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by Zeljko Heimer, 3 November 2001
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The arms of Hungary are: per pale, barry of 8, gules and
argent, gules, a cross lorraine argent, rising out of a crown or
on a compartment vert.
Josh Fruhlinger, 9 April 1996
The crown on the Hungarian arms is the Crown of St. Stephen,
an actual crown that was used to crown the Hungarian kings. In
the 18th century the cross on the crown was bent and since then
it is so depicted on the Hungarian arms.
Nahum Shereshevsky, 11 May 1997
IMHO the Lorraine cross appeared as part of the Hungarian Coat
of Arms in the 12thCentury as a symbol of the King or of the
kingdom (a privilege was grantedby pope Sylvester II to king St.
Stephen in 1000 that he may have carried anapostolic (i.e.,
Lorraine) cross in front of him (hence the title ofHungarian
kings, esp. emphasized from Maria Theresia: "N. Dei gratia
apostolic king of Hungary"). Back to the Coat of Arms: in or
around the movements of 1848, the Slovak nationalist (and/or
patriot, depending on the viewpoint) L'udovit Stur created the
national symbol of the Slovak people based on his idea that the
Lorraine cross and the hill resemble the original Slovak (or,
better to say, Great-Moravian) symbols before the Hungarian
campaign of the Carpathean basin around 896. In fact, there is a
legend which appeared in the codices in the 12th-13th century
that Hungarian duke Arpad bought the northern part of the
Carpathean basin from the Duke of Great Moravia for a horse or
something like that. The hills might resemble that part of the
Carpathean basin which, in the opinion of L'udovit Stur, belongs
to the Slovaks, as, in his opinion, the Slovaks are direct
descendants of the Duchy of Great Moravia, while the cross might
resemble the Catholic faith planted into the Moravians by
missionaries St. Cyrill & Method. (In the Hungarian heraldry,
the three hills resemble Hungarian mountains Tatra, Matra &
Fatra, out of which only Matra belongs to Hungary since the
Trianon dictate of 1920.)
The Lorraine cross with the crown on a green three-topped hill as
the left part of the Hungarian small Coat of Arms, has been used
since 12th-13th century, and since the 16th century it has been
standardized.
David N. Biacsi, 24 January 1999
From 'Courrier International' (#466. 7 October 1999), after
the weekly Hungarian newspaper 'Heti Vila'ggazdasa'g':
"Will the crown of the Magyar kings be included in the
legislation of the Hungarian Republic? The Minister of Justice
proposes to add in year 2000 - for the celebration of the
millenium of the foundation of the state - a new preamble to the
Constitution. The text would state, inter alia, that: 'the Holly
Crown which ornates the current arms of our country, which
symbolizes State and which expresses the allegiance of Hungarians
to the noble traditions coming from a 1,000-year old state,
played an exceptional role in the history of our country.' "
The coat of arms with the crown can be seen above. Its use on the
unofficial state flag is also described here.
Ivan Sache , 17 October 1999
AFAIK, the Coat of Arms with the crown is fully incorporated
in the Hungarian legislation, but possibly there is no explicit
statement as above. The inclusion of such statement, which would
certainly mean something as symbolic and political sign in the
Cosntitution, would be of little impact on the flags which would
not be changed, as far as I understood.
Zeljko Heimer, 18 October 1999
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) - Hungary's center-right government
plans to kick off the new millennium by restoring the royal crown
of St. Stephen as the symbol of the Hungarian state - a
controversial decision at home and abroad
Jaume Ollé, 12 December 1999
There must be something more which can't be seen from this
extract, since the crown of St. Stephen is already part of the
coat of arms of Hungary, and (unofficially, but often, as part of
the Coat of Arms) also on the flag. I have not been following the
flag-related political development in Hungary, but IIRC, the
rightists are very much fond of introducting the flag with Coat
of Arms as official (and possibly only) flag of Hungary, instead
of the simple tricolor.
Zeljko Heimer, 13 December 1999
The Slovak Coat of Arms and the
dexter half of the Hungarian Coat of Arms are remarkably similar.
Only differences: Slovak Coat of Arms is a white cross of
Lorraine on a blue mount composed of three hills, on a red
background. The Hungarian Coat of Arms is a white cross of
Lorraine with a crown at the base on a green hill composed of
three hills on a red background.
