Hausner Gábor - Kincses Katalin Mária - Veszprémy László szerk.: A Hadtörténeti Múzeum Értesítője. Acta Musei Militaris in Hungaria. 4. „Kard és koszorú”. Ezer év magyar uralmi és katonai jelképei. (Budapest, 2001)
URALMI JELKÉPEK - R. VÁRKONYI ÁGNES: Az egységjelképei a megosztottság másfél évszázadában
of 500 years of history, from the times before the Conquest, from the Christian centuries and the world of humanism. The 17 th century inherited two virtual images of the country's unity. One recalled her 500 years of history; the other represented her as a vital part of the Christian world, which would tight against the Osman Empire, in favour of her independence and reunion. Apart from these images, humanists and reformers of the 16 th century had developed the common, new elements of the country, which were the Hungarian language, the economic values, a unity identified with regions of the Carpathian Basin, and the homeland's natural phenomena, a picture with mountains and rivers. The international importance of Saint Stephen's crown increased after the Mohács disaster. Turkish sources definitely prove that Constantinople had been fully aware of the significance of the Holy Crown. The Speyer Pact of 1570 determined the long-range conditions of not dividing the kingdom. This principle was respected by Transylvanian princes István Bocskai, Gábor Bethlen and Mihály Apafi, when bringing their decisions. In this context the crown symbolised national and Christian unity, as well as the commitment to the anti-Turkish struggle. Emblems of Hapsburg Hungary and Transylvania also featured the idea of the united empire. The intention to establish a unified empire was expressed by emperor Rudolph's decision on his countries' crowns. He had one crown made, representing his complex imperial power, instead of his three crowns of Hungary, Bohemia and the Empire. Two works by keeper of the crown Péter Révay (1568-1622), 'De sacrae coronae regni Hungáriáé ortu, virtute, victoria, fortuna' (1613) and 'De Monarchia et Sacra Corona Regni Hungáriáé' (1616/1659), expanded the symbolic meaning of the crown, according to contemporary demands. Révay claimed that the country's state in Europe had to be redefined. His concept of Europe was strong, new and significant. He did not only want to inform Europe about what the Hungarian crown had represented. The purpose of his survey was to secure a post for Hungary, through her history and achievements, in the international world of the age. He provided the most detailed description of Saint Stephen's crown up till that time, and tried to organically embed Hungarian history in that of Europe. He saw the safe future of the country in her emergence from the Osman sphere of interest. To what extent did the crown as a symbol express these ideas at diverse levels of society in the first half of the 17 th century, is a question worth further examination. Altar-pieces, flag embroideries, signets, images of Holy Mary on coins, prayer book prints of Saint Stephen's offering, and compositions on the title pages of Almanacs projected the desirous future through the symbols of the past. Works of Miklós Zrínyi in the second half of the century and others from the period of 1650-1664 drafted the purpose of a large-scale political enterprise in the language of ideas and symbols. Further analysis of the rich world of images represented on medals, prints, tapestry and paintings, accompanying the war of 1683-1699, could reveal various aspects of the country's military and political reunion. (Compiled by Katalin Mária Kineses on the basis of the study)
