Abaúj is the name of a historic administrative county (comitatus

Comitatus (Kingdom of Hungary)

A county is the name of a type of administrative units in the Kingdom of Hungary and in Hungary from the 10th century until the present day....

) of the Kingdom of Hungary

Kingdom of Hungary

The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...

. In parts of the 19th century, and in the beginning of the 20th century, it was united with Torna County to form Abaúj-Torna

Abaúj-Torna

Abaúj-Torna is the name of a historic administrative county of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its capital was Košice...

 (Slovak: Abov-Turňa) county. Its territory is presently in eastern Slovakia

Slovakia

The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...

 and north-eastern Hungary

Hungary

Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...

. Today Abaúj

Abaúj (region)

Abaúj is traditional region of Hungary, in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county. It is the southern half of the former historical county of Abaúj....

 and Abov

Abov

Abov is:* historically the Slovak name of a county in the Kingdom of Hungary * today an informal designation of the part of that county situated in Slovakia, as well as the official name of one of Slovakia's tourist regions...

 are only informal designations of the corresponding territories in Hungary and Slovakia.

Geography

Abaúj was situated some 20 km on both sides along the Hornád

Hornád

Hornád or Hernád is a river in eastern Slovakia and north-eastern Hungary.It is a tributary to the river Sajó, which is itself a tributary to the river Tisza. The source of the Hornád is in the Low Tatra mountains under the Kráľova hoľa hill, southwest of Poprad...

 (Hungarian: Hernád) river between (including) Košice

Košice

Košice is a city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary...

 and (excluding) Miskolc

Miskolc

Miskolc is a city in northeastern Hungary, mainly with heavy industrial background. With a population close to 170,000 Miskolc is the fourth largest city of Hungary It is also the county capital of Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén and the regional centre of Northern Hungary.- Geography :Miskolc is located...

.

Abaúj shared borders with the Comitatus Scepusiensis (Hungarian: Szepes, German: Zips, Slovak: Spiš

Spiš

Spiš is a region in north-eastern Slovakia, with a very small area in south-eastern Poland. Spiš is an informal designation of the territory , but it is also the name of one the 21 official tourism regions of Slovakia...

), Comitatus Sarossiensis (Hungarian: Sáros, Slovak: Šariš

Šariš

For the beer brand see Šariš .Šariš is the traditional name of a region situated in northeastern Slovakia. It encompasses the territory of the former Sáros county.-History:...

), Comitatus Zempliniensis (Hungarian: Zemplén, Slovak: Zemplín), Comitatus Borsodiensis (Hun: Borsod

Borsod

Borsod was the name of a historic administrative county of the Kingdom of Hungary in present-day northeastern Hungary. The capital of the county was Miskolc...

) and Comitatus Tornensis (Hungarian: Torna, Slovak: Turňa).

Capitals

Initially, the capital of the county was Forró. From the late 16th century the capital was Gönc

Gönc

Gönc is a small town in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, Northern Hungary, 70 kilometers from county capital Miskolc. It is the northernmost town of Hungary and the second smallest town of the county.- History :...

, and Cassovia

Košice

Košice is a city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary...

 (Hungarian: Kassa, Slovak: Košice) has been the center of the county since the late 14th century.

History

According to Anonymus

Anonymity

Anonymity is derived from the Greek word ἀνωνυμία, anonymia, meaning "without a name" or "namelessness". In colloquial use, anonymity typically refers to the state of an individual's personal identity, or personally identifiable information, being publicly unknown.There are many reasons why a...

, during the reign of St. Stephen the Aba family (the family of Sámuel Aba who later became king) had properties in this area.

The county arose in the second half of the 13th century from the comitatus Novi Castri (named after Novum Castrum, "new castle" – the castle itself stood near the modern-day village Abaújvár

Abaújvár

Abaújvár is a village in Hungary, next to the Slovakian border. It lies northeast of Miskolc.-History:In the 11th century, the village belonged to the Aba clan, one of the most important Hungarian families of the time, and was first mentioned in 1046, but presumably an earth castle stood here...

), which also included the later counties Šariš

Šariš

For the beer brand see Šariš .Šariš is the traditional name of a region situated in northeastern Slovakia. It encompasses the territory of the former Sáros county.-History:...