There is no doubt about the use of the arms with the Lorraine
cross by Arpad and further dynasties ruling the Hungarian
territories. But there is archaelogical evidence that this symbol
was used in the area inhabited by Slav (later Slovak) population
before the Hungarians conquered the Carpatian Basin. This old
Christian symbol was brought to Great Moravia by the Byzantine
priests Constantine (Cyrill) and Method. This doesn't refute the
theory of the pope as the donator of cross for king Stephen but
shows that Slovaks have certain rights to consider this cross as
theirs. In Hungarian history this cross is first noticed on the
shield of king Bela III. in 1189 and it is a frequent symbol in
Slovak municipal heraldry. Ludovit Stur (1815 - 1856) took the
Hungarian royal coat af arms and used it with an appropriate
change of colours as a Slovak national symbol. The main fact why
Slovaks used Hungarian coat of arms was that they simply felt a
historical bond with the Hungarian state - the coat of arms
belonged to them as well as to Hungarians or for example Serbians
who lived within the boundaries of Hungarian kingdom. They only
painted it with the colours they liked more because they
represented the pan-Slav or Austro-Slav idea.
Jan Kravcik, 6 June 2000
A stamp with historical Coat of Arms from the legendary TURUL
to nowadays can be seen at <www.historicaltextarchive.com>.
István Molnár, 6 June 2001
From the
pages of the Embassy of the Republic of Hungary in Zagreb:
The chief emblem of a country, symbolizing its history, is its
national coat of arms. The changes in Hungary's coat of arms duly
reflect the main junctures in the nation's history.
Most modern states have coats of arms whose content has been
hallowed by long tradition and usage. The scale of the public
acceptance gained by a country's coat of arms rests not only on
laws and regulations, but on how well its citizens recognize and
relate to the devices it contains. A coat of arms is more than a
distinctive mark. It is an inclusive image, imbedded in a
country's specific national and historical traditions.
In Hungary's case, the oldest component of the historical coat of
arms reinstated in 1990 is the patriarchal cross. This became a
national symbol some 800 years ago. Having appeared on coins
towards the end of the 12th century, it then became part of the
coat of arms, on a red field.
The triple mound appeared more than a century later, probably
through the new ruling house, which had ties of kinship with
Naples. The cross originally stood on three feet, which developed
into the mounds.
The bars on the other side of the shield appeared in the late
12th or early 13th century, probably through Spanish influence,
as the ruling house had a connection there. The shield has been
ensigned with the national crown, which took its place there more
than 600 years ago.
The Hungarian coat of arms has undergone many changes. Every
device on it can be linked with important struggles. Wars, peace
treaties, civil strife, revolutions, dethronements, the fall of
dynasties and systems, and other historical upheavals wrought
changes on the coat of arms at the time.
The Hungarian Parliament chose to reinstate the country's
historical coat of arms in the summer of 1990. This so-called
crowned, lesser coat of arms consists of a pointed, impaled
shield. The left-hand side ("dexter" as you shelter
behind it) has a barry of eight, gules (red) and argent (silver).
The other side has a gules field with a patriarchal cross argent
rising from a crown or (gold) on a triple mound vert (green). The
shield is ensigned with the Hungarian Crown.
István Molnár, 30 October 2001
I was asked: ""Szent Corona" means
"saint's crown" in Hungarian. Is that term used
frequently to identify St Stephen's crown?
The answer is no. The Holy Crown (Szent Korona) is the crown you
can see as part of the nowadays Coat of Arms.
No data about the form of St. Stephen's Crown. Only legends. The
Holy Crown was the crown of King St. Stephen by the legends.
The Holy Crown is symbolised the country and its people (of
course before 1848 only lords, nobles) by the Idea of the Holy
Crown. The Holy Crown ruled the country not the king. See
information in English at <www.historicaltextarchive.com>
.
István Molnár, 30 October 2001
From the
pages of the Embassy of the Republic of Hungary in Zagreb:
The institution of kingship in Hungary was established by King
Stephen I, who was later canonized. His work of organizing the
state and the church was embodied in the royal crown, which he
received from Pope Sylvester II in the year 1000. He had himself
crowned with it on the first day of the new millennium, while the
rest of Europe quaked at the prospect of the end of the world and
the coming of Antichrist.
