THE STORY OF THE NATIONS OCTAVO, ILLUSTRATED. PER VOL., $1.50 THE EARLIER VOLUMES WILL BE THE STORY OF GREECE. By Prof. JAS. A. HARRISON THE STORY OF ROME. By ARTHUR GILMAN THE STORY OF THE JEWS. By Prof. JAS. K. HOSMER THE STORY OF CHALDEA. By Z. RAGÖZIN THE STORY OF NORWAY. By Prof. H. H. BOYESEN THE STORY OF GERMANY. By S. BARING-GOULD THE STORY OF SPAIN. By E. E. and SUSAN HALE THE STORY OF HUNGARY. By Prof. A. VÁMBÉRY THE STORY OF THE SARACENS. By ARTHUR GILMAN THE STORY OF ASSYRIA. By Z. RAGÖZIN THE STORY OF THE GOTHS. By HENRY BRADLEY THE STORY OF THE NORMANS. By SARAH O. JEWETT For prospectus of the series see end of this volume G. P. PUTNAM’S SONS NEW YORK AND LONDON [Illustration: _Frontispiece._ SALLY FROM FORTRESS OF SZIGETVÁR. (See p. 317.)] The Story of the Nations THE STORY OF HUNGARY BY ARMINIUS VÁMBÉRY PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BUDA-PESTH WITH THE COLLABORATION OF LOUIS HEILPRIN NEW YORK & LONDON G. P. PUTNAM’S SONS The Knickerbocker Press 1886 COPYRIGHT BY G. P. PUTNAM’S SONS 1886 Press of G. P. PUTNAM’S SONS New York PREFACE. In complying with the request of the publishers of the _Nations_ Series to write the Story of Hungary, I undertook a task which was out of the range of my previous literary undertakings, which had for the most part been devoted to the geography, history, and philology of Central Asia. The principal reason which induced me to enter upon what is for me a new literary field, was my desire to make American and English readers acquainted with the record of my native country, and to present the various phases of the history of Hungary in the light best suited to attract the attention of the citizens of England and of the Great Republic, to whose opinion we Hungarians are by no means indifferent. My willingness to prepare the present volume was further due to the fact, that it was not the _History_, but the _Story_ of Hungary, I was asked to write; an undertaking in which I had simply to deal with the salient events, the most noteworthy personalities, and the most thrilling episodes in a narrative which covered nearly a thousand years, and was not called upon to consider the philosophical side of the history, or to discuss the deeper-lying motives or the less significant details of national action. For a task such as that presented to me, I concluded that the knowledge and the ideas of a Hungarian man of letters were not inadequate; I have, nevertheless, had recourse, in certain instances, to the assistance of writers who had given special attention to our national history, with the idea of making as accurate as possible this _the first Story of Hungary written in English_.