History

1,100 years ago, seven Magyar tribes swept across the Transdanubian Plains and occupied what is today Hungary and Transylvania (today in Romania). These tribes staged many raids across Europe, striking fear in the hearts of Europeans. These vicious raids ceased when the Hungarians converted to Christianity under King Szent István, the Magyars' first king and patron saint. Arts and culture flourished in mediaeval Hungary, which then included present-day Slovakia (Fact: The Slovak capital, Bratislava, was once capital of royal Hungary during the Turkish occupation, and was then known as Pozsony), Transylvania in Romania, Vojvodina in Serbia, Croatia, and Burgenland in Austria. The sense of pride of their ancient glories is evident from the many maps that hang in Hungarian homes and offices even today, that show the borders of the old Hungary, i.e. before the Treaty of Trianon in 1920 (after the defeat of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy during WWI) which stripped the country of 68% of its territory and 58% of its population.

Hungary came under the rule of the Ottoman Turks when the entire Hungarian Army, King Louis II Jagiello and the "flower of the Hungarian nobility" were wiped out at the Battle of Mohacs in August 1526.

Hungary fought bravely against the Turks only to find themselves under the rule of the Austrians after that. A series of wars for independence over several centuries finally ended in the Great Compromise of 1867 for which the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy was formed, with a great degree of self government for Hungary. However, this joy was short lived with the dismemberment of the country after WWI. After WWII, the country came under Soviet domination and only re-emerged as a democracy in recent years after the fall of communism.