The Magyars
The Medieval Period in European History saw several waves of “barbarians” which helped shape the face of European society. The nomadic tribes of people that lived a migratory life, while other groups were founding civilizations with permanent living centers, are today referred to as barbarians. Two great empires, the Chinese and the
Roman, ruled on the extreme edges of the enormous Eurasian continent and were separated by vast distances.1 The people that existed between the two empires and roamed the large wasteland were called “barbarians.”2 They did not have a permanent living center and therefore raided settled towns and cities for food and riches. Because of there roaming ways and raiding tactics, barbarians were feared and hated in the Medieval
World. The word “barbarian” is presently associated with being backwards, uneducated, or indecent; in one word, uncivilized. These wandering people lived in family orientated groups called clans, which combined together to form a tribe. Tribes depended on one another for protection. Among these barbarian groups where a traveling people known as the Magyars. The Magyars had a major impact on the Carpathian Basin in Central Eastern
Europe, and directly affected the picture of the European landscape that we have today.
The magyars are a mysterious peoples whose origins and connections are highly debated among scholars and historians. The first place to begin when searching for origins, is the language. The Magyar language is a branch of the Finno-Ugrian family of languages, most nearly related to Finnish, although supplemented by numerous Turkic words.3 The language is very unique and their is no other like it in the world. Popular
2
belief places the origin of the people themselves somewhere in the Orient. The Old
Magyar Fatherland was probably situated in the ancient Orient, which we call the
Near-East, and played an important role in Mesopotamian lands.4 Linguistic evidence places the Magyars among the ancient Egyptians. Contemporary records speak of a
Makari Queen5 from the XXth dynasty; between 1080-940 BC6 Egyptian Kings of the
XIXth dynasty forced the Magyars out of Africa for good. From their the people dispersed, moved around the European landmass, including Hungary, and mixed with other peoples.7 Much of the Finno-Ugrian peoples mainly dispersed in the widespread region on the west side of the Ural Mountains.8 It was in this region that the Magyars were exposed to the Turks. Their language was enriched with Turkic elements while maintaining its basic Finno-Ugric characteristics. It is difficult to pinpoint the exact location of the Magyars during this period because of their nomadic ways.
By the end of the 5th century the Magyars had begun their southward migration
The Mongols, or as the Western Europeans called them, the Tartars, were a nomadic, militant people that dominated the battlefield during the pre-industrial time period (“Tartars” 7). Over the span of the 13th century, from the Central Asian steppes in the east to the Arabian lands to the west, the Tartars subdued the unfortunate inhabitants and expanded their empire vastly. To the fear and dismay of the Western Europeans, the Tartars desired to triumph over all of Eurasia; therefore, the Western Europeans were to be conquered next. News of the imminent Tartarian attack rapidly spread through West Europe like a wildfire, and the powerful Holy Roman Church contended to prepare a strategy against the onslaught. In the year 1245, Pope Innocent IV, the head of the Church at the time, sent a group of Friars led by Giovanni da Pian del Carpini to gather some knowledge about the Tartars. It was a dreaded mission, one that would probably end in a terrible death, since the Tartars were a cruel people towards outsiders. Nevertheless, Carpini valiantly ventured into the unknown darkness, and returned to his homeland with valuable information about the Tartars. Through the insight he gained during his travels, he wrote his account of the Tartars in a report called the “Historia Mongalorum” (“Tartars” 19), which is known today as “The Story of the Mongols Whom We Call the Tartars”.
