An Illustrated History of Hungary by Istvan Lazar

Eleven hundred years ago, the Hungarian people arrived as a late wave of migrants from the East and took possession of the heart of the Carpathian Basin. Fundamentally Finno-Ugric in language, but more Turkic in origin, these people were familiar not only with nomadic animal husbandry, but also with agriculture. Moreover, they still had their distinctive tribal alliance. For decades the Hungarians held Europe in terror. Their hold military campaigns, their final settlement, their settling down and blending in this part of East-Central Europe, their establishment of a state and accession to Roman Christianity, their thousand-year history rich in struggles against external aggression and internal oppression even up to present times-all this is dealt with in a concise and up-to-date way. At a time when politically-motivated reappraisals and changes in outlook are taking place, a sober and objective depiction of the past is greatly needed-by Hungariaris and by those interested in Hungary. This is no dry history book, but rather an essay on Hungarian history. Based on very many sources, it still reflects a personal view. With the help of illustrations chosen by the historian Géza Buzinkay, the work sheds light on little-known aspects of the past. The picture captions give much additional information, and supplement the main text.