This crown received from the Pope had a double significance. On
the one hand it meant that the Hungarian king was spiritually a
direct dependant of the Pope, and not, therefore, a vassal of the
Holy Roman Emperor. So it symbolized, within bounds, the
sovereignty of the kingdom. On the other hand, it was an emblem
of secular rule given by the Pope to the king so that he might
support the aspirations of the Roman Catholic Church in the
country.
In depictions of the time, this crown bears no resemblance to the
crown of today. The crown of King Stephen was the kind of jeweled
open crown worn by almost all European monarchs at the turn of
the millennium.
Although the first crown disappeared, the belief persisted for
centuries in Hungary that the Holy Crown was identical with the
one donated by the Pope to crown the king who founded the state.
So what happened to the original Crown of St Stephen?
The most likely of the many views expressed by historians is that
the original Hungarian crown was plundered by Henry III, Holy
Roman Emperor. Since Hungarian sovereignty was temporarily
suspended at the time, Henry returned the crown to Rome, where it
vanished, or at least its fate is unknown.
The present crown, however, is also a relic of St Stephen. It is
probably an amalgam of a reliquary for a skull and a Greek crown
presented in about 1074 to King Géza I by the Byzantine Emperor
Michael Ducas. It is presumed that the Holy Crown known today,
symbolizing Hungarian kingship, existed by 1166. So the finest,
most radiant relic of Hungarian history is more than 800 years
old.
However, the crown went through every conceivable adventure down
the ages. There can hardly be another historical art object that
has been hidden in as many countries, places, castles, mansions
and fortresses.
Battles and wars were fought and thrones toppled for possession
of it. On occasions it has been lost while being brought back to
Hungary from abroad. There were characters in history who simply
purloined it, and others who kept it in secret. It has even been
pawned, and buried during flight. It has been taken out of the
country many times, and on each occasion, its return was a cause
for solemn, national celebration. A special institution was set
up to protect it, with guards chosen from the highest men in the
land and a special military detachment.
Supporters of the extreme right-wing Hungarian government at the
end of the Second World War took the crown to the West, where it
came into the hands of the US military. The crown and other crown
jewels were then kept in the United States, and some repairs even
done to them, until 1978, when Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, at
the behest of President Carter, ceremoniously returned them to
Hungary. Since then, the crown and regalia have been on public
display at the Hungarian National Museum.
The crown has two parts. Most researchers agree that these were
merged in the last quarter of the 12th century.
On the lower part of the crown, which is of Greek origin, one of
the enamel plates shows the bust of a king with the legend in
Greek, "Geza, Loyal King of Turkia" (i.e. Hungary). On
the king's head is a diadem that resembles the lower part of the
crown without its upper parts and pendants. This, as mentioned,
was presented by the Byzantine emperor to Géza, whose consort
was the daughter of a Byzantine patrician. The upper part of the
present crown closely resembles a medieval reliquary for a skull.
In its original form, the bands forming a cross may have been
adorned with pictures of the twelve apostles, surmounted by a
plate holding the four bands together and bearing a picture of
Christ Enthroned. When the reliquary was incorporated into the
crown, one panel was cut from each band, leaving a total of eight
pictures of apostles.
István Molnár, 30 October 2001
Istvan is, of course, right, but this small semantic
difference that is so obvious to Hungarians is not quite
understood by others, not even to Austrians and Croatians whith
whom their history was so much intermigeled. So, what Hungarians
call Holy Crown is called (in ignorancy) by "everybody
else" (when they have need for calling it anyhow) St.
Stephen's Crown. It is centainly so in Croatian documents
regarding the crown (once it was a big issue in Croatia as if
that crown "could" be set above the Croatian shield).
Zeljko Heimer, 30 October 2001
The same happens in English, German etc. heraldry sources.
They all talk about St Stephen's crown as a way of designating
what Hungarians call the "Szent Korona", rather than as
authenticating a historical claim to the "real" crown
of the saint.
Santiago Dotor, 31 October 2001
The decision to include the crown in the Coat of Arma of
post-communist Hungary was controversial. A sizable minority in
parliament (mostly centrist to leftist politicians) preferred a
version of the Coat of Arms without the crown when post-communist
symbols were being adopted, but at the time, the mood of the
country was predominantly conservative. Even though there have
been several center-left governments in the meantime, I don't
think there has been any (serious) attempt from the Coat of Arms.
I guess people have gotten used to it.
