Loading

Kingdom of Hungary

Slovakia, 1000–1918. Draft, not yet reviewed

The Kingdom of Hungary was a multiethnic state that covered what is today Hungary, Slovakia, Transylvania and other parts of Romania. Bratislava was designated the new capital of Hungary in 1536, ahead of the fall of the old Hungarian capital of Buda in 1541. The territory comprising modern Slovakia, then known as Upper Hungary, became the place of settlement for nearly two-thirds of the Magyar nobility fleeing the Turks. The territory of Slovakia was an integral part of the Hungarian state up until the collapse of Austria-Hungary in 1918.

Seat of power: Budapest

Rulers

Stephen I of Hungary

Apostolic King of Hungary, 1000–1038

Stephen established at least one archbishopric, six bishoprics and three Benedictine monasteries, leading the Church in Hungary to develop independently from the archbishops of the Holy Roman Empire. His system of local administration was based on counties organized around fortresses and administered by royal officials. He protected the independence of his kingdom by forcing the invading troops of Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor, to withdraw from Hungary in 1030.

Portrait of Stephen I of Hungary: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file

Andrew II of Hungary

Apostolic King of Hungary, 1205–1235

Andrew introduced a new grants policy, the so-called "new institutions", giving away money and royal estates to his partisans despite the loss of royal revenues. When the servientes regis, or "royal servants", rose up, Andrew was forced to issue the Golden Bull of 1222, confirming their privileges.

Portrait of Andrew II of Hungary: György Klösz, Public domain, file

Béla IV of Hungary

Apostolic King of Hungary, 1235–1270

Béla introduced radical reforms in order to prepare his kingdom for a second Mongol invasion. He allowed the barons and the prelates to erect stone fortresses and to set up their private armed forces. He promoted the development of fortified towns.

Portrait of Béla IV of Hungary: Márk Kálti, Public domain, file

Charles I of Hungary

Apostolic King of Hungary, 1308–1342

Charles was elected king in Pest on 27 November 1308, but his rule remained nominal in most parts of his kingdom even after he was crowned with the Holy Crown on 27 August 1310. Charles rarely made perpetual land grants, instead introducing a system of "office fiefs", whereby his officials enjoyed significant revenues, but only for the time they held a royal office, which ensured their loyalty. He promoted the opening of new gold mines, which made Hungary the largest producer of gold in Europe.

Portrait of Charles I of Hungary: Márk Kálti, Public domain, file

Sigismund

Apostolic King of Hungary, 1387–1437

He fought to restore and maintain authority to the throne. Mary died in 1395, leaving Sigismund the sole ruler of Hungary. Afterwards, he founded the Order of the Dragon to fight the Turks and secured the thrones of Croatia, Germany and Bohemia.

Portrait of Sigismund: Formerly attributed to Pisanello, Public domain, file

Matthias Corvinus

Apostolic King of Hungary, 1458–1490

As king, Matthias waged wars against the Czech mercenaries who dominated Upper Hungary (today parts of Slovakia and Northern Hungary) and against Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor, who claimed Hungary for himself. Matthias introduced new taxes and regularly set taxation at extraordinary levels.

Portrait of Matthias Corvinus: Andrea Mantegna, Public domain, file

Vladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary

Apostolic King of Hungary, 1490–1516

As he had in Bohemia, Vladislaus always approved the decisions of the Royal Council in Hungary, hence his Hungarian nickname "Dobzse László". The concessions that he had made before his election prevented the royal treasury from financing a standing army, and Matthias's Black Army of Hungary was dissolved after a rebellion.

Portrait of Vladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary: Master of Litoměřice Altarpiece, Public domain, file

Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor

Apostolic King of Hungary, 1526–1564

Ferdinand was a capable organiser with institutional imagination, who focused on building a centralised government for Austria, Hungary, and Bohemia instead of striving for a universal monarchy. While he was able to introduce uniform models of administration, the governments of Austria, Bohemia, and Hungary remained distinct.

Portrait of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor: Hans Bocksberger the Elder, Public domain, file

Emperor Rudolf II

Apostolic King of Hungary, 1576–1608

Determined to unify Christendom, he initiated the Long Turkish War (1593–1606) with the Ottoman Empire. Exhausted by war, his citizens in Hungary revolted in the Bocskai Uprising, which led to more authority being given to his brother Matthias. Under Rudolf's reign, there was a policy of tolerance towards Judaism.

Portrait of Emperor Rudolf II: Workshop of Martino Rota, Public domain, file

Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor

Apostolic King of Hungary, 1657–1705

Leopold's reign is known for conflicts with the Ottoman Empire in the Great Turkish War. By the Treaty of Karlowitz, Leopold recovered almost all of the Kingdom of Hungary, which had fallen under Turkish power in the years after the 1526 Battle of Mohács.

Portrait of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor: Benjamin Block, Public domain, file

Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor

Apostolic King of Hungary, 1711–1740

Four years before the birth of Maria Theresa, faced with his lack of male heirs, Charles provided for a male-line succession failure with the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713. Charles sought the other European powers' approval. Charles died in 1740, sparking the War of the Austrian Succession, which plagued his successor, Maria Theresa, for eight years.

Portrait of Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor: Johann Gottfried Auerbach, Public domain, file

Maria Theresa of Austria

Apostolic King of Hungary, 1740–1780

Maria Theresa ruled as an autocratic sovereign with the counsel of her advisers. She promulgated institutional, financial, medical, and educational reforms, with the assistance of Wenzel Anton of Kaunitz-Rietberg, Friedrich Wilhelm von Haugwitz, and Gerard van Swieten. She also promoted commerce and the development of agriculture, and reorganised Austria's ramshackle military.

Portrait of Maria Theresa of Austria: Martin van Meytens, Public domain, file

Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor

Apostolic King of Hungary, 1792–1835

After Napoleon crowned himself Emperor of the French, Francis assumed the title of Emperor of Austria. In 1806, after Napoleon created the Confederation of the Rhine, Francis abdicated as Holy Roman Emperor, which in effect marked the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire. Due to the establishment of the Concert of Europe, which resisted popular nationalist and liberal tendencies, Francis was viewed as a reactionary later in his reign.

Portrait of Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor: Friedrich von Amerling, Public domain, file

Franz Joseph I of Austria

Apostolic King of Hungary, 1848–1916

Largely considered a reactionary, Franz Joseph spent his early reign resisting constitutionalism in his domains. Franz Joseph was troubled by nationalism throughout his reign. He concluded the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, which both granted greater autonomy to Hungary and created the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary.

Portrait of Franz Joseph I of Austria: Carl Pietzner, Public domain, file

Culture

Picture

Bratislava Castle is the main castle of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia.

Image: C.Stadler/Bwag, CC BY-SA 4.0, file

Sources

Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.