Magdolna Purgly
Encyclopedia
Curtici
Curtici is a town located in Arad County, far western Romania. The town is situated at a 21 km distance from the county capital Arad, in the western part of Arad County. It is the most important railway meeting point of Central Europe with the western part of Romania...
, 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...
- 8 January 1959, Estoril
Estoril
Estoril is a seaside resort and civil parish of the Portuguese municipality of Cascais, Lisboa District. The Estoril coast is close to Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. It starts in Carcavelos, 15 kilometres from Lisbon, and stretches as far as Guincho, often known as Costa de Estoril-Sintra or...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
) was the wife of Admiral Miklós Horthy
Miklós Horthy
Miklós Horthy de Nagybánya was the Regent of the Kingdom of Hungary during the interwar years and throughout most of World War II, serving from 1 March 1920 to 15 October 1944. Horthy was styled "His Serene Highness the Regent of the Kingdom of Hungary" .Admiral Horthy was an officer of the...
.
Early life
She was born to a rural landowning family in 1881. Her attitude, especially her behavior to the other sex, was very modest. Purgly spent the first two decades of her life in accordance with accepted convention.Purgly and Horthy met thanks to fortune. Not only did the uniform made Miklós Horthy an arresting man - he travelled all around the world, and had an ability to tell stories about distant lands colourfully. The affection was mutual, and Horthy felt he had found someone valuable.
They married on 22 July 1901 at Arad
Arad, Romania
Arad is the capital city of Arad County, in western Romania, in the Crişana region, on the river Mureş.An important industrial center and transportation hub, Arad is also the seat of a Romanian Orthodox archbishop and features two universities, a Romanian Orthodox theological seminary, a training...
. Miklós and Magdolna spent their honeymoon in Semmering
Semmering
For the town of the same name, see Semmering, Austria.Semmering is a mountain pass in the Eastern Northern Limestone Alps connecting Lower Austria and Styria, between which it forms a natural border.-Location:...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. After this, Mrs. Horthy lived the life of an officer's wife, accompanying her husband on his official voyages.
At this time, the Horthy family lived in Pula
Pula
Pula is the largest city in Istria County, Croatia, situated at the southern tip of the Istria peninsula, with a population of 62,080 .Like the rest of the region, it is known for its mild climate, smooth sea, and unspoiled nature. The city has a long tradition of winemaking, fishing,...
. Their children were born there: Magdolna (1902), Paula (1903), István
István Horthy
István Horthy de Nagybánya ) was Hungarian Regent Admiral Miklós Horthy's eldest son, a politician, and, during World War II, a fighter pilot.-Biography:...
(1904) and Miklós
Miklós Horthy, Jr.
Miklós Horthy de Nagybánya II was the younger son of Hungarian regent Admiral Miklós Horthy and, until the end of World War II, a politician.-Biography:...
(1907). Afterwards, in 1908-1909, Horthy became the commandant of the Taurus, so they moved to the location of the cruiser: Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
. The family owned a villa on the banks of the Bosporus
Bosporus
The Bosphorus or Bosporus , also known as the Istanbul Strait , is a strait that forms part of the boundary between Europe and Asia. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with the Dardanelles...
. Subsequently, they lived in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
for five years.
World War I
Mrs. Horthy and her children spent the war years in PulaPula
Pula is the largest city in Istria County, Croatia, situated at the southern tip of the Istria peninsula, with a population of 62,080 .Like the rest of the region, it is known for its mild climate, smooth sea, and unspoiled nature. The city has a long tradition of winemaking, fishing,...
. She met with her husband very rarely. By 1917-1918, it was clearly visible that a chaotic time was coming for the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. Magdolna gleaned information about Horthy's appointment to rear-admiral only from mutual acquaintances. When the Monarchy collapsed, Magdolna and the four children left Pula
Pula
Pula is the largest city in Istria County, Croatia, situated at the southern tip of the Istria peninsula, with a population of 62,080 .Like the rest of the region, it is known for its mild climate, smooth sea, and unspoiled nature. The city has a long tradition of winemaking, fishing,...
and temporarily moved to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. There Miklós Horthy
Miklós Horthy
Miklós Horthy de Nagybánya was the Regent of the Kingdom of Hungary during the interwar years and throughout most of World War II, serving from 1 March 1920 to 15 October 1944. Horthy was styled "His Serene Highness the Regent of the Kingdom of Hungary" .Admiral Horthy was an officer of the...
rejoined his family, and they travelled to Horthy's hometown of Kenderes
Kenderes
-Location, geography:The town is located along Route 4, halfway between the cities of Debrecen and Szolnok. It lies in the Great Hungarian Plain, thus its geography is defined by flat expanses. The town is primarily surrounded by agricultural zones...