At the time, the critics pointed out that it is strange that a
republic will have a royal crown upon the shield. , but there
were a couple of factors in play, here. Other than in much of
Western Europe, the current Hungarian republic did not replace a
monarchy, but a communist regime. Therefore, the sentiment of the
day was anti-communist, rather than anti-monarchist. In fact
there was some discussion of installing some ancient Habsburg
figure as Hungarian king, but I guess the whole thing seemed
outdated and therefore the republic became sort of the default
form of state.
So, there really wasn't a strong political reason to oppose a
crown. Also, the Coat of Arms with crown had been in use before
WWII and many people probably just felt nostalgic about "the
good old days" before communism. In addition, Hungarians
always have had a very sentimental attachment to the royal crown
with the peculiarly bent cross, even during communism.
The crown itself had been exhibited in the National Museum. A few
years ago, then prime minister Orbán sought to move it to
parliament, something opponents of Orbán's right-populist
government decried as a cheap political move. While being
restored, the crown could not be seen by the public for a while,
and at this moment I don't recall where it is now.
Thorsten, 17 March 2004
Regarding the Hungarian crown, I believe that by the tradition
it is the "Holy Crown" that is the (symbolic) sovereign
of the country and not any person, even if he is being the king.
The crown symbolises the Hungarian people - as the real sovereign
of the country. In that view of the maters, there is indeed no
reason why there would be no crown.
Zeljko Heimer, 17 March 2004
The Szent Korona (Holy Crown) seems to be considered a symbol
of the continuing sovereignty of the 1,000 year old Hungarian
state, transcending questions of the form of government, and is
thus a "crown of sovereignty" in the same manner as San
Marino's.
Joe McMillan, 17 March 2004
I think that this explanation is a later fabricated meaning of
the crown. It is called St. Stephan's crown but was originally
made as a royal crown - thus of course in itself also marking the
sovereignity of the kingdom of Hungary.
Elias Granqvist, 18 March 2004
The Holy Crown don't relates to the monarchy it relates to the
independent Hungarian State and the 1000 years of the sovereign
of the country.
Information abouth the Holy Crown as translated by Nora
Bencsics:
The Hungarian Holy Crown was returned to Hungary in 1978. Dr.
Csaba Ferencz, in collaboration with four of his engineering
colleagues, has been investigating it ever since, and the results
of their investigations have altered traditionally accepted
assumptions about the crown. In the publication of their
findings, they show that the Holy Crown is not, as originally
thought, assembled from different pieces based on Roman and
Byzantine models, but carefully designed and executed in the
course of a single artistic endeavour.
"It seems clear that the band encircling the crown was never
meant to show all twelve apostles, but was designed specifically
to hold panels showing only eight apostles. The hoop at the base
of the crown was never meant to be a stand-alone crown either,
but was contrived to support the band. It is seems apparent that
the design of the hoop and the band it supports, were
specifically devised to bear a bent cross. Thus, the cross on the
crown is bent not because of the many hardships the crown endured
through the centuries, but because it was meant to be bent."
"Detailed expert examinations of the crown also show that
the very spot where three images were replaced is part of the
crown's base. This base was believed to have been the original
crown which King Geza I received from Byzantium. But marks left
by the replacement work prove that these three pictures, and only
these three pictures, were affixed to the entire crown, not just
separately onto its hoop."
"Finally, analysis indicates conclusively that the Holy
Crown was truly Saint Stephen's crown."
".. Acknowledged expert opinion confirms that the bent cross
on the crown is not the result of damage, but was planned this
way at the time of its design. The angle at which the cross leans
is approximately 23.5o . This is the earth's angle of rotation,
as Aristarkhos wrote in his On the Sizes and Distances of the Sun
and the Moon in 280 B.C."
"Since the angle at which the visible sky and the Earth are
separate from each other form an exact angle of 23.5o, the symbol
of the juxtaposition of earth and the heavens is captured in the
angle of the bent cross atop the crown. As a symbol, this is
quite valid for those times; it also indicates an advanced
understanding of astronomy."
