A long journey – The Holy Crown returned to Hungary 40 years ago
Budapest, 2018. január 5. A Szent Korona az országalmával, a jogar és a kard az Országház kupolacsarnokában 2018. január 5-én. Az 1945-ben az Egyesült Államokba került koronázási jelvényeket Cyrus Vance külügyminiszter adta vissza a magyar népnek. Az évforduló alkalomból a Parlamentben január 6-án nyílt napot tartanak. MTI Fotó: Illyés Tibor
The Holy Crown returned to Hungary 40 years ago on 6 January 1978 after a long journey. The crown and the coronation jewels were delivered in front of the Parliament in a ceremony. After both the Hungarian and the American national anthem were played, USA minister of international affairs Cyrus Vance gave a speech, to which the Hungarian minister of the national assembly, Antal Apró replied. The national relics were taken to Austria at the end of World War II to save them from the approaching Soviet forces.
As 24.hu describes, the Holy Crown is a relic consisting of two parts: the bottom one is the Corona Graeca (“Greek Crown”), and it originates from Byzantine, while Corona Latina surrounds it with its decorated brands.
Most historians agree that the two parts were unified for Béla III (1172-1196).
The cross on the top of it was probably put there during the 16th century. It was tilted a bit due to an accident in the 17th century. It is most likely that someone shut the chest holding the crown when the relic was not yet placed there properly.
Another, less probable theory claims that Hungary’s first Christian king, Saint Stephen was crowned with it. Some even state that the crown belonged to the Hun prince Attila. Even the different origins of the two halves were revealed only in 1978.
If it is indeed the crown that was used throughout the entire Hungarian history, then it was worn by 55 different monarchs. There were three kings (Wladyslaw III, John Sigismund and Joseph II) who were not crowned.
According to Szent Korona Társaság, it was first taken away from Hungary after the last ruler of House Árpád died in 1301 and Wenceslaus II brought it to Prague. It was seised by Otto of Bavaria in 1305 — it is said that he accidentally dropped it and it was lost for a day. Charles Robert, who was the king after eight years of interregnum, was crowned with a spare crown. The real one was in possession of the Voivode of Transylvania at that time.
The Holy Crown was taken away once again when King Albert of Habsburg died and his widow queen smuggled it in a pillow to Vienna.
It was claimed by Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III, from whom King Matthias purchased it in 1463. After the tragic defeat in Mohács in 1526, the crown was seised again by the Habsburgs. It was brought back to Hungary in 1608, where it was guarded in the tower of Pozsony (Bratislava). It was moved again to Buda in 1790, but it stayed there for only a short period: the Holy Crown was saved by Kossuth and his men at the end of the War of Independence in 1849, who buried it in Orsova in a wooden chest.
The Austrian authorities found it in 1853. After the Austro-Hungarian Compromise in 1867, Emperor Franz Joseph I was crowned with it. After the defeat in World War I, the Hungarian Soviet Republic decided to destroy or sell the Holy Crown, but luckily none of these happened.
The last monarchs crowned with it were Charles IV and his wife, Zita on 30 December 1916.
Then the members of the Hungarian Arrowcross Party moved it to Austria and buried it in Mattsee in March 1945.
The commander of the crown guard was taken captive by the Americans in Frankfurt, who transported the Holy Crown to Ausburg for a couple of years. It was taken to the USA in 1951. It was guarded by an armoured battalion in Fort Knox military base in Kentucky, along with the main gold reserve of the American ministry of finance. It is said that the chest containing the crown was labelled as “radioactive flying object”.
The communist tyranny and the cruel oppression of the Revolution of 1956 and the Prague Spring resulted in a hostile USA-Hungary relationship.
The situation became appropriate for discussing the return of the Holy Crown only in the 1970s.
President Jimmy Carter made it possible to return the crown to Hungary in 1978. The Americans gave several conditions on giving the crown back, including the public presentation of the relic and the absence of communist chief secretary János Kádár at the ceremony, according to Múlt-kor. The American airplane with the Holy Crown arrived on 5 January 1978. The relic was returned to Antal Apró by diplomat Cyrus Vance.
After preserving it in the Hungarian National Museum for decades, it was taken to the Parliament on 1 January 2000, which has been its final destination yet.
The Holy Crown of Hungary at the Hungarian Parliament, photo: MTI
The Holy Crown of Hungary at the Hungarian Parliament, photo: MTI
Photos: MTI, Wikimedia Commons
Source: Daily News Hungary
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3 Comments
In 1976 Alfred Matthews was in Budapest on business. He was touring the National Museum when He met Dr. Gal Gyula, Space LAw. Dr, Gal showed him the museum stopping at 1 case in particular. Told Alfred The crown should be here but it never came back from the USA.
When Alfred got home to Huntsville Alabama, he tried to call President Carter. No Luck. Huntsville paper did a story on Alfred trying to get the crown back to Hungary, New York Times picked story up and wrote a story on Alfred plus a story on the crown.
THE CROWN was returned.
About 2006 ALfred, friends, wife, and Dr.Gal were given a private tour of the PArliament. When Alfred saw the crown he had tears in his eyes as he looked at me. This is a true story!!!!!!
Pindroch Tamas interviewed him at Parliament and wrote an article with Alfred’s picture in the REFORM. Check it out if you do not believe me. I was there!!!
The Royal Crown Guard took it to Austria, not members of the Arrow Cross.
Your right, Edward, there was a separate Royal Guard for the Crown. The Crown was indirectly under the Arrow Cross since the Arrow Cross was more or less heading the Magyar Nemzeti Bank which stored the crown in its vault in Vesprem, but the Guard was always in complete charge of the Crown. The Guard took the Crown on a separate route from the the MNB bank route when the MNB evacuated Vesprem in Dec. 1944. If your interested about the secret MNB “Ghost Train” (I call it that to differentiate it from the more well know and popular jewish loot Gold Train), you can read about it in “A Carpathian Folk Song: FREEDOM, LOVE. GOLD” Amazon book. I was on the train. The MNB gold reserves and National Treasures were saved by a German Commissioner who put his life on the line defying the Reich, along with my parents who worked for the MNB. The book has pictures, original letters and documents. PROOF!! No ghost writing! There is a picture in the book of the Commissioner, my mother and I (my father passed away) in a reunion in 1965. That picture seals and gives credence to the story!!