The story of Hungary 6

The story of Hungary 6

From that extraordinary throng and revolutionary migration emerged the

Voguls and Ostyaks, who live at this day on both sides of the great

Obi river; the Zyrians, who now live in the governments of Archangel

and Vologda; farther the Votyaks and Tcheremisses, a motley crowd of

men who are of Finn-Ugrian extraction, but strongly intermixed with

Turco-Tartar blood.

 

Now, of similar origin are the Hungarians, with this difference,

that with them the Turco-Tartar origin forms the basis of their

ethnical character, and that the Finn-Ugrians who amalgamated with

them afterward, being a subjugated population, remained always in a

moral inferiority, although they greatly influenced the governing

class. We do not know precisely whether the amalgamation took place

in the valleys of the Altai, or farther west on the Volga, at some

later period, nor can we form an accurate idea as to the part the

Hungarians took in the irruption of the Huns, with which event they

are associated in national tradition. The Huns were unquestionably

Turks by extraction. Their mode of warfare, their religion, and

social life present full evidence of this, and admitting that they

had in their ranks either pure Finn-Ugrian elements or portions of

the above-mentioned amalgamated populations, we may fairly claim that

the ancestors of the Hungarians took part in the great devastating

campaigns which Attila carried on against Rome and the Christian

West as far as France. In this sense, the claim of the Hungarians to

descent from the Huns is fully justified. But, as the plan of this

work excludes the discussion of questions wrapped in the clouds of

scientific speculations we will turn to that portion of the history of

the Hungarians which is cleared up by historical evidence, and will

begin with the ninth century, when they emerged from the banks of the

Volga and began their march toward the West, a march which resulted in

their occupation of Hungary.

 

Before entering into the details of the march of the Magyars towards

their present home, we must try to sketch as briefly as possible the

geographical and ethnographical conditions of the country between the

Volga and the Danube in the ninth century. It must be borne in mind

that at that time the Russians were in a considerable minority in

those regions. East of the Volga, as far as the Ural River, and even

beyond, roamed various tribes of the vast Turkish race, amongst whom

the Petchenegs occupied the foremost rank. On the lower course of the

Volga and further west, lived the Khazars, a Turkish tribe of advanced

culture, who carried on a flourishing trade on the Caspian and Black

seas, and had embraced the Jewish religion. These Khazars were the

mightiest of the Turkish races of that time, and their wars with Persia

and with the rising Mohammedan power became of historic importance.

Westward of the Khazars dwelt another fraction of the Petchenegs, the

frontiers of whose country extended across Moldavia to the borders of

Transylvania, whilst the Magyars or Hungarians, who had occupied a

country called Lebedia, were compelled by the Petchenegs to emigrate to

Etelkuzu, not remaining there, however, for any great length of time.

In fact the whole of Southern Russia of to-day was teeming, during

the ninth century, with nomadic populations. These pressed upon each

other in the search for pasture grounds for their numerous cattle.

There is a great likelihood that the fame of the rich plains of Hungary

had remained in the memory of the Magyars from the time when their

forefathers fought under the banners of Attila. Suffice it to say that,

compelled by circumstances, they made up their minds to go westward,

and the seven dukes who stood at that time at the head of the nation,

and whose names were Álmos, Elöd, Kund, Huba, Tas, Und, and Tuhutum,

united in a solemn league and covenant, and putting Álmos, as the

oldest amongst them, at their head, they sealed that union with the old

Turkish form of oath, by drinking each of the blood of all, obtained by

cutting open the veins of their arms. This form of oath was for a long

time a custom in Hungary. The union of the Hungarians was based upon

the following five conditions:

 

1. As long as they and their progeny after them shall live, their duke

and ruler shall be always taken from the house of Álmos.

 

2. Whatever should be acquired by the united strength of all must

benefit all those who belonged to them.

 

3. The chiefs of the people having voluntarily elected Álmos for

their ruler, they and their descendants shall always take part in the

councils of the prince, and shall have their share in the honors of the

empire.

 

4. Whenever any of their descendants shall be found wanting in the

fidelity due to the prince, or shall foment dissensions between him and

his kindred, the blood of the guilty one shall be shed even as theirs

was flowing when they gave their oaths of fidelity to Álmos.

 

5. Should a successor of Álmos offend against this oath and covenant of

the fathers, then might the curse rest on him.

 

[Illustration: ELECTION OF ÁLMOS, THE FIRST DUKE.]