"A bent cross on a crown is quite unusual, but for our
purposes, this is irrelevant, since we know that at the time, the
Holy Crown was not at all usual in any way, its design and
construction completely unique. Furthermore, the bent cross and
the angle at which it is bent are in complete accord with
Christian symbolism around 1000 A.D. Undoubtedly this hints at
considerable learning which stretches the limits of knowledge in
those times. The bent cross further indicates that the crowned
individual is the servant of God, having won from God the right
to rule, and that he must rule faithfully according to divine
law." (all excerpts from Ferencz Csaba: Saint Stephen's
Crown)
Dr. Ferencz Csaba, b. October 23, 1941, at Csiksomlyo in
Transylvania, (now Roumania). After World War II, his family had
to flee, and thus he grew up in Mezobereny, Hungary. He
graduated, receiving his degree as an electrical engineer, from
the Budapest University of Technology. As a student, he had
already begun his attempts to create a space program in Hungary,
when in 1961 he assembled the first University of Technology
Space Research Team. In 1965, he built a radio satellite, and in
1966, Central Europe succeeded at photographing clouds from a
satellite for the first time. In 1968, just as the Warsaw Pact
troops were marching into Czechoslovakia, he made transatlantic
radio contact with America using the ATS3 satellite. The success
of the space research team and its project leader was cause for
the Communist government to restrict their research. At the same
time, he was appointed as full-fledged university professor at
the University of Technology. With a second team, he developed
the first Hungarian satellite bridge device, a micrometeor
electronic detector, with which the Interkozmos-12 satellite flew
successfully in 1974. He took part in the creation of the first
Hungarian academic spaceship program. In 1981, he became academic
professor of technology at MTA; from 1991 on, he was a renowned
professor at the University of Technology, and in 1995 the
university made him professor-in-residence, and academic advisor
in 1996. He is a member of EuroEngineer, the New York Academy of
Sciences, and the Hungarian Engineer's Academy, holds a Budapest
University of Technology honorary doctorate, and is a member of
other national and international organizations. He is a
recognized expert on space research, and also on electromagnetic
wave emissions, and has more than 300 publications on
electromagnetic wave theory, and is published in academic
journals. In addition to this, he is a knight of one of the
Catholic Church's organizations, the Cruciferi Sancti Stephani
Regis (Saint Stephen's Order of Knights) and currently its
grandmaster.
"Always remember that every man is born the same [before
God] and that nothing raises you up but humility, and nothing
casts you down but pride and hatred." - Saint Stephen, King
to his son, Prince Imre; Esztergom, 1013 A.D.
István Molnár, 23 March 2004
From "Crown Jewels of Britain and Europe" by Prince
Michael of Greece, Peerage Books, London, 1990 (first edition
1983 by Dent & Sons, 144 p), on p. 120 it says:
"In 1848, when the revolutionary tides reached Hungary, the
population, under the leadership of the poet Louis Kossuth, rose
against the Austrians and the oppressive domination of the
Habsburgs. But the Russians crushed the revolt.
Kossuth ran away with the crown, and buried it under a
tree. A traitor sold the information to the Austrians, who
extracted the crown and brought it back to Royal Castle of Buda
in great pomp. In its tribulations the crown had slightly
suffered and the cross surmounting it had been twisted. It
was never righted, perhaps in order to symbolize the freedom of
Hungary."
Some additional info from: Gert Oswald, Lexikon der Heraldik
(Heraldic Lexicon), Bibliographisches Institut, Leipzig, 1984,
478 p., lemma "Stephanskrone" on p. 381: The
crown was buried near Orsova from 1848 till 1853. A book on
the crown is listed: J. Deér, Die heilige Krone Ungarns
(Hungary's holy crown), Wien (Vienna), 1966.
Jan Mertens, 27 April 2003
According to "The Holy Crown of Hungary" at <hungary.topcities.com>:
"We do not know why the cross came to be bent, but a diagram
drawn in 1790 shows it already bent."
John Ayer, 27 April 2003
I agree that 1848 date seems rather much to late. I do believe
that it is shown with bent cross much, much earlier then 18th
centruy either, but I have no data by hand. I am also sure that
there are several "legends" of which I have heard in my
youth few (e.g. similar story as the 1848 one cited was told to
me about St. Stephen running from Tatars, certainly
anachronistic).
Zeljko Heimer, 27 April 2003
The website <www.kfki.hu/~arthp>
shows the medieaval king St. Stanislaus in a 1600s painting using
what seems either the earlier, original St. Stephen's Crown ( I
don't know what it looked like) or the current crown with the
cross seemingly upright.
Also, in <www.katolikus.hu>
it is said "The cross on the top came into being later,
presumably in the middle of the 16th century, replacing an
earlier one, made in the time of Béla III or on the occasion of
the coronation of Endre III in 1290, but this is still disputed.
