Magyars

Magyars are an ethnic group primarily associated with Hungary. In English they are sometimes called Hungarians.

History after 896

The Magyar leader Árpád is believed to have led the Hungarians into the Carpathian Basin in 896. Magyar expansion was checked at the Battle of Lechfeld in 955. Hungarian settlement in the area became approved by the Pope by the crowning of Stephen I the Saint (Szent István) in 1001 when the leaders accepted Christianity. The century between the Magyars' arrival from the eastern European plains and the consolidation of the Kingdom of Hungary in 1001 were dominated by pillaging campaigns across Europe, from Dania (Denmark) to the Iberian peninsula (Spain).

Related Topics:
Árpád - Carpathian Basin - 896 - Battle of Lechfeld - 955 - Pope - Stephen I the Saint - 1001 - Christianity - Kingdom of Hungary - Denmark - Iberian peninsula - Spain

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At the Hungarian conquest, the Hungarian nation numbered between 250,000 and 450,000 people. The Slavic population of the region (and remnants of the Avars in the southwest) was also assimilated by the Magyars, except those living approximately in present-day Slovakia (the ancestors of the Slovak people) and those living in present-day Croatia. Croatia joined the Kingdom in 1102.

Related Topics:
Slovakia - Slovak people - Croatia - 1102

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The first accurate measurements of the population of the Kingdom of Hungary including ethnic composition were carried out in 1850-51. There is a debate among Magyar and non-Magyar (especially Slovak and Romanian) historians about the possible changes in the ethnic structure throughout history.

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• Magyar historians support the theory that the Magyars' percentage in the Carpathian Basin was at an almost constant 80% during the Middle Ages, and began to decrease only at the time of the Ottoman conquest, reaching as low as 39% in the end of the 18th century (or 29% according to historians outside Hungary). The decline of the Magyars was due to the constant wars, famines and plagues during the 150 years of Ottoman rule. The main zones of war were the territories inhabited by the Magyars, so the death toll among them was much higher than among other nationalities. In the 18th century their percentage declined further because of the influx of new settlers from Germany, Serbia, and other countries.
• Non-Magyar historians tend to emphasise the multi-ethnic nature of the Kingdom even in the Middle Ages, and argue that there was not enough reason for such a drastic change in the ethnic structure, thus implying that Magyars accounted for about 30%/40% of the Kingdom's population since its establishment. In particular, there is a fierce debate among Magyar and Romanian historians about the ethnic composition of Transylvania through the times; see Origin of Romanians.

In the 19th century, the percentage of Magyars in the Kingdom of Hungary rose gradually, reaching over 50% by 1900. However, it should be noted that this increase is largely due to the fact that non-Magyar population of the Kingdom was subjected to Magyarisation in the period between 1867 (the Ausgleich) and World War I. Spontaneous assimilation was important too, especially between the German and Jewish minorities and the citizens of the bigger towns.

Related Topics:
19th century - 1900 - Magyarisation - 1867 - Ausgleich - World War I

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The years 1918 - 1920 were a turning point in the Magyars' history. By the Treaty of Trianon the Kingdom was split up, and about one third of the Magyars became minorities. In the 20th century the Magyar population of Hungary grew from 7,1 million (1920) to around 10,4 million (1980), in spite of the big human loss in the second world war and the wave of emigration after the failed revolution in 1956. The number of Hungarians in the neighboring countries mostly stagnated or slightly decresed, because of the assimilation, emigration to Hungary (in the 1990s, especially from Transylvania and Vojvodina) and natural decrease.

Related Topics:
1918 - 1920 - Treaty of Trianon

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After the "baby boom" of the 1960s a serious demographic crisis began to develop in Hungary, parallel to the neighbouring countries. The Magyars reached their highest point in 1980 and after that they began to sink. The Magyar population of Hungary and neighbouring countries is expected to further decrease to 7-8 million by 2050.

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The Magyars represent today only around 33% of the population of the Carpathian Basin. Their number is appr. 11,5-12 million in 2001, almost the same as in 1910. While other ethnic groups increased their numbers 2 or 3 times (or even more) during the 20th century, the Magyar population stagnated. The increase of population in Hungary was the third slowest in the world after Bulgaria and St. Kitts & Nevis between 1950 and 2000 -- only 8.6% (from 9,338,000 to 10,137,000).

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