In the latter half of the 19th century, the contrast between Hungarian national aspirations and Romanian goals for sovereignty was evident in how the two groups perceived each other. Proud, mistrustful, hasty and overly patriotic—these and similar stereotypes about Hungarians were common among the Romanian population.

At a conference titled “Images of the Nation: Hungarians about Romanians, Romanians about Hungarians from the 19th Century to the Present Day,” hosted by the Institute for Minority Studies of the HUN-REN Research Centre for Social Sciences, experts discussed the Romanian image of Hungarians during the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary (1867-1908), according to 24.hu.

Hungarian national pride post-liberation from the Turkish Occupation

Following Hungary’s liberation from the Ottoman Empire in the late 1600s, the country’s territorial unity remained fractured. The Kingdom of Hungary existed within the Habsburg Monarchy, while the Principality of Transylvania (Partium) remained a separate entity within the Habsburg domain until the 1867 Ausgleich, which established Austria-Hungary. Despite this, the cultural lives of these territories were deeply intertwined.

In the 19th century, national pride and the conceptualisation of the nation as one fighting for its freedom were central to Hungarian identity. According to 24.hu, for many, it “only took a step or two to disparage, and often even despise, the non-Hungarians living in the country.”

Count Dénes Esterházy exemplified this attitude, to the disapproval of many Hungarian political figures: “In Transylvania, only the Hungarian is human; the Vlach can and must be treated like a brute.”

National movements aimed at unifying Hungary and Transylvania and achieving linguistic-cultural assimilation. The Hungarian political elite believed that the national minority population would be willing to become Hungarianised, or at least accept Hungarian as the language of public life. When Lajos Kossuth was warned of the problematic nature of this assumption, he confidently accused his critics of “pettiness.”

Romanian national awakening

In a parallel process, from the 18th century onwards, a Romanian national awakening occurred, leading to demands for equal rights for Romanians in Transylvania by the end of the century, including the use of their language in official matters.

By the end of the 1800s, nationality politics and the question of how to manage relations between ethnic groups (including the Transylvanian Saxons) had become significant issues in the region.

Negative perceptions of Hungarians by Romanians in the 19th century

“The Hungarian is pathologically proud, strikingly mistrustful and hasty. His most admirable quality is his patriotism, but even that he exaggerates, associating the worship of his own nation with the belittlement of other nations,” quoted Nicoleta Hegedűs, a researcher at the George Bariţiu Institute of History, highlighting the Romanian perception of Hungarian chauvinism.

Hegedűs underlined that contemporary Romanian culture’s view of Hungarians was driven by emotion, often expressed in passionate language. This stemmed from the feudal system of the dual monarchy era, reflecting the relationship between Romanian serfs and Hungarian landlords, and the Romanian self-articulation as an endangered minority group.

Documents from the time described Hungarians as distinguishable by their appearance: long, upward-twirled moustaches, tight trousers, coats with large buttons, feathers on their caps and boots with spurs.

This was not all, though: the gesticulation and manner of a Hungarian was also noticeable. An ethnographic study from 1870, for instance, wrote:

“The Hungarian walks with his head held high, his face serene, his gaze free and often impertinent, his step confident, his gesture and manner cocksure. Vanity pervades his whole manner and speech. Such is the Hungarian peasant behind the plough and so is the aristocrat in Parliament.”

Arrogance and vanity were recurrent themes in descriptions of Hungarians, along with fancifulness, extravagance, enthusiasm, impulsiveness and a tendency to exaggerate. Hungarians were also described as proud and passionate, expressing their emotions loudly and even weeping during jubilant occasions (reflected in the Hungarian saying “sírva vigad a magyar,” literally “Hungarian rejoices with crying”, which DNH detailed HERE)).

In contrast, Romanians portrayed themselves as calm and reserved.

Language and national identity

Besides these differences in character and appearance, the most important feature emphasised in historical documents is language. Romanians regarded the use of the Hungarian language in public life as an uninvited imposition. Numerous memoirs recall that education at the time often focused on Hungarianising Romanian children. However, this left many students feeling resentful toward Hungarians, often strengthening their Romanian national identity.

Consequently, the Hungarian language was perceived as barbaric, lacking the nobility and musicality of Romance languages, and being so consonant-heavy that it could twist a Romanian student’s tongue.

Read also:

• Hungarian ancestry unveiled: Fascinating study links ancient Hungarians to Hun warriors
• How was Turanism present throughout Hungary’s history?