Magyar News, 2000. szeptember-2001. augusztus (11. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

2000-12-01 / 4. szám

Eastern Europe. Especially under the House of Arpad, the Hungarians were cordial if not friendly to people of other religious beliefs. This is a far cry from many of the great injustices that have occurred due to religious hatred in the so-called "modem" world. A reason for this tolerance is due to their nomadic nature. The early Hungarians were exposed to a great number of different cultures, and they themselves were comprised of many people who came from different ethnic and religious backgrounds.

Another aspect of the ancient Magyars that separated them from the rest of the warring tribes in Eastern Europe was their military intelligence. The ancient Magyars had instituted a strategy that was foreign to the West and proved to be very successful, making them one of the most prolific of the nomads prior to the 10th century. This allowed for better maintaining the safety of the people and their livestock from enemy tribes. The Magyar military attacks consisted of a surprise attack on horseback; the skilled riders bombarding the enemy forces with arrows. After this initial push they would fake a retreat while continuing the spray of arrows from the back of their horses.

The enemy would soon give chase and start to break ranks. To their surprise they were greeted with the Hungarian Army, which sometimes grew to around

20,000 Hungarian soldiers charging on foot and on horseback for hand to hand combat. This strategy usually marked a fatal end for Hungarian enemies and allowed the Hungarians to ravage the Carolingien Empire and torment the rest of Eastern Europe. The same time as all of this fighting the Magyars started to build a nomadic home in the Carpathian basin. They found a suitable summer and winter camp in the area of the basin that was not that far from each other. This allowed for a semi-permanent base to be set up. Some even stayed in the winter camp during the summer months and vice versa for the summer camp.

A crucial defeat at Ausburg, in 955, left the Hungarian Army and people badly beat and put an end to the Hungarian run at nomadic glory. This defeat marked a turning point in history for the Hungarians and made them face a question that would change the course of history. Were they to remain in the lifestyle that they knew so well or do a complete turn around and choose the sedentary life and settle in the Carpathian Basin? To take the first road was to face the same extinction as many of the other pastoral nomadic tribes in

Eastern Europe, like the Avars. To choose the second was to humble themselves and trade in all of their beliefs, traditions, and life style for the God and the social structure of the European Christians. The Magyars chose the latter and by so doing had to face a tremendously difficult period of transition and adaptation that was only eased by many of the skills that they had learned as nomads. The nomadic lifestyle was very chaotic at times with constant moving and the ever looming threat of a battle, which gave the Hungarians a deep sense of flexibility. The diversity that was fostered by the travel through various countries led to the Hungarians’ understanding of tolerance. This was also very important because unlike many of the other nomadic tribes of the time the Magyars did not take slaves. This is important because they were not burdened with social ramifications that went along with maintaining slaves, which allowed for the seeds of a feudal system to be planted well

before the settlement in the Carpathian Basin. This tolerance also allowed the Hungarians to keep an open mind to what they noticed on their conquests. They were notorious from taking something positive from every tribe they defeated and more from the tribes that defeated them then led to a self-awareness as a nation that provided them the confidence to make changes that were necessary to build a strong nation.

With the tools of self-awareness, tolerance, and flexibility the Hungarians departed on the journey of assimilating into a sedentary nation. The first step was to accept the Christian God. After a brief courtship from the German Holy Roman Empire, the Árpád House King Stephen put his lot in with the Pope in Rome. The choice made Stephen a Saint and gave Hungaiy the keys to the whole Roman Catholic Empire while maintaining a strong contact and relationship with the

Byzantine Empire. The Hungarians also made great strides in educating themselves in Latin and set up an educational system that resembled that of Europe’s. As early as 1001 the Abbey and Library of Pannohalma received an endowment to be built, one of the first educational centers in that part of the world. Still standing today it stands as a testament to the adaptability and will of the Hungarian people.

The Hungarians now stand at the beginning of a new millennium ready to face many of the same obstacles that their forefathers had to endure. The climate in Europe has become very volatile both socially and economically with the dissolution of the Russian Superpower and Communism. This has lead to a great deal of confusion. Boundaries are once again skewed, and Europe is looking for a way to compete with the United States economically by forming the European Union. Hungary, being a smaller Eastern European Nation is on the fringe of

becoming part of the European Union which at this point could go either way. No matter what the verdict, the Hungarians are a people who persevere. They were able to use the qualities of tolerance, flexibility, and self-awareness that they inherited from the ancient Magyars to preserve their Nation. The Hungarians endured the Tartars, Turks, the devastating ruling at Trianon, the Fascists, and the Communists, so this new threat will be met with the same presence that the previous challenges were met by. The manner in which the Hungarians have conducted themselves over the past 1300 years should serve as an example for all of history and to people of today. Hopefully, Hungary will continue to be one of the very precious nations in the world that manages to maintain the higher ideals though its history. These ideals which will someday be able to shine through the darkness and bring Hungary the glory and honor it deserves.

Fine examples of sabretaches. On the right the christien cross is included. Found in Tiszabezded.

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