 

We have no accurate information concerning the number of Hungarian

warriors and of their retinues who entered Hungary towards the end

of the ninth century, nor can we point out those localities on

the eastern frontier of the country through which the entrance was

effected. As to the numbers, we do not go amiss if we assume that no

more than one hundred and fifty thousand fighting men formed the main

body of the invaders. Their ranks were swelled partly by Russians who

followed in their track, partly by Avars, a kindred Turkish population,

whom they found in the country itself, and by Khazars, who, preceding

the Hungarians, were leading a nomadic life on the steppe. Regarding

the country itself, it must be borne in mind that in those days it was

very thinly populated, and the ethnical conditions were somewhat as

follows: In the west there were Slovenes and Germans; in the north,

namely, in the Carpathian mountains, lived the compact mass of the

Slovaks, whose sway extended down to the banks of the Theiss. The

country between that river and the Danube belonged to the Bulgarian

prince, Zalán, whilst the region on the left bank of the Theiss, as

far as the river Szamos, was in the possession of Marót, the prince of

the Khazars. The conquest of Hungary was evidently a task of no great

difficulty for a warlike nation like the Hungarians, whose strange

physiognomy and superior weapons, brought from the Caucasus, struck

terror, at the very outset, into the breasts of the inhabitants. The

invaders appeared with their small, sturdy, and hardy horses, quick

as lightning and strong as iron. Their mode of warfare was strictly

Asiatic, similar to that used to this day by the Turcomans, and they

were animated precisely by the same spirit which led the Mongolians,

under Jenghis Khan, over the whole of Asia and a large portion of

Europe. With all this, they could not be called barbarians or savages,

when their social and political institutions were compared with those

of the inhabitants they subjugated in Hungary. It was the culture

of Persia which extended at that time up to the banks of the Volga,

penetrating the minds of the motley populations living there, and

traces of this culture are clearly to be discovered in the acts of

the leading persons amongst the conquering Hungarians. As soon as the

Hungarians had taken possession of their present country, under the

leadership of Árpád, it became their chief care to give a certain

stability to their internal affairs. Scattered over the extensive

territory, they more particularly endeavored to bring order into

their relations with the former inhabitants. Those only who refused

to lay down their arms felt the weight of the conquerors; whilst they

reciprocated the friendship and confidence shown to them by others.

Thus it happened that many of the ancient inhabitants were adopted by

them for their own countrymen, and that, having entered into a treaty

of amity with Marót, a treaty made firmer by the betrothal of Árpád’s

youngest son, Zoltán, with Marót’s daughter, the territory of Bihar was

added to Hungary after the death of Marót. According to the fashion of

the Scythian populations, they disturbed no one in his faith, nor did

they interfere with any one’s mode of worship. Nomads as they were,

they knew how to appreciate what was still left of the ancient culture

in their new country, and they fostered the colonial places still

surviving from the Roman period, the cradles of the future city life of

Hungary.

 

There is an account in the history of the Hungarians how the different

portions of the invading army spread over the country, what battles

they fought, what alliances they entered into with the reigning

princes, but the account is based merely upon legendary tradition.

We are sadly in want of details about that most interesting epoch,

and supported by historical authority we can only state that Leo the

Wise, the emperor of Byzantium, asked the military assistance of the

Hungarians against the Bulgarians, and that it was the sword of the

valiant nomadic warriors which averted a threatening calamity from

Constantinople. It is likewise certain that Arnulph, King of Germany,

encouraged by the military reputation of the Magyars, asked their

assistance against Svatopluk, King of Moravia, and that their first

appearance in the country is connected with this occurrence.

 

The conquest of Hungary occupied the period between 884 and 895.

 

Within this time falls the utter defeat and tragic end of Svatopluk,

the most powerful native prince with whom the Hungarians had to

contend. Arnulph had already engaged him in battle when the Hungarians

came to the succor of the former. Their timely arrival decided the

fate of the battle, which resulted in the complete rout and scattering

of the Moravians. Svatopluk, is said to have done wonders of heroism

during the battle, but after its fatal termination he could nowhere

be found. In vain was the bloody field searched for the body of the

unfortunate leader, nor were the messengers sent out to remoter regions

to obtain news of him more successful in their quest. Hungarian

tradition has it that in his rage and despair at the loss of the

battle, he rushed into the Danube, and met there with a watery grave.

Slavic tradition, however, represents the matter in a manner more in

keeping with the character and reckless disposition of this strange

barbarian, who knew but unbridled passions and sudden resolutions

formed on the spur of the moment. According to these traditions,

Svatopluk, seeing that his fortunes were hopelessly wrecked, mounted

a steed and, leaving the battle-field, swiftly rode away into the

fastnesses of the interminable forests covering the Zobor mountain,

which overlooks in massive grandeur towards the east and south the town

and castle of Nyitra, and was then lost to sight. Here in a secluded

valley, amidst rocks, and protected by pathless woods, lived three

hermits. These holy men passed their lives in offering up prayers to

God in a chapel constructed by their own hands, and, entirely absorbed

by their pious exercises, they knew no other nourishment but herbs and

the fruit growing wild. These men, who did not visit the neighboring

cities, had never seen Svatopluk, and this was the very reason that

brought the king of the Moravians to their hermitage. As he reached