MODERN HISTORY OF HUNGARY
Modern Magyar history is tightly entwined with Austrian history. The Habsburg dynasty’s talons were sunk into the tender flesh of Hungary for centuries. Numerous wars, uprisings, rebellions and one assassination after the Magyar people were given their own nation. Even to this day Hungarians avoid clicking glasses/bottles of beer when they toast — it was a Habsburgian custom and one that they did whenever excessive amounts of Hungarian blood had been spilled on the battleground.
1800s — The Hungarian Constitution dates back centuries but there have been times when it has not been observed. The last time that happened was in the 19th century before the Habsburg king set up the two-kingdom system in Austria-Hungary. Hungary was finally after a long break allowed their own constitution, parliament, laws... Everything but their own king and military. In 1868 there was a time when Croatia became part of Hungary officially— an autonomous region under Hungary’s protection. The Croatian-Hungarian Agreement existed until Croatia escaped the Habsburgian regime. What it left behind was a strong bond between the countries that was later respected by the marriage of King Màtyàs of Hungary and Princess Ava of Croatia.
1900s — The 20th century is more interesting when it comes to understanding the Croÿ dynasty.
WWI — 1914: That very fateful year which lead to years of war in Europe. Serbia declared war on Austria-Hungary, which dragged numerous countries into the WWI. H ungary separated from Austria and established its own sovereign nation. This was when the Croÿs stepped into the picture. They were a silly insignificant aristocratic family that happened to have family members spread through Austria-Hungary ( and Europe but that’s far too irrelevant, tiny families, forgettable names ). Nearly everyone who was someone had a spouse or a brother-in-law or a mother who bore the Croÿ name. It was pure dumb luck that the head of the Croÿ family ( who, back then, was married to the countess of Ráckeve ) was crowned king. He was demure, unthreatening, and most importantly, well-liked. Everyone could agree to be ruled by him, by the Croÿs because everyone thought they had a more important connection to the ruling family than everyone else. The ascension was by no means easy and clean, but at least the monarchists had one clear opinion and that was that the Croÿs should be the next rulers. There were many skirmishes, assassination attempts, actual murders before Hungary became an official monarchy in 1919. Three monarchist prime ministers were murdered in two years after that. It wasn’t a good start. The Croÿs have the pacifistic democratic government to thank for for their crown. Had the first prime minister done a better job, it’s possible that the monarchists wouldn’t have become so popular. On European standards the Croÿs are the royal equivalent of nouvea-riche — their claim to the throne does not date back centuries, only some decades. A family that had ever only been relevant in Hungary suddenly became a lead actor in East European politics.
PARABELLUM — It was a rough few decades for Hungary and for the Croÿs. No one was happy, Romania was a bully, pacifism was proven to be inefficient, the Entente forces took what they wanted and there was little broken and instable Hungary could do to stop them. The Treaty of Trianon was a public embarrassment to the Croÿs. It was one of the first major papers the recently chosen king signed. Hungary lost 72% of its land area, but it gained peace. Transylvania was lost, Czechoslovakia and Croatia as well. These areas were never regained.
WWII — Hungary aligned itself with Germany and Italy. The rise of irredentism and the popularity of Magyarization made it a no-brainer so to speak. The bad blood that existed between Hungary and most of its neigbours was another reason too. With the Axis powers by their side, it seemed possible that Hungary would be able to regain all the lost territories. This did not happen of course. Pride comes before a downfall and Hungary’s was bloody, violent, and shameful.
POST-WAR ERA — Hungary paid a high price for its stupidity. The Soviet Union got its hand tightly around Hungary’s neck. It was a time to bow down and kiss the feet of Soviet leaders. Or at least it was for a while. The Croÿs gave it a go for a few years but as the atmosphere in Hungary changed drastically with the rise of communism, the Croÿs escaped Hungary for a period of a decade. Getting disposed by the new overlords did not seem too tempting. Vienna was a much more pleasant place. They were never officially overthrown, they even had some sway in Hungarian politics even beyond the border, but it was very clear that things wouldn’t go to the way things had been before the war.
THE FALL OF THE USSR — The Croÿs have the Romanovs to thank for their current position. Had communism prevailed in Hungary, the Croÿs would have gone out like a flame in a lidded jar. When the Romanovs took over Russia and the Croÿs seized the opportunity to reclaim their position as the head of the country. It started by imprisoning dozens of opposition politicians, handing out power to every ally they could think of, using mercenaries to create an illusion of a real army.
MODERN ERA — The Croÿs' adopted a new way of conducting business: befriend everyone. One strategy had earned them the throne and one strategy would help them keep it: marriages. All of the living Croÿs are either unmarried or married to someone influential. They say it just happened to happen that way but everyone can decide what is the truth. The Croÿs try to please the people. No more uprisings is very much the slogan of their reign. No more uprisings and fuck no to communism. It is one of the reasons why Hungary has been very reluctant to make big moves when everyone around them have been going crazy. The only reason why they attempted to help Spain during the Spanish-Portuguese war was because they could not eat their words. Levente had married Ines, the pact needed to be respected. It was a shame that Queen Ava’s sister did not feel quite so strongly about her sister’s marriage pact.
