SZEKELY
Excerpts from Wikipedia.org
The Székely people or the Szeklers, (Hungarian: Székely, Romanian: Secui, German: Szekler, Latin: Sicul), are a Hungarian speaking ethnic group mostly living in the counties of Harghita, Covasna and Mureş in Romania, with a significant population also living in Tolna, Hungary. Most of the world's Székely population live in Romania and they are tightly concentrated in an area informally known as Székely Land (Székelyföld in Hungarian.) Based on official 2002 Romanian census numbers, approximately 1,434,000 ethnic-Hungarians live in Romania, mostly in Transylvania. Of these, about 665,000 live in the counties of Harghita, Covasna and parts of Mureş w
ith a Székely majority. The Székely therefore account for a significant part (45%) of the Hungarian minority in Romania. When given the choice on the Romanian census between ethnically identifying as "Székely" or "Hungarian," the overwhelming majority of Székely choose the latter; therefore, on the 2002 Romanian census only 150 persons declared their ethnicity as "Székely".
Identity
Ethnic Hungarians in Transylvania have mixed opinions about their identity. Many of them tend to define themselves as being Hungarian, Transylvanian and Romanian at the same time, and there is even a sense of pride about this fact. Many Hungarians living in Transylvania were disconcerted when referendum held in Hungary in 2004 on the issue of giving dual-citizenship to ethnic Hungarians living abroad failed to receive enough electoral attendance and the vote was uncertain. Some of them complain that when they are in Hungary, they are perceived as half-Romanians, and are considered as having differences in language and behaviour. However, a large proportion of Transylvanian Hungarians currently work or study in Hungary, usually on a temporary basis. After 1996, Hungarian-Romanian economic relations boomed, and Hungary is now one of the major investors in Romania, with many cross-border firms employing both Romanians and Hungarians.
Historically, the Székely people considered themselves an ethnic group distinct from Hungarians in Transylvania, even though they now identify mainly as Hungarians.
History
The Székely were considered the finest warriors of medieval Transylvania. They were part of the Unio Trium Nationum ("Union of Three Nations") a coalition of the three Transylvanian Estates, the other two nations being the (also predominantly Hungarian) nobility and the Saxon (that is, ethnic German) burghers. These three nations ruled Transylvania, usually in harmony though sometimes in conflict with one another. Romanians (known then as Vlachs) constituted the fourth major ethnic group in Transylvania, but were generally excluded from political power (as were Magyar serfs, and Saxons living outside the Universitas) at that time. The Vlach peasantry nonetheless lived in relative peace with the Székely until the Romantic nationalist movements swept 19th century Europe. In fact, during the Long War, the Székely formed an alliance with Prince Michael the Brave of Wallachia against the army of Andrew Cardinal Báthory, recently appointed Prince of Transylvania.
Controversy About Székely Origins
The Székely have historically claimed descent from Attila's Huns, and feel that they played a special role in shaping Hungary. When the Magyar tribes came into Pannonia, they believed that they had special rights to that land as an inheritance from Attila, since the Huns and Magyars were related tribes. Székely people adhere proudly to their Hungarian identity.
Today there are conflicting theories about the origins of Székelys. Some of the possible explanations are:
- Székelys were one of the Kabar or other tribes joining the Magyars before their arrival in the Carpathian Basin.
- Székelys were Magyars ordered to defend the borders after the conquest of the country.
- Székelys were a group of Magyars who arrived centuries earlier, already in the time of the Avar Khaganate.
- Székelys are descendants of the Avar people, who's Khaganate was liquidated by Charlemange in the early 9th century, who were relocated to Transylvania in the 12th century.
Services Provided to the King of Hungary
The Székely light cavalry perfectly fitted in the medieval Hungarian military forces, supplementing the army of armoured knights. They were especially effective against nomadic invaders from the East, using similar fighting methods and strategies. One of their first recorded military victories is from 1285, when Székelys of the Aranyos Seat attacked and partly destroyed the Tatar army returning back to Moldova packed with loot. But Székelys were not only defending Transylvania, they took part in campaigns abroad, too. In 1499, when armed clashes with the Ottoman Empire and its vassal states became regular, a diploma issued by King Vladislaus II (II. Ulászló) reaffirms the conditions under which the Székelys provided military services:
“When the King personally leads his army towards the East, against Moldova, each one of the Székely cavalrymen and infantrymen are required to be under arms, go before the Royal Army and wait for the battle abroad for 15 days on their own expense. Also, on the way back, they shall go behind the Royal Army. When His Majesty sends his personal deputy to the East, half of the Székelys should accompany him as described.”
