Rental Cars Hungary - History of Hungary

During the 9th C the nomadic Magyars came into Hungary via Russia and settled in the 10th C. They were later defeated by the Germans in 955 AD and forced into an alliance with the Holy Roman Empire. In 1000 Hungary first became a nation state when the Magyar prince, Stephen I, was crowned. He led Hungary towards a more westernised Christian culture until he died in 1038. The Arpad dynasty ruled until the end of the 13th C when The Arpads last king, Andrew III, died. Hungary was devastated by a Mongol invasion at this time. This started the reign of Matthias Corvinus, who re-established Hungary as a leading power in Europe and developed Magyar arts and culture. After his death, the county disintegrated and they were defeated by the Turks in the Battle of Mohács in 1526. They managed to get back their independence after 30 years of war and in 1699 the Turks were forced out.

Hungary formed an alliance with Austria, creating the mighty Austro-Hungarian empire until 1849 when rebel leader Lajos Kossuth declared independence. The Habsburgs crushed the revolution soon after is started and once again Hungary was a conquered province. However, in 1867 a dual monarchy was created with Austria the empire and Hungary the kingdom.

The dual monarchy entered WWI as an ally of Germany but was lost to the Hungarian communists and later overthrown by troops from Romania. Hungary’s size was drastically reduced leading them to turn to Germany and Italy to try to get their land back. When German troops invaded the country, the Hungarians tried to break the alliance, with the Germans being driven out by the Russians in 1945.

By 1949 Hungary had become a Soviet-styled state and the 1956 uprising against the communists left thousands dead. After the regime was consolidated, János Kádár began a programme of consumer-oriented communism. Despite its origins, the Hungarian regime was the most liberal of all Soviet bloc systems and became the richest nation in the region. In 1988 Kadar’s rule came to an end and Hungary began the transition to a pluralistic political system – marking the collapse of communism.

The nation became the Republic of Hungary in 1989 and the first elections in 1990 brought to power The Hungarian Democratic Forum with Jozsef Antall as prime minister. In the most recent poll in 2002, the Socialists came into power as the governing body. Hungary joined NATO, to help improve stability and is set to become an EU member this year.