The Eighth Tribe, 1977 (4. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1977-03-01 / 3. szám
Page 6 THE EIGHTH TRIBE March, 1977 and Maugeri8, the latter of whom is often connected with the name “Magyars.” (Actually, according to our present knowledge, “Magyar” is a composite term that is made up of the Ugor “mogy” and the Ogur “eri” — both of which mean “man or human.”) Subsequently, in the mid seventh century, these mixed Turkic peoples established the so-called Onogur-Bulgarian Empire under the leadership of Kubrat (Kuvrat). Following Kubrat’s death around 670 A.D., some of these tribes moved to the Lower Danube under the leadership of Asparukh, and there they established Bulgaria of the Balkan Penninsula. Others, however, moved back to the Volga-Kama area and founded “Magna Bulgaria” (Greater Bulgaria), which existed there until the Mongol conquest of the thirteenth century. Simultaneously, in the middle of the sixth century (558 A.D.), another Turkic tribe, the Avars appeared in Europe, and soon established a large empire with its center in the Carpathian Basin. They had been driven from their Central Asiatic homeland by the related Tiirks, who subsequently founded a large Eurasian empire that lasted into the seventh century. By the early part of that century it gradually fell apart, but its western segment restructured itself into a new state, which came to he known as the Khazar Empire. The Khazars, therefore, were basically Western Tiirks, whose empire lasted for three and a half centuries, until the 960’s. While it flourished, the Khazar Empire was a large and successful commercial state, which had close economic and commercial ties with Constantinople and the whole Byzantine world. Although it centered on the Lower Volga, during most of its existence it extended its control over much of the steppe lands of present-day southern Russia. As a point of interest, it may also be mentioned that around 860 A.D. many of the Khazars accepted the Jewish faith, which is the only example of mass conversion to Judaism in world history. This may also explain why — as some sources claim — the conquering Magyars had also some “Jews” in their ranks. In all probability they were Turkic Khazars of the Jewish faith. Starting with the early seventh century A.D., the Magyar tribes were also within the Khazar Empire under a degree of Khazar control. During that century they gradually moved down from the Volga-Kama area to “Lebedia” (Levedia), the flat steppe land to the north and east of the Sea of Azov. Lebedia remained the homeland of the Magyars until the 830’s, when they broke their connections with the Khazar Empire, and moved west to the lands between the Lower Danube and the Don 16 scholarly achievements. He has produced a number of major works already during the 1930’s and early 1940’s, during his tenure as a professor of legal and constitutional history at the University of Pécs in Hungary. Later Professor Somogyi taught Hungarian legal and cultural history both at the St. Stephen’s Free University (1950’s), as well as at Western Reserve University (1960’s) in Cleveland, Ohio. During this period he also published several volumes on Hungarian history and literary history, the most significant of which is his major synthesis of Hungarian historical development entitled Küldetés: A magyarság története (Mission: The History of the Magyars), 1973. This work, which was the result of many years of teaching and research, has never appeared in English. But now finally we have a much abbreviated English version of the same, which is geared to the general American reader. It is much shorter than its Hungarian version, but it has an additional feature: It discusses also the history of the Hungarians abroad. Professor Somogyi was aided in this undertaking by his son Lél. Although still in his early twenties, Lél Somogyi has already written several articles on Hungarians in America, and his contributions to this volume are also significant. This book is divided into six parts. Four of these deal with the history of the Magyars in Hungary; the fifth covers the history of the Magyars abroad; and the sixth contains the significant appended material to the volume. The basic theme of this volume is similar to that of Professor Somogyi’s above-mentioned major history of Hungary. He views the past of his nation as the history of its pre-ordained destiny, which it has to fulfill to comply with God’s grand designs. This would seem to make Somogyi an adherent of a deterministic philosophy of history. But he is not. He rejects all deterministic philosophies that regard the progress of history as being driven by various material and economic forces. To him, it is not matter, but the God-created human mind that shapes the history of men and molds the destiny of nations. Consequently, when describing the coming of the Magyars, their conquest of the Carpathian Basin, and their long and steadfast defense of that eastern outpost of Western Civilization, Somogyi does so in the conviction that the Magyars were doing what they were doing because it was their fate to do so. The history of the Magyars, therefore, is at the same time the fulfillment of their mission in history. A unique aspect of this volume is that this is the first history of the Magyars that devotes considerable attention also to those who left the land of their birth (pp. 129-176). The two authors’ coverage is especially good for the United States, and in dealing with Hungarian contribution to the make-up of American Civilization. The final part contains much useful appended material, including detailed chronological tables, several lists of Hungarian rulers, saints and Nobel prize winners, a selected bibliography, as well as a good name index. Moreover, the final page also contains some biographical information about the two authors. Faith and Fate is a rationally organized, scholarly, up-to-date, as well as popularly written work. We recommend it very highly for everyone interested in the history and culture of the Magyars — both in Hungary, as well as abroad.