.
1919-1920
Count Gyula Károlyi
Gyula Károlyi
Gyula Count Károlyi de Nagykároly was a conservative Hungarian politician who served as Prime Minister of Hungary from 1931 to 1932. He had previously been Prime Minister of the counter-revolutionary government in Szeged for several months in 1919...
ordered Horthy to Szeged
Szeged
' is the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county town of Csongrád county. The University of Szeged is one of the most distinguished universities in Hungary....
to take part in the elimination of the communist regime from 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...
. On 1 March 1920, Horthy was elected regent of Hungary by the National Court; thus Magdolna was styled "Her Serene Mistress" (Hungarian
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....
: Főméltóságú Asszony).
The early years of the Regency
In the next few years, the foremost goal of her life was to provide a safe and calm home for Miklós Horthy. Mrs. Horthy appeared in public extremely rarely. In essence, the family had a modest life when taking into account Horthy's position; the highest point of it was the yearly garden-party. Their residence was in the Buda CastleBuda Castle
Buda Castle is the historical castle and palace complex of the Hungarian kings in Budapest, first completed in 1265. In the past, it was also called Royal Palace and Royal Castle ....
when they were at Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
and it took up 9 rooms (of 814 in total). The Horthy family's retreat was at Kenderes
Kenderes
-Location, geography:The town is located along Route 4, halfway between the cities of Debrecen and Szolnok. It lies in the Great Hungarian Plain, thus its geography is defined by flat expanses. The town is primarily surrounded by agricultural zones...
- it was larger than a villa, but smaller than a castle.
After 1935
After 1935, Mrs. Horthy appeared in public more frequently. Her target was to ensure that Horthy would remain Regent ; his position was in danger above all from extreme-right groups like the Arrow Cross PartyArrow Cross Party
The Arrow Cross Party was a national socialist party led by Ferenc Szálasi, which led in Hungary a government known as the Government of National Unity from October 15, 1944 to 28 March 1945...
led by Ferenc Szálasi
Ferenc Szálasi
Ferenc Szálasi was the leader of the National Socialist Arrow Cross Party – Hungarist Movement, the "Leader of the Nation" , being both Head of State and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Hungary's "Government of National Unity" for the final three months of Hungary's participation in World War II...
. Furthermore, she desired to support the nation and its independence with her personal prestige. In this period, such a posture carried anti-German (more correctly, anti-Fascist) implications, too. She did not directly participate in politics, but found a way to express herself in a way that befit her position.
In 1938, Purgly started a charity with a beneficent purpose : trying to help out the poor of the recently-regained Felvidék. Mrs. Horthy staunchly rejected every temptation to found a "Horthy Dynasty
Dynasty
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers considered members of the same family. Historians traditionally consider many sovereign states' history within a framework of successive dynasties, e.g., China, Ancient Egypt and the Persian Empire...
".
From 1940, she lived in perpetual anxiety and was not able shake off the thought that the Regency was only a moribund and transitory situation, and so she feared to think how it might end. In private company, she often said: "we came to power in a decent way, through the door, but I fear that we will only get out of here through the window". Her concern did materialize word for word, but it is true that the remaining members of the Horthy family left behind the Castle of Buda
Buda Castle
Buda Castle is the historical castle and palace complex of the Hungarian kings in Budapest, first completed in 1265. In the past, it was also called Royal Palace and Royal Castle ....
on 17 October 1944 under dire circumstances.
Post-War life
After the end of World War II, they lived in Weilheim, BavariaBavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
for four years. This period was unfavorable to Purgly's health. Due to her son's skill, the family managed to move to Estoril
Estoril
Estoril is a seaside resort and civil parish of the Portuguese municipality of Cascais, Lisboa District. The Estoril coast is close to Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. It starts in Carcavelos, 15 kilometres from Lisbon, and stretches as far as Guincho, often known as Costa de Estoril-Sintra or...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
. Mrs. Horthy died there in 1959, two years after her husband's death.