Hungarians of Croatia
Encyclopedia
Hungarians of Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...

are a recognized ethnic minority. According to the 2001 census there are around 16,500 people of Hungarian ethnicity living in Croatia (or 0.37% of total population). Around two thirds of them (9,800) live in Osijek-Baranja County
Osijek-Baranja County
Osijek-Baranja county is a county in Croatia, located in northeastern Slavonia and Baranja. Its center is Osijek; other cities include Đakovo, Našice, Valpovo, Belišće, Beli Manastir.-Administrative divisions:Osijek-Baranja county is divided into:...

 in eastern Croatia, especially in the Croatian part of the Baranya region
Baranya (region)
Baranya or Baranja is a geographical region between the Danube and the Drava rivers. Its territory is divided between Hungary and Croatia...

 which borders 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...

 to the north. There are also small Hungarian communities in other parts of the country, including areas in Bjelovar-Bilogora County
Bjelovar-Bilogora County
Bjelovar-Bilogora County is a county in central Croatia.The central town of Bjelovar was first mentioned in 1413, and it only gained importance when a new fort was built in 1756 to defend against the Ottoman invasions...

 in central Croatia where some 1,200 people identify themselves as Hungarian.

Population

Municipalities
Municipalities of Croatia
A Municipality in Croatia is known as an općina . Though equal to Croatian Grads in administrative powers, they are usually more likely to consists of a collection of villages in more rural or suburban area, whereas Grads are more likely to cover urban area...

 with significant Hungarian minority (10 percent or more) include:
  • Kneževi Vinogradi
    Kneževi Vinogradi
    Kneževi Vinogradi is a village and municipality in Croatia. It is situated in the Osijek-Baranja County, on the southern slopes of Bansko Brdo, 11 km southeast of Beli Manastir. Its elevation is 103 m...

     (2,121 or 41%)
  • Bilje
    Bilje
    Bilje is a village and municipality on the outskirts of nature park Kopački Rit in the region of Baranja, Osijek-Baranja County, Croatia, situated 8 km northeast of Osijek.-Geography:...

     (1,921 or 35%)
  • Draž
    Draž
    - External links :* * http://www.tzbaranje.hr/hr/odredista/draz/ * http://www.zbirka-draz.net/...

     (874 or 26%)
  • Ernestinovo
    Ernestinovo
    Ernestinovo is a municipality in Osijek-Baranja county, Croatia. There are 2,225 inhabitants, 67% who are Croats, 22% who are Hungarians, and 8% who are Serbs.The municipality of Ernestinovo also includes adjacent villages of Divoš and Laslovo....

     (481 or 22%)
  • Tordinci
    Tordinci
    Tordinci is a village and a municipality in the Vukovar-Srijem County in Croatia. According to the 2001 census, there are 2,251 inhabitants, 75.88% Croat and 18% Hungarian.The settlements in the municipality are:* Antin...

     (405 or 18%)
  • Petlovac
    Petlovac
    Petlovac is a village and municipality in the western part of Baranja, which comprise the northern part of Osijek-Baranja County in Croatia.-Demographics:Municipality of Petlovac has 2,743 inhabitants , including: *71.35% Croats...

     (395 or 14%)

The largest town with a significant Hungarian population is Beli Manastir
Beli Manastir
Beli Manastir is a town and municipality in eastern Croatia, the principal town of the Croatian part of Baranja, in the Osijek-Baranja county.-Name:...

, with 933 (8.5%).

In addition, some 12,600 people identified Hungarian language
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....

 as their mother tongue.

History

Hungary and Croatia have a long history dating back to the dynastic crises that followed the death of king Dmitar Zvonimir
Dmitar Zvonimir
Demetrius Zvonimir was King of Croatia from 8 October 1076 until his death. He also ruled as Ban of Slavonia , and was named Duke of Croatia in around 1075. His native name was Zvonimir, while the name Demetrius was adopted at his coronation.He began as a Ban of Slavonia in the service of King...

 in 1089. His widow Helen II supported her brother Ladislaus I of Hungary in his claim for the kingdom of Croatia
Kingdom of Croatia (medieval)
The Kingdom of Croatia , also known as the Kingdom of the Croats , was a medieval kingdom covering most of what is today Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Balkans.Established in 925, it ruled as a sovereign state for almost two centuries...

 amidst the political turmoil. Two years later, Ladislaus managed to seize power and proclaim his sovereignty over the Croatian kingdom, however, he and his armies were still unable to gain full control by the time of his death in 1095. It was his nephew Coloman I who finally defeated the last native Croatian king Peter II of Croatia at the Battle of Gvozd Mountain
Battle of Gvozd Mountain
The Battle of Gvozd Mountain took place in the year 1097 and was fought on Petrova gora in central Croatia, between the army of Croatian king Petar Svačić and King Coloman I of Hungary...

, and was then crowned as King of Croatia in capital city of Biograd on the Adriatic Sea
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges...

 in 1102.

After the Hungarian victory, Croatia and Hungary entered into a type of personal union
Croatia in personal union with Hungary
Kingdom of Croatia after the succession crisis become a part of Kingdom of Hungary and — depending on sources — either was incorporated into Hungary or Croatia existed in a personal union with Hungary....

 in which certain terms were agreed on. The most significant were that two would remain under Hungarian rule while some separate Croatian institutions were maintained such as the Sabor (Croatian parliament), the ban
Ban
Ban may refer to:* Ban , a decree that prohibits something, sometimes a form of censorship* The imperial ban, a form of outlawry in the medieval Holy Roman Empire* Cherem, usually translated as the Ban, a form of excommunication in Judaism...

 (viceroy), and retention of Croatian lands and titles. The union lasted until 1918; in that time, many Hungarian military personnel settled in Croatia during the Ottoman invasion
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 :...

, and the borderlands of Hungary and Croatia proper blurred with the ethnic mix.

Politics

The two main Hungarian associations in Croatia are the Democratic Union of Hungarians of Croatia
Democratic Union of Hungarians of Croatia
The Democratic Union of Hungarians of Croatia is a political party in Croatia, representing the Hungarian minority. The party has one seat in parliament since the elections of 23 November 2003.The party has caused a scandal 2011...

 ( or HMDK) and the Union of Hungarian Associations ( or MESZ).

Being an official minority, Hungarians are afforded one of the eight permanent seats reserved for ethnic minorities in the Croatian Parliament. Their current representative is MESZ member Deneš Šoja.

See also

  • Democratic Union of Hungarians of Croatia
    Democratic Union of Hungarians of Croatia
    The Democratic Union of Hungarians of Croatia is a political party in Croatia, representing the Hungarian minority. The party has one seat in parliament since the elections of 23 November 2003.The party has caused a scandal 2011...

  • Croatia–Hungary relations
    Croatia–Hungary relations
    Croatia-Hungary relations are foreign relations between Croatia and Hungary, two neighbouring countries of Central Europe. Until 1918, Croatia was part of Austria–Hungary, most part being under Hungarian administration...

  • Croats of Hungary
    Croats of Hungary
    The Hungarian Croats are an ethnic minority in Hungary. According to the 2001 census, there were 25,730 Croats in Hungary or 0.26% of population....


External links

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