Hungary

The Magyars established Hungary in 896, after they had arrived there from their previous, Eastern European territories. Prince Árpád was their leader at the time; he also established the first royal house of the country, the Árpád-house.

The Principality of Hungary was established as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first King Stephen I at Esztergom on Christmas Day 1000.

Hungary enjoyed a lasting period of peace until his death in 1038 and he was canonized as St Stephen on August 20, 1083.

King Saint Stephen's feast day was celebrated as August 20 from 1083 until 1687, then moved to September 2nd until 1969 when it became August 16th.

King Stephen's right hand, known as the Holy Right, is kept as a holy relic at the Basilica of King Saint Stephen in Budapest.

Under the patronage of Matthias Corvinus, Hungary was the first country outside Italy to embrace the Renaissance.

The Árpád dynasty, which had ruled Hungary since 896 ended with the death of King Andrew III on January 14, 1301.

The word 'coach' derives from the name of the Hungarian town Kocs, where multi-passenger wheeled vehicles first appeared around 1500.

In 1867 Austria and Hungary signed a treaty, establishing the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. The agreement brought massive economic growth, but after the defeat in World War I, the Kingdom was abolished.

The Treaty of Trianon was the peace agreement of 1920 signed in Paris to formally end World War I between most of the Allies of World War I and the Kingdom of Hungary. The treaty regulated the status of an independent Hungarian state and defined its borders. Hungary lost 71% of its territory and 63% of its population.

Drafted borders of Austria-Hungary in the treaty of Trianon and Saint Germain

Count Pal Teleki, Prime Minister of Hungary from February 1939  tried to preserve Hungarian autonomy under difficult political circumstances, during the Second World War. However, he committed suicide on April 3, 1941, because of the guilt he felt over his country’s participation in Nazi Germany’s attack on Yugoslavia.

Following the fall of Nazi Germany, Soviet troops occupied the entire country with the goal of forming Hungary into a communist satellite state of the Soviet Union. The Parliament of Hungary abolished the monarchy after nine centuries, and proclaimed the Hungarian People's Republic on February 1, 1946.

Hungarian parliament

The Hungarian hyperinflation of 1945-1946 was the worst case of hyperinflation ever recorded. On July 10, 1946, it was reported that hyperinflation in Hungary meant prices were doubling every 11 hours.The monthly inflation rate for July 1946 was 13.6 quadrillion percent.

The hyperinflation was caused by a number of factors, including the devastation of the Hungarian economy during World War II, the government's printing of large amounts of money to pay for reconstruction, and the Soviet Union's occupation of Hungary.

The hyperinflation eventually ended in August 1946, when the Hungarian government introduced a new currency, the forint. The forint was pegged to the US dollar, which helped to stabilize the Hungarian economy.

The Hungarian Revolution began on October 23, 1956 as a peaceful student demonstration which attracted thousands as it marched through central Budapest to the Parliament building. It was the first major threat to Soviet control since the USSR's forces drove Nazi Germany from its territory at the end of World War II.

The revolt spread quickly across Hungary and the government collapsed, but by January 1957, the new Soviet-installed government had suppressed all public opposition.

The Hungarian flag, with a hole with the communist coat of arms cut out, became the symbol of the revolution (see below).

Hungarian fencer Aladar Gerevich won gold in six consecutive Olympics from 1932-1960.

Hungarians have won Nobel Prizes in every category except peace.

In Hungary, when people write their names or introduce themselves publically, they usually use their last name first.

Source Daily Express