Count Mihály Károlyi pictured in 1912
Mihály Károlyi (1875-1955), former prime minister and president of the Hungarian Republic, was not a traitor, but he was unsuited to the role that history had assigned him – this was one of the points made by Count György Károlyi, former Hungarian ambassador to Paris, in an interview with hirado.hu.
György Károlyi first spoke about his childhood and youth. The count was born in Budapest in 1946, and when he was one year old, his family left the country with him. From that moment on, they lived in France, and it was only after the fall of communism that he began to experience Hungary firsthand. This identity had always been part of who he was, emphasized the count, whose nanny taught him Hungarian.
Young György only really began to speak French when he started school, where he had to find his place. He was well aware of his family’s history, but before 1990, no one in the Károlyi family thought that they might have anything to do with Hungary in the future. The political change came as a big surprise to him.
In 1984, the family also visited the dilapidated castle in Fehérvárcsurgó (central Hungary), where they had lived until 1944, when the front line reached the town. After that, it was used as a military hospital, first by German troops and then by Russians. The castle then served several more or less pleasant functions: as a resort and children’s home until the end of the 1970s. The building then stood empty until around 1990, and it was during these ten years that the castle suffered the most damage.
Photo: Kovika/Wikimedia Commons
The renovation took a good 15 years. Not because the construction workers were slow, but because there were never enough funds available to complete the work in one go. The costs for the renovation were therefore covered by several sources: our own funds, funds from the Hungarian state, and EU funds. The family’s goal is
to reach a level where this entire entity can support itself, or at least come close to sustainability, so that we can live as far as possible from our own income and only need state subsidies as a supplement,”
says György Károlyi about the future of the castle. The family, including the younger generation, is interested in maintaining the public function of the institution.
Family members live scattered far and wide, from Brazil to Australia, which is why large family gatherings like those of the Széchenyis are not possible. Károlyi only got to know some of his close relatives when they returned to Hungary.
Photo: Public Domain
Mihály Károlyi—his grandfather’s half-brother—was not only his uncle but also his godfather. However, György Károlyi did not really know him: he met him as a child, but he cannot remember him. They only have one photo together, in which György is standing next to him on the steps of a farmhouse.
Károlyi Palace in Budapest. Photo: Thaler/Wikimedia Commons
György Károlyi’s grandfather was a Catholic conservative, while Mihály was “agnostic and progressive, and after World War I also quite close to communism,” according to the count.
Otto von Habsburg with the newly admitted members of the Order of the Golden Fleece, including Count József Károlyi (second from the right), 1933. Photo: Fortepan / Habsburg Ottó Alapítvány
He was probably an honest person, but completely unsuited to the role that history had assigned him,”
György Károlyi stated.
Mihály Károlyi and soldiers of the Szekler Division in Szatmárnémeti, March 2, 1919. Photo: Public Domain
György Károlyi considers his uncle to have been politically weak and believes that Mihály Károlyi “fell victim to others who were much more sophisticated and cunning than he was.” In the chaotic aftermath of World War I, he was forced to relinquish power, paving the way for Béla Kun’s takeover. When he returned to Hungary after World War II, he hoped to be immediately elected president of the republic. This was out of the question for Mátyás Rákosi. Therefore, he was sent to Paris to remove him from the political scene. According to György Károlyi, his life must have been a great disappointment.
Mihály Károlyi is accused of being responsible for the loss of territory after the First World War. György Károlyi disputes that his uncle had any real influence over the outcome. He believes that the intention was to divide Hungary, regardless of Mihály Károlyi. In his opinion, the politician was “shuffled from one position to another.”
I find the term treason somewhat exaggerated, although it was perhaps understandable at that time, immediately after the First World War.”
“You can only be a traitor intentionally, and in my opinion he was not a person with serious intentions, at least he was not in a position to implement them,” he says.
Via Hirado.hu; Featured photo: Fortepan / Library of Congress
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