Dr. Szabó Lajos: A magyar ifjúság testi nevelésének története (A Sportmúzeum Kincsei 5. Budapest, 2004)

INTRODCTION In this book we are willing to introduce the changes and development of Hungarian school PE illustrated with numerous documents and photos. History of physical education is an organic part of Hungarian pedagogy, the beginning of which dates back to the early centuries of tribal-(alliance) than later that of the Christian feudal state. At that time physical education was part of the physical culture, a basic element of preparation for fights, than later of knightly education, but at the same time had a role in folk entertainment, and ritual folk games. Physical education was raised to the same level of the other pedagogical subjects by the humanism and the Renaissance in the Middle Ages. This demand was fostered by the spreading of faith in worldly happiness, love of nature, and last but not least by getting to know the body anatomically more thoroughly as well. Protestant religions, formed by Reformation, devoted great care to the modernization of institutional education and emphasized the native language, the importance of physical education and different games organized by the teachers (JA. Comenius). As a result of that the rigid standpoint of Catholicism easened in this respect from the 12th century. In the 18th century, in enlightened absolutism tried to strengthen the role the state played in public education. Ratio Educationis /issued by Queen Maria Theresa in 1777/ the first Hungarian Law of Education, offered PE as an optional subject to the leaders of the schools, who mostly belonged to different Churches. So this is the period of the modern European school codification. The pedagogical trend at the turn of the 18-19th century is philanthropism, and then later the representatives of the German, Swedish and Danish gymnastics movement (J.Ch. Guts-Muths, FL. Jahn, PH. Ling, and FNachtegall) were those, who considered physical education as a school subject of the Curriculum. In Hungary Sámuel Tessedik, Ignác Clair, Lajos Tavasi and Elek Matolay were the followers of this trend among others. The compulsory introduction of this school subject - laid down by law -, came into being as a result of the bourgeois development of the 19th century. (1868 - in primary and public schools; 1883 - in secondary schools.) The number of sports activities increased in the curricula, and beside the ruling gymnastics, swimming, skating, and fencing, and as new branches, such as track and field, individual and