The Eighth Tribe, 1978 (5. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1978-03-01 / 3. szám
March, 1978 THE EIGHTH TRIBE Page 9 serving Hungary’s independence against Emperor Henry III, it was also rooted in Magyar national traditions. It stemmed, at least partially, from the dualism that used to be part of the Magyar political system, when administrative and military powers were divided between the kündü (sacred, supreme ruler) and the gyula I executor or holder of de facto powers). This form of dualism had come to an end at the time of kündü Kurszán’s death in 904 and the subsequent concentration of power in the hands of Árpád, the holder of the office of gyula. It is true that another form of dualism was continued in the preservation of the latter office in Eastern Hungary with diminished powers. But at the time of St. Stephen’s centralization, the title and office of gyula — even with its diminished powers — was abolished altogether. The tradition of dualism, however, was too strong to die, and after St. Stephen’s death it was resurrected. Its rebirth was also aided by the resurgence of the “seniority rule” in the system of succession. Although subdued a few decades later by King St. Ladislas, for a while resurrected dualism and seniority rule caused considerable problems for royal power and centralization in Hungary; and this became evident already in the time of Vászoly’s sons. In line with the seniority rule King Andrew had promised the throne to his brother Béla. The birth of his son Salomon, however, changed his mind (1052). This in turn led to an armed conflict between the two brothers, resulting in Andrew’s death (1060) and Bela’s accession to the throne. (Kristó: Hercegség.) The Threat of German Vassalage Had he been given time, Béla I (1060-681 would undoubtedly have emerged as one of Hungary’s great rulers. He was a straightforward and honest man, and he also had unusual abilities of military leadership. He had demonstrated his martial art already during Andrew’s reign, when he inflicted two major defeats upon the Holy Roman Emperor Henry III (1051 and 1052). With his accession to power, Béla faced the threat of a new German invasion, this time by Emperor Henry IV, who wished to reduce Hungary to vassalage and wanted to put his brotherin-law Salomon on the Hungarian throne. No doubt, Béla could also have handled this new German threat. His sudden and unexpected death, however, created a totally new situation. Following Béla’s death, his sons Géza and Ladislas did not claim the throne. This may have been due to their respect for seniority rule, 92 Get the Facts on SOLAR HEATING! ... It is time to think about converting your present heating unit to include SOLAR HEATING. A 160 page book with valuable information for homeowners, builders and architects. ’’ENERGY BOOM and SOLAR HEATING” Price: $5.00 — including Postage To order make checks payable to: Sunwall Inc. Publications, c/o Bethlen Press, Inc. P.O. Box 637 Ligonier, Pa. 15658 Our Heritage in America Column Editor: Joseph Széplaki HUNGARIANS IN AMERICA (continued from previous issues) Reprinted from: The Hungarians in America 1583-1974; by Joseph Széplaki. The book can be ordered from the editor. 1893 The Fejérvári Home for the aged was opened at Davenport, Iowa. It was the gift of a successful Hungarian real estate man of the city, Nicholas Fejérvári, who also bequeathed his large garden to the public. It was named Fejérvári Park in his honor. 1896 Hungary celebrated her millenium as a nation. Hungarian millenary festivities were held aH over America to commemorate the 1000 years of the existence of Hungary as a state. The most important ones were at Pittsburgh, Pa.; McKeesport, Pa.; San Francisco, Calif.; Buda, Georgia; Bridgeport Conn.; and Cleveland, Ohio. June 18. The delegation of the Cleveland Hungarians left New York for Budapest in order to take part in the millenary festivities. This was the first time that the Hungarian-Americans were oficially and cordially received in Hungary. 1897 The decision had been made in Cleveland to establish the fraternal organization of the Hungarian Protestants, named the Hungarian Reformed Federation of America (Amerikai Magyar Református Egyesület). It gave life and health protection to its members and developed into one of the Big Four Hungarian fraternal bodies. Since many of its members considered their stay in America temporary,
