Amerikai Magyar Szó, 1982. január-június (36. évfolyam, 1-25. szám)
1982-02-11 / 6. szám
2 AMERIKAI MAGYAR SZÓ Thursday, Feb. 11. 1982. Hungarian history on coins ßy: A.B. Abraham Since the end of World War II the Budapest Mint has struck about 65 different commemorative coins, mainly in gold and silver, which illustrate Hungarian history in a particularly vivid way. The coins themselves are in the -hands of collectors, in the case of the large gold coins, in the hands of rich collectors. The first permanent entry of the Magvars into what is now Hungary occured in 894, and by the end of the reign of Stephen I (997-1038) a large Magyar state had been erected in Central Europe, with the bulk of the population centered in what is now western and northern Hungary. For three centuries after Stephen the history of Hungary (like that of most European countries) was very complicated, with struggles between the big and small feudal lords, the kings, the popes, the Holy Roman Empire and the miserably oppressed peasantry continuing without letup, punctuated by occasional foreays by the Tatars and the plague. In 1308 the Italian-born Charles Robert of Anjou inherited the Hungarian throne after a series of civil wars has killed off much of the feudal leadership of the country. During his reign the economy and the state were rebuilt, and the royal policy encouraged the growth of towns (wonderful source of taxes). During this period the foundations were laid for the emergence of the bourgeoisie. The growth of commerce required the establishment of a monetary system on the model of that of Italy, Y-136 Y-138 Y-128 Y-122 Y-114 Y-126 The 650th anniversary of this first forint was commemorated by the 200-forint silver coin with Charles Robert standing in front of a large “A” (for the House of Anjoui. By the end of the reign of the second Anjou king, Louis I (1342-1382) the Hungarian state had lost about 25 % of its population to the Black Plague and the Turks had reached the southern border. Things got worse. The suppression of the peasant risings of the 1430s resulted in the extermination of the entire population of whole provinces by the forces of King Sigismund and the Pope. Protestantism in its various forms became increasingly popular under the Catholic Holy Roman Emperors, the Habsburg dynasty of Austria, whose rule over much of the countrv was continuous from 1527. The southern part of the country was usually annexed to Transylvania, which was ruled by Magyar princes under the intermittent suzereignty of the Ottoman Empire. Gabor Bethlen, the Transylvanian prince from 1613 to 1629, warred against the Habsburgs and was twice crowned king of Hungary. The 350th anniversary of his death is marked by the 1979 200-forint coin. The 200-forint coin in silver, with troops advancing left over the slogan “Pro patria et libertate” (for fatherland and liberty) commemorates the 300th anniversary of the birth of Transylvanian prince Francis II Rákóczi (1676-1735). Rákóczi led a popular revolt against the Habsburgs from 1704 to 1711* Despite repeated defeats in battle, the forces of Rákóczi carried on guerilla warfare until newly-crowned Charles Vl granted substantial concessions to the Hungarians in 1711, bringing peace. The Hungarians played an important part in the development of modern sciences in the 18th and 19th centuries. A National Museum was founded in 1801, and a coin minted in 1977 honored its 175th anniversary. The coin shows a traditional bird design from the Museum’s collection. The Hungarian Academy of Sciences was formed in 1825,. and has served as an important center of studies in many disciplines ever since. A 1975 200 forint coin, with a symbolic design incorporating some graphs and a building outline, notes the Academy’s 150th anniversary. Sándor Petőfi was the principal poet of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848. Often quoted is his “National Song” which begins: Rise Magyars, Tis the country’s call The time has come, say one and all: Shall we be slaves, shall we be free? This is the question, now agree! For by the Magyar’s God above We truly swear, We truly swear the tyrant’s yoke No more to bear. Petőfi was honored with a set of coins in 1973, including the silver 100-forint with a brief quotation and a bust of the poet. Except for the brief period of the Soviet Republic in 1919, Hungary remained under reactionary rule, either as part of the Habsburg’s empire or (after 1918) as an independent state until the defeat of Hitler and the fascist Horthy regime in 1945. The liberation from fascism by the Red Army is celebrated every year, and the Hungarian Peoples Republic has put out special coins on major anniversaries. The 1970 coin for the 25th anniversary shows a woman’s figure outlined against the dawn, while the coin with the dove over the Chain Bridge of Budapest marked the 30th anniversary in 1975. The establishment of socialism in Hungary has brought unprecedented prosperity to the Magyars, in great part due to the economic ties with the o- ther countries of the Council for Mutual Economic Asssitance. The 25th anniversary of the CMEA was marked by the very appropriate 100-forint coin of 1974, which reproduces a coin from each of the CMEA member states of the time: Hungary, Romania, German Democratic Republic, Mongolia, Poland, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria. Hungary is a major sports “power”, doing well at every Olympics. The Lake Placid Winter Olympic was no exception, and the superb Ice Dancing performance of Krisztina Regoczy and András Sallay was reproduced on a pair of silver coins, including the 200 forint. Let us learn Hungarian Have you got constant hot water? There is only a cold shower. Do you cook on gas? 1 cook on an electric cooker. Have you got a fridge? Have you a char? I clean the room myself. Shall I lock the door? With whom shall I leave the key? Leave the key with the porter, will you? It’s stuffy in here, couldn’t we let in some fresh air? Is there a garden attached to the house? What kinds of fruit trees have you got? What sort of flowers do you grow? Van állandó meleg vb' Csak hideg zuhany var Gázon főz? Villannyal főzök. Van hűtőszekrénye? Van takarítónője? Magam takarítom a szobát. Bezárjam az ajtót? Kinél hagyjam (hagy- gyom) a kulcsot? Hagyja (haggya) a kyl csotaházfelügyelőnü Rossz levegő van itt, nein szcllőztethctnéri ki? Van a háznak kertje (kerlyc) is? Milyen gyümölcsfái vannak? Milyen virágokat termeszt? AMERIKAI - , 1 MAGYAR SZÓ USPS 02^-980 ISSN 0194-7990 Published Weekly, exc. last week in July and 1st 2 weeks in August by Hungarian Word,Inc. 130 E 16 St. New York, N.Y. 10003, Ent. as 2nd Class Mattet, Dec. 31. 1952 under the Act of «March 21. 1879, at the P.O. of New York, N.Y. It f Szerkeszti a Szerkesztő Bizottság ElSfizetési árak az Egyesült Államokban egy évre $ 18.— félévre $ 10.— Kanadabari és minden más külföldi országban ! egy évre $ 20.— félévre $ 12.— PostmasteríSend address changes to; Hungarian Word,Inc. 130 E 16 St. New York, N.Y. 10003. f -e Y-127 Y-135 Y-123 Y-140
