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Lady Mária Széchy, the “Venus of Murány Castle”
Lady Mária Széchy, the “Venus of Murány Castle” Murány Castle (Muránsky Hrad) was perhaps one of the most formidable forts in the Upper Lands of the Hungarian Kingdom. It is sitting on the steepest and highest cliffs of the Carpathian Mountains. You can read about this castle here. A scandalous lady Countess Mária Széchy was […]
The Lady who saved Sigismund’s life
The Lady who saved King Sigismund’s life The lady who saved King Sigismund’s life was Lady Cecille Rozgonyi. She came to the rescue of King Sigismund (1368-1437) in 1428. It happened during the siege of Galambóc / Golubac Castle. Treason in 1428: the king was betrayed Now, Galambóc (Голубац/Golubac, Taubenberg, Gögerdsinlik) is a settlement in […]
A Leathal Debate
A lethal debate between Wallenstein and Zrinyi The lethal debate between General Wallenstein and György Zrinyi was just the beginning of the hostilities between the Habsburgs and the Zrínyis… This story took place during the Thirty Years’ War. This war was raging primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648. It was one of the most […]
The Heroic Death of Mihály Dobozi
Battle of Pusztamarót (13-15 September 1526). After the Battle of Mohács… Sultan Suleiman defeated the Hungarian army on 29 August 1526 and the young Hungarian King, Louis II, had died in the battle. (Watch the animated video of the battle with English subtitles here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdIgp1davEY) However, the Sultan was not sure of his victory and […]
The Ottoman concept of “Kizil Elma”
The Ottoman onslaught Kizil Elma. We know that the Ottomans regarded the important Christian towns which were the targets of their imperial desires as „Golden Apples”. Nándorfehérvár aka Belgrade, the gateway to the Hungarian Kingdom, was just such a fruit and Buda Castle was the next one to pick. The rest of the apples, like Vienna, […]
Pocahontas and the Hungarians
Captain John Smith and Pocahontas in Hungary. Pocahontas must have heard high tales of the Siege of Székesfehérvár, Hungary… Besides the German and Scottish mercenaries, there served some English soldiers on the Hungarian battlefields in the 16th-17th centuries. Everybody heard of the adventures of Captain John Smith (1580-1631), the English soldier who set out to America […]
Captain György Thury, the famous duelist
The warrior of the Valiant Order György (George) Thury (1519-1571) was the most famous Hungarian duelist, his admirers called him the Hungarian El-Cid. Contemporary sources say he won 600 duels. Swordsmen rushed to challenge him from three continents, the Ottoman warriors especially wanted to see him dead. It was no wonder that King Ferdinand acknowledged […]
The last knights of Europe – the Valiant Order
The Valiant Order The Borderland was a wonderous 1,000-mile-long frontier separating the Ottoman Empire and Western Europe between the 15th and the 17th century. In that time, it was the longest structure of defense system of Europe. It had worked for the longest period, partly financed and maintained by the Austrian Habsburgs and by the […]
Countess Báthory and Blood-Drinkers: Part 2
As discussed in last week’s article, Countess Báthory of Hungary became infamous for supposedly killing hundreds of her servants and townsfolk. One of the most infamous stories connected to her was that she bathed in the blood of those innocents in order to keep herself alive. Her killing spree, if it actually happened, definitely sets her […]
Countess Báthory and Blood-Drinkers: Part 1
The name “Countess Báthory of Hungary” stirs up a vast array of cruel images in the minds of anyone who is familiar with the historic figure, but none so prominent as the image of a regal woman rising out of a pool full of blood like something out of a blockbuster horror movie. For those […]