It is also uncertain exactly when the cross was damaged, which is
now bent into an angle of 12 degrees, it might happen between
1613 and 1793"
Joăo Madureira, 27 April 2003
It appears that there are several conflicting stories on why
the cross is set at an angle. Another one (according to which the
cross was bent when the crown was damaged sometime in the 18th
century) is briefly mentioned above. I think there may even be
some stories that the cross wasn't bent as the result of an
accident at all, but rather that the cross was set at an angle on
purpose. Bottom line, nobody seems to know for sure, although
from having seen the crown up-close, it certainly looks as if the
cross was bent by accident (there is an indentation in the gold
material on which the cross is mounted that is consistent with
what one might expect if the crown had been accidentally
dropped.)
Thorsten, 28 April 2003
Here is a page with approximately all historical Coat of Arms of Hungary.
Shields are not really historicals and for 1868-1918 it shows the
middle Coat of Arms.
István Molnár, 17 April and 1 July 2001
Countries on the used Coat of Arms:
1848-1849 small Hungary
1848-1849 middle Hungary, Dalmatia, Croatia, Slavonia,
Transylvania
1849-1860 no Coat of Arms
1867-1882 small Hungary
1867-1882 middle Hungary, Dalmatia, Croatia, Slavonia,
Transylvania
1882-1915 small Hungary
1882-1915 middle Hungary, Dalmatia, Croatia, Slavonia,
Transylvania, Fiume
1915-1918 small Hungary
1915-1918 middle Hungary, Dalmatia, Croatia, Slavonia,
Transylvania, Fiume, Bosnia
1918-1919 small Hungary (without crown)
1919 red star
1919-1946 small Hungary
1938-1944 middle Hungary, Dalmatia, Croatia, Slavonia,
Transylvania, Fiume, Bosnia (only on war flags)
1946-1949 small Hungary (without crown)
1949-1956 Rákosi Coat of Arms
1956-1957 small Kossuth type Coat of Arms
1957-1989 Kádár Coat of Arms
Since 1989 - small Hungary (with crown)
Istvan Molnar, 25 June 2001
kussut.gif)
from <www.fortunecity.com/victorian/wooton/34/hungary/kosscim.gif>,
located by István Molnár
Used:
19.04.1849-13.08.1849
16.11.1918-21.03.1919
01.02.1946-20.08.1949
1956-1957
See also <www.fortunecity.com/victorian/wooton/34/hungary/kosscim.html>.
István Molnár, 11 November 2000
You can find a Kossuth Coat of Arms on the page of the
Hungarian Freedom Fighters Federation <www.hungaria.org>. If
you click on the shield, you can find a larger and beautiful one
and a description:
"This is the so-called "Kossuth Coat of Arms", as
introduced by Louis Kossuth, Governing President of Hungary, in
1849. The Kossuth Coat of Arms is based on the "Small Coat
of Arms" of Hungary which was determined by a Royal Order in
February 9. 1874, confirmed in 1895 and 1916. The two major
differences between the Kossuth Coat of Arms and the Small Coat
of Arms of Hungary are that the Kossuth Coat of Arms.
1./ has a more distinct shield-like outline
2./ does not carry the Hungarian Holy Crown on the top.
The heraldic right side of the Kossuth Coat of Arms is divided by
red and white stripes seven times representing the seven
Hungarian tribes that arrived in Transylvania in 896 A.D. and are
called the "Árpád-stripes". The four white stripes
represent the four main rivers of the historic Hungary: Duna,
Tisza, Dráva, Száva. On the heraldic left side, the three green
hills represent the three main mountains of the historic Hungary:
Tátra, Fátra, Mátra. On the middle hilltop, from an open
crown, the "apostolic" double cross emerges which was
awarded by pope II. Sylvester to I. Saint Stephen, the first
Hungarian king (1000 A.D.), in recognition of his mission to turn
the pagan Hungarians to Christianity. The red background, the
white "apostolic" cross and the green hills constitute
the colours of the Hungarian national flag: red, white and green.