In a similar way, half of the Székelys supported the king during his campaigns against Wallachia and 1/5 of them if the army was only led by a deputy. Common Székelys did not participate personally in wars with Western and Northern countries, however, they were obliged to hire mercenaries and send them in battle under the leadership of Székely captains. Resulting from the military services they provided to the king, Székelys had equal rights to the Hungarian nobles. They were exempted from paying taxes and, when visiting the feudal noble counties, even the poorest of them were treated as free people. As the diploma of King Vladislaus II explains: “Therefore the Székelys, as nobles by rights granted by glorious Hungarian Kings of the past, are exempt from any tax or other duties, and are free.” There was, however, a kind of tax the Székelys paid: following an old tradition, every landed household gave an ox as a present to the king when he was crowned, when he got married and when a child was born in the royal family.
Settlement in Székely Land
In the 10-11th centuries, most Székelys lived in the Bihar area and in border regions of Hungary. Later, possibly by the order of the Hungarian kings, they gradually settled in the area today known as Székely Land. Information about their original settlement areas can be deduced from place names and from some original documents. Certain Transylvanian territories given to the Teutonic Knights and Saxons in the 12th century, were earlier inhabited by Székely tribes. Székelys lived in present-day Transylvanian regions like Saschiz, Gârbova, Sebeş, or Mediaş. The reason behind the relocation from Southern Transylvania could have been that the Byzantine Empire became stronger in this period and the Teutonic Knights were considered to be better in resisting the Empire. The same time, Székely light cavalry was better in fighting against nomadic peoples, like Kumans, or Tatars in the East. The last group of Székelys were relocated from the Saschiz area and were awarded the Aranyosszék region by Stephen V of Hungary in around 1270.
Genetics of the Hungarian People
Aside from physiology, genetic research has provided clues about ethnic origins and kinships. Within the blood group system attributed to Landsteiner, the rate of the typically Hungarian "0" and "B" blood types (31.05% and 17.90%) is off from that of Indo-European and Finno-Ugric nations, but is within the range found among Central Asian Turkic nations. Besides this, there is another blood type among Hungarians, the Diego [A+], present in no other people of Europe. The "Mongolian spot" has a 22.6% occurrence and Lactose intolerance, rare elsewhere in Europe, is at 37% among Hungarians. The skin splinter system of Hungarians has Central Asian characteristic (low bend rates, but high vortices). The Gm-marker research pointed out that the Gm abst and Gm afb3 gene markers occurring among Hungarians are missing among other European populations. Mitochondrial DNA research has also recently identified additional Central Asian characteristics among Hungarians (approx. 5% of the samples).
Székely Politics
Ever since the abolition of the Hungarian Autonomous Province by the Ceauşescu regime in 1968, some of the Székely have pressed for their autonomy to be restored. Several proposals have been discussed within the Székely Hungarian community and by the Romanian majority. One of the Székely autonomy initiatives is based on the model of the Spanish autonomous community of Catalonia. A major peaceful demonstration was held in 2006 in favor of autonomy.
The Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) is the major representative of Hungarians in Romania, and is a member of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization. The aim of the UDMR is to achieve local government, cultural and territorial autonomy and the right to self-determination for Hungarians. UDMR is a member of the European Democrat Union (EDU) and an associated member of the European People's Party (EPP).
Ethnic Clashes of Târgu Mureş: Târgu Mureş is a town in Romania with an ethnically mixed population that was almost equally distributed between Romanians and Hungarians after the fall of the communist regime in December 1989. In March 1990, short-lived, but violent clashes occurred there between the three ethnic groups in the town, involving ethnic Romanians from neighbouring villages, too.
The prevalent opinion among the Romanian public is that the incidents were triggered by direct attacks by ethnic Hungarians against Romanian institutions, symbols, statues and policemen. Certain Romanians link these events with the killings during the Romanian Revolution of 1989 of Romanian policemen and local government employees in areas with large Hungarian minorities or where Hungarians form a majority. Supporters of such opinions claim that the riots are part of a plan to separate part of Transylvania from Romania and re-integrate it with Hungary. In such a setting, a direct involvement of the Hungarian national government is also claimed although never really proven.
Most ethnic Hungarians in Romania and Hungarian public opinion in general maintain, however, that these rumours about Hungarian violence against Romanians and/or state institutions were unjustified or widely exaggerated. Hungarians also state that rumours about ethnic Hungarian violence were spread in order to undermine legitimate demands of ethnic Hungarians (such as language, cultural rights, or ethnic-based regional autonomy) and to foster a general anti-Hungarian sentiment. Sütő András himself called the clashes a pogrom.
* Hungarian President Calls for Increased Autonomy for Ethnic Hungarians in Romania by The Associated Press
* Kosovo’s Actions Hearten a Hungarian Enclave by Nicholas Kulish
Romania: Human Rights Developments
Hungarian Human Rights Foundation
The Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization
