The Eighth Tribe, 1978 (5. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1978-03-01 / 3. szám
Page 8 THE EIGHTH TRIBE March, 1978 have resisted St. Stephen’s Christianization and Europeanization efforts much more effectively than their western brethren. Now with the strong hand of St. Stephen gone, they came forth as the champions of paganism and tribalism against Christianity and royal centralization. But their efforts were doomed to failure. Although they wreaked havoc on Hungary, they were unable to turn back the wheel of history. And what was even more significant for the future, not even the sons of the blinded and exiled Vászoly (Vazul) — who now were recalled by some Magyar leaders to create order in the chaos and to resume the Árpád line — were willing to follow the path of reaction. In fact — and this was an irony of history — it was not the pagan Magyar Vata, but the Italian Bishop Gerard (Gellert), martyred by Vata’s pagan followers, who emerged as the hero of these tumultuous events. Although the rebels were convinced they were fighting for a “Magyar cause,” history judged them wrong. It was their victim, the former tutor of St. Emeric and the Christianizer of much of Eastern Hungary, who rose to the ranks of the highly revered saints of the Hungarian Pantheon. (Kristó: Pogány lázadások; Kosztolnyik: Gerard; Kosztolnyik: Uprising of 1046.) Although failing because they went against the very grain of history, the champions of pagan reaction tried once more in 1060. This time they were led by Vata’s son, János, a superficially Christianized clan chief. But his rebellion was even less successful than that of his father’s. By this time it also became evident that the rebels were using their alleged attachment to the “old faith” and “old culture” simply as a pretext in their fight against royal centralism and the consequent decline of their powers. Although in a way it was sad, the old way of life had vanished irrevocably; and from the vantage point of the nation as a whole, it was good that it did. Kingdom (Regnum) versus Principality (Ducatus) Having consolidated their hold over Hungary with the help of foreign (Kievan and Polish) auxiliaries, Vászoly’s two sons divided the realm between themselves. Andrew I became the king of Hungary (1046-60), and Béla became the prince of the country’s eastern third (ducatus). This division resulted in a new form of dualism, and created a situation for potential rivalry and conflicts between the “kingdom” and the “duchy.” Although this division was obviously the product of the existing political conditions, more specifically of Andrew’s need of his brother’s help in consolidating his hold on the throne and in pre-91 Király was summoned to Bucharest for talks with four top officials including Ilie Verdet, Ceausescu’s right-hand man, and the minister of the interior, Teodor Coman. He was accused of being a traitor to Romania, threatened with a trial and expulsion from the Communist Party, and asked to denounce his own appeal as the fabrication of the CIA and Radio Free Europe. He refused. He was ordered to leave Tirgu Mures with his wife and fivemonth-old baby. He said his friends were harassed in the street, his house was kept under a 24- hour watch, and he was followed by plainclothes policemen. Asked what he thought were the reasons for this government reaction, he replied quietly: “They know that what I wrote is true.” An official Romanian spokesman has described Király’s allegations as “lies, lies, lies.” Király himself is an insider who knows how the system works. As an alternate member of the political executive committee from 1968 to 1972, he was at the summit of the Romanian leadership. In 1970 he accompanied Ceausescu to Moscow to attend the Lenin centenary celebrations. He is still a party member and deputy president of the Hungarian Nationality Council. He stresses that he remains committed to his social ideals. His protests have also received the support of key leaders of the Hungarian minority. Apart from Fazekas, they include the vicepresident of the Romanian parliament, György Puskás, central committee members, writers, and the editors of the two most prominent Hungarian literary reviews in Romania. Király claimed that nearly all Hungarian intellectuals agree with his views and many ordinary people, including Romanians, had expressed support through handshakes, telephone calls, and letters. By alleging mistreatment of national minorities, Király has struck one of the most sensitive chords in Romanian politics. Underpinning Ceausescu’s staunchly independent foreign policy is an attempt to build a strong unitary state at home creating the image of “an island of Latins surrounded by a sea of Slavs.” — Reprinted from The Washington Post ☆ • ☆