 (Hungarian: Sáros) and Heves

Heves (county)

Heves county lies in northern Hungary. It lies between the right bank of the river Tisza and the Mátra and Bükk mountains. It shares borders with the Hungarian counties Pest, Nógrád, Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén and Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok...

.

During the Mongol invasion of Hungary

Mongol invasion of Europe

The resumption of the Mongol invasion of Europe, during which the Mongols attacked medieval Rus' principalities and the powers of Poland and Hungary, was marked by the Mongol invasion of Rus starting in 21 December 1237...

 a large part of the county was destroyed, but the castle of Abaújvár wasn't occupied by the invaders. After the invasion King Béla IV

Béla IV of Hungary

Béla IV , King of Hungary and of Croatia , duke of Styria 1254–58. One of the most famous kings of Hungary, he distinguished himself through his policy of strengthening of the royal power following the example of his grandfather Bela III, and by the rebuilding Hungary after the catastrophe of the...

 repopulated the area with German settlers.

During the reign of the last kings of the Árpád dynasty (late 13th century) Abaúj was de facto ruled by the Amadé Aba (Slovak:Omodejovci) family. The county was taken away from them after the Battle of Rozgony

Battle of Rozgony

The Battle of Rozgony or Battle of Rozhanovce was fought between King Charles I of Hungary and the family of Palatine Amade Aba on June 15, 1312, on the Rozgony field. Chronicon Pictum described it as the "most cruel battle since the Mongol invasion of Europe"...

 (June 15, 1312) during King Charles Robert

Charles I of Hungary

Charles I , also known as Charles Robert , was the first King of Hungary and Croatia of the House of Anjou. He was also descended from the old Hungarian Árpád dynasty. His claim to the throne of Hungary was contested by several pretenders...

's struggle to curb the power of the local lords who grew too powerful.

In a tax register from 1427 the county is mentioned as having 5187 peasant houses; 3500 in 1494-95. Before the battle of Mohács

Battle of Mohács

The Battle of Mohács was fought on August 29, 1526 near Mohács, Hungary. In the battle, forces of the Kingdom of Hungary led by King Louis II of Hungary and Bohemia were defeated by forces of the Ottoman Empire led by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent....

 – marking the beginning of a 160-year-long Ottoman occupation of Hungary

Ottoman wars in Europe

The wars of the Ottoman Empire in Europe are also sometimes referred to as the Ottoman Wars or as Turkish Wars, particularly in older, European texts.- Rise :...

 – the county had 9 castles, 14 towns, 318 villages and was owned by 275 landlords.

In the 16th-17th century many important historical events took place at least partly in Abaúj county, including the peasant revolt led by György Dózsa

György Dózsa

György Dózsa was a Székely Hungarian man-at-arms from Transylvania, Kingdom of Hungary who led a peasants' revolt against the kingdom's landed nobility...

 (1514), and battles between the Hungarians and the Ottomans. The southern part of the county fell under Ottoman rule, while the northern part remained part of the Kingdom of Hungary. The county briefly belonged to the Principality of Transylvania between 1644-48. Battles were also fought in the county in the early 18th century, during the revolutions led by Imre Thököly

Imre Thököly

Count Imre Thököly de Késmárk was a Hungarian statesman, leader of an anti-Habsburg uprising, Prince of Transylvania, and vassal king of Upper Hungary.- Early life :Imre Thököly was born at Késmárk, Royal Hungary Count Imre Thököly de Késmárk (Thököly/Tököly/Tökölli Imre in Hungarian, Mirko...

 and Francis II Rákóczi

Francis II Rákóczi

Francis II Rákóczi Hungarian aristocrat, he was the leader of the Hungarian uprising against the Habsburgs in 1703-11 as the prince of the Estates Confederated for Liberty of the Kingdom of Hungary. He was also Prince of Transylvania, an Imperial Prince, and a member of the Order of the Golden...

.

The county was first merged with the neighboring, small Torna (Slovak: Turňa) county in 1785, at the order of Joseph II

Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor

Joseph II was Holy Roman Emperor from 1765 to 1790 and ruler of the Habsburg lands from 1780 to 1790. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Francis I...