On March 15, 1848, the Hungarian Liberation Fight erupted against
the Habsburg oppression. The first Hungarian Government was
formed led by the first Hungarian Prime Minister, count Louis
Batthyány. The "Small Coat of Arms of Hungary" was
re-instituted, even though Hungary was a republic now. In
December 1848, Habsburg Emperor Ferdinand V, reigning in Hungary
as well, resigned and Franz Joseph became the new Emperor. The
Hungarian Government declared Franz Joseph's proclamation as
being the Hungarian king illegal and, as a result, dethroned the
Habsburg Dynasty from the Hungarian throne. Louis Kossuth was
appointed as Governing President of Hungary. Hungary was
confirmed again as a republic and Louis Kossuth, as one of his
new measures, established a new Coat of Arms for Hungary, which
did not have the Hungarian Holy Crown on the top. This formation
is known the "Kossuth Coat of Arms" which later has
become associated with the general idea of freedom fight for
Hungary (e.g., the freedom fighters during the Hungarian uprising
in 1956 also used the Kossuth Coat of Arms as their insignia).
It may be controversial why Louis Kossuth removed the Hungarian
Holy Crown from the Small Coat of Arms of Hungary. It could be
theorized that he wanted to emphasize that Hungary is not a
kingdom anymore, but it probably would have been better if he
does not touch the Holy Crown. The Hungarians are, as they have
always been, very sensitive about their crown. They do not
necessarily look at the Holy Crown as the representation of the
official state administration as a kingdom, but, according to the
Holy Crown Theory, they consider the Holy Crown as the
representation, the embodiment of entire Hungary, as a Father
Land. Something which is above anything, be it an emperor, a king
or the official state of administration; something which is from
God, in which Hungary, as an entity resides.
Whatever was Kossuth's assumption for removing the Holy Crown
from the coat of arms, he later overwhelmingly proved that, as
every good Hungarian, he is aware of and respects the importance
of the Holy Crown. He kept it in special care, protected by
guards, rescued it from Budapest to Debrecen, in January 1849,
and when the Hungarian Liberation Fight eventually fell in 1849,
it was him who hid the Hungarian Holy Crown and the Coronation
Jewels into a wooden box and dug it in a willow forest, near
Orsova, Transylvania.
He showed that the Hungarian Holy Crown was as important to him
as it is to all of us, Hungarians, because he knew what we all
know that the Holy Crown is everything, the dearest for us all,
something that we love, respect and protect with all of our
power.
András Szeitz, University of British Columbia
1949.gif)
by Zeljko Heimer
The "Rákosi Coat of Arms" was used in 1949-1956.
see Rákosi's Flag (1949-1956)
István Molnár, 11 November 2000
1957.gif)
by Zeljko Heimer
The "Kádár Coat of Arms" was used in 1957-1989
(1990). see Kádár's Flag (1957-1989)
István Molnár, 11 November 2000
Here is a scan of this
Coat of Arms from a book called "Flaggor i färg"
(swedish title) though it is written by a Dane. The danish title
would be "Flag i farver". The english title would be
"Flags in coulor". The author is called Christian Fogd
Pedersen. The copy that I have was printed in Sweden in 1981 by
the publishing house Almqvist & Wiksell Förlag AB,
Stockholm, Sweden.The first issue was printed in Denmark in 1978
by the publishing house Politikens Forlag,
Křbenhavn(Copenhagen), Denmark.
Björn Mattsson, 15 June 2002
1945b.gif)
by István Molnár, 2 December 2002
16 October 1944 - 8 May 1945 - Hungary was under direct German
controll. The Hngarian Quisling was Ferenc Szálasi, "the
leader of the nation".
This version of the Hungarian Coat of Arms was in official use
from 27 January 1945 to 8 May 1945 only in the German occupied
Hungarian territories later in Germany.
This version of the Coat of Arms was in official use on the State
Seal. Around the Coat of Arms there is an inscription:
'MAGYARORSZÁG NEMZETVEZETOJE' means 'THE LEADER OF THE NATION OF
HUNGARY'.
Resolution: 23/1945.M.E - This resolution modified the 3970/1915.
M.E. resolution about the Hungarian State Coat of Arms and The
Hungarian State Seal.
Source: Hivatalos Közlöny 6. szám 1945. január 27.,
Sopron - in Gosztonyi Péter: A magyar honvédség a második
világháborúban (The Hungarian Army in the WWII); Európa
Könyvkiadó, Budapest, 1995
István Molnár, 2 December 2002
hist.jpg){kind=link}
1957a.jpg){kind=link}