Nomads were credited with being a large part in the spread of religion, languages, currency, teachings/educational techniques, between regions. New advancements also promoted regional interactions between Africa, Asia, and Europe. For example the invention of printing in China changed life in China but also in places that it spread to westward. Europe was one of the places that cultivated the advancement of paper and printing, causing an intellectual uprising in Europe and Asia. Gunpowder is another Chinese invention that has now made its way around the world and has changed the way we fight wars and use weapons in general. Technological advancements discovered and cultivated changed the economy and agriculture between Europe, Asia and Africa promoting more forms of trade and commerce. Trade between regions was practiced on a massive scale, routes were developed such as the Silk Roads, that furthered trade and regional connections. New forms of trade became popular such as slaves from Africa along with gold and fine art or glass trinkets. This is why there is much similarity in artwork between regions. For instance Europe mimicked a lot of Asia’s art techniques,
The seventeenth century was undeniably a period of great division, war and turmoil for Hungary. After the events of the previous century, Hungary remained divided into three distinct areas. The largest was Ottoman Hungary, under the direct control of Constantinople, which encompassed the south and south-east of Hungary. Second, there was the Eastern Hungarian Kingdom founded by János Zápolyai in 1526, who after the defeat of the Hungarian forces at the First Battle of Mohács sought the support of Sultan Suleiman I to be crowned King of Hungary by a rival faction of the nobility and became the Sultan’s vassal. After 1571, with the coronation of István Báthory, this Kingdom became the Principality of Transylvania which was semi-autonomous with Habsburgs and Ottomans vying for control. Lastly there was Royal Hungary, the only part of Hungary still under Habsburg control in this period. It consisted of the western and north-western areas that had been secured by Ferdinand I after being declared King of Hungary by the pro-Habsburg part of the noblity in 1526. This division remained the status quo into the seventeenth century. In this essay, it will be argued that due to this division the Habsburgs found it impossible to consolidate power in Hungary as well as a variety of other factors such as, confessional divisions in Hungary opposed to the Catholic dynasty, Habsburg priorities resting in religious conflict in Germany and securing influence in the Mediterranean from Ottoman and French fleets, Habsburg involvement in the Thirty Years War and the revived Franco-Ottoman Alliance. All these factors together ensured that the Habsburg would not gain control of Hungary until 1699.
Analyze the major similarities and difference among European, Native American and African societies. What was the European impact on the peoples and the environment of the Americas and Africa during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries?
produce their products or services much quicker and efficiently, it allowed them to use space
ways of technology to survive in there environment. They used many different farming tools in
It is ironic that the most serious threats to the Roman Empire began not with the western Germanic tribes of the Roman frontier but the eastern Germanic tribes, particularly the Goths. The Roman Empire during the early third century had a series of weak emperors and a strong challenge from the Parthian Empire of Persia. The resources of the Empire were debilitated and the Goths challenged the Romans for control of the area at the mouth of the Danube River at the Black Sea. The Goths controlled the area north of the Black Sea and the Romans had conquered a territory north of the Danube, which they called Dacia. This is the region of present day Romania.
the land from their rivals. Though they succeeded in this, their greed became their own undoing.
Coffin, Judith G., and Robert C. Stacey. "CHAPTER 18 PAGES 668-669." Western Civilizations: Their History & Their Culture. 16TH ed. Vol. 2. New York, NY: W. W. Norton &, 2008. N. pag. Print.
Kishlansky, Mark, Patrick Geary and Patricia O'Brien. Civilization in the West, Combind Volume, Seventh Edition. New York: Longman, 2008.
The problem with the origin of the Russian State is that it is exceedingly complex and many theories are based on circumstantial evidence. A good example of this is the early history of the plains above the Black Sea. This region compromises the center of the Kievan State, yet much is unknown about these parts due to the lack of resources. Archaeological finds suggest many ideas, all of which are unconfirmed. The simplest and most accepted belief is that this area was inhabited thousands of years before the Christian era, and played a part as the center for cultural exchanges between groups of nomadic tribes. These tribes led to the beginning of Slavic history.
...s. These lands were “usually in less desirable locations and discouraged any successful transition to agriculture”.24
Located in the province of Xianjing, the Uyghurs are isolated by massive mountains, deserts, Communist China, and extreme poverty. The Uyghurs are of Turkic origin, and were one of the 9 original tribes. One of these tribes, the Ottomans, sacked Constantinople in 1459, starting the rein of the Sultans for 400 years. The superpower carved a massive empire, from its roots in Turkey, to spread from the Russian steppes to the Alps to India, and stamping their name on history in blood. European history in the 1400‘s, 1500‘s, and 1600‘s centered on the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire and the Arabic people carved two massive empires in an extremely short time. They crushed the medieval christian kingdoms around Jerusalem, and quickly started attacking Christian kingdoms in Spain, Greece, and the Balkans. These conflicts between Muslims and Christians have been the longest and bloodiest in the history of the world, and still persist today. These Ottomans are, understandably, the most wel...
...e people began to settle in villages the beginning of social class and government were formed to maintain order and a sense of security as a community. Other technological advances were made as well including the making of bronze to form stronger weapons and permanent homes.
countryside and follow the jobs, which led them to move to the cities. Economics weren't the