figures of the Italian Renaissance to elevate the
culture of this country.
The Turks posed a threat to Hungary and the rest of Europe throughout this period, but it was
only after Matyas' death and D6zsa's Peasant War in 1514 that they finally succeeded in
occupying the major part of the country. The tragic defeat at Mohacs split the country into three
parts and led to 150 years of Turkish rule.
Buda was liberated by the Austrians in 1686, which brought about the Austrian domination of
Hungary, against which two wars of independence broke out. The first (1703-1711) was led by
Ferenc Rak6czi, and the second was the famous War of Independence in 1848, in which Lajos
Kossuth, the poet Sandor Petofi and the leading figures of the Reform movement played a
significant role. Although these revolts were defeated, the second resulted in the Compromise
of 1867 and the creation of the Dual Monarchy of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which gave
Hungary considerable autonomy. It was during this period that many ofthe ideas and plans of "the
Greatest Hungarian" lstvan Szechenyi were carried out.
Hungary's involvement in the First World War led to the end of the Habsburg reign and the loss
of about two-thirds of Hungary's territories. The Treaty of Trianon in 1920 set the borders of
present day Hungary, thereby making millions of ethnic Hungarians minorities in the
neighbouring countries.
Hungary again fought on the losing side in the Second World War, during which time the whole
country was literally a battlefield. 1948 marked the beginning of about 40 years of Communist
rule. On October 23'd, 1956 an uprising against that regime began. but like so many attempts for
independence from foreign domination, it was brutally put down. However, during
the 1960s the country began to liberalize, eventually leading to the creation of the independent
Republic of Hungary in 1989.
After more than a decade of democratic government, Hungary is now a NATO member, and
is entering the mainstream of European life by joining the European Union.

/ Briefly describe what happened in Hungarian history in the years:
896,1000,1526,1848,1920,1956,1989,2003


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