, but they were separated again in 1790. After the 1848-49 revolution had been suppressed, Abaúj and Torna were merged again, but were separated in 1859. They were finally merged in 1882. Before the merging Abaúj had an area of 2872,71 km² and a population of 166,666; Torna had an area of 618,04 km² and a population of 23,176.

In 1919(?) Abaúj-Torna had 364 villages, of which only 5 had a population larger than 2000. Of the 63 counties of the Kingdom, it was the 45th largest by area, 37th largest by population and 35th by population density (65/km² in 1910).

Between 1899 and 1913 many of people left the Kingdom of Hungary and emigrated to other countries; from Abaúj 44,258 people emigrated, 13,566 migrated back to Hungary; in total it had 30,692 émigrés, making it the 8th largest emigration source of all counties.

In 1918 (confirmed by the Treaty of Trianon

Treaty of Trianon

The Treaty of Trianon was the peace agreement signed in 1920, at the end of World War I, between the Allies of World War I and Hungary . The treaty greatly redefined and reduced Hungary's borders. From its borders before World War I, it lost 72% of its territory, which was reduced from to...

 1920), the northern half of the Abaúj-Torna county (1551 km², including Kassa/Košice

Košice

Košice is a city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary...

) became part of newly formed Czechoslovakia

Czechoslovakia

Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...

 and continued to exist as an administrative unit till October 26, 1922 under the name Abovskoturnianska župa. The southern half became part of modern Hungary

Hungary

Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...

 as the county Abaúj-Torna, with capital Szikszó

Szikszó

Szikszó is a small town in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, Northern Hungary, 15 kilometers from county capital Miskolc.-History:Szikszó was first mentioned in documents in 1280. It belonged to the estate of the Aba clan. After 1370 Aba Estates in the area became the property of King Sigismund and then...

. The Hungarian part was divided into four districts.

During World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 Czechoslovakia

Czechoslovakia

Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...

 was split and on November 2, 1938 most of the Czechoslovak part of the county (1257 km² with a population of 126,050, including Kassa with an area of 93 km² and a population of 58,090) became part of Hungary under the First Vienna Award

First Vienna Award

The First Vienna Award was the result of the First Vienna Arbitration, which took place at Vienna's Belvedere Palace on November 2, 1938. The Arbitration and Award were direct consequences of the Munich Agreement...

, and was added to the county Abaúj-Torna, with the capital Kassa. On March 6, 1939 the Czechoslovak-Hungarian Border Committee annexed five more villages to Hungary at the request of the residents. After World War II, on January 20, 1945 the pre-war border was restored, with 52% of the original territory remaining in Hungary under the name of Abaúj county, with Szikszó as capital.

During the administrative reform of 1950 in Hungary, Abaúj was merged with the remaining parts of neighbouring counties Borsod-Gömör and Zemplén to form the present Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén

Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén

Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén is the name of an administrative county in north-eastern Hungary , on the border with Slovakia. It shares borders with the Hungarian counties Nógrád, Heves, Hajdú-Bihar and Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg. The capital of Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county is Miskolc...

 county.

Historical population

1787	1828	1869	1890*	1900**	1910	1941
114,833	158,833	144,924	151,000	156,218	202,288	228,389

* Including Kassa (pop. 28,884), which, as a city with municipal rights, was de jure not part of the county

** incl. Kassa (35,586)

Subdivisions

In the early 20th century, the subdivisions of the county Abaúj-Torna were:

Districts (járás)
District	Capital
Abaújszántó	Abaújszántó Abaújszántó Abaújszántó is a small town in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, Northern Hungary, about 40 kilometers from county capital Miskolc. It belongs to the famous Tokaj-Hegyalja wine district.-History:...
Bódvaszilas	Bódvaszilas Bódvaszilas - External links :* * *...
Gönc	Gönc Gönc Gönc is a small town in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, Northern Hungary, 70 kilometers from county capital Miskolc. It is the northernmost town of Hungary and the second smallest town of the county.- History :...
Szikszó	Szikszó Szikszó Szikszó is a small town in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, Northern Hungary, 15 kilometers from county capital Miskolc.-History:Szikszó was first mentioned in documents in 1280. It belonged to the estate of the Aba clan. After 1370 Aba Estates in the area became the property of King Sigismund and then...

Sources

• Hungarian Catholic Lexicon (Hungarian only) (articles: Abaúj vármegye, Abaúj-Torna vármegye and Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén megye.)