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86-529: The predecessor of Komárom Esztergom County, Komárom county and Esztergom county were founded by Stephen I of Hungary . Both counties had parts that now belong to Slovakia . Throughout their history the borders of the two counties were frequently modified, and they were merged several times as well. When the castle of Esztergom was captured by the Ottomans in 1543, the leadership of the county fled from there. The castles of Érsekújvár , Komárom , and Tata were

172-516: A "goodwill gesture". The Czechoslovak delegation agreed on the railway town of Slovenské Nové Mesto (until 1918, it had been a suburb of the Hungarian town of Sátoraljaújhely ) and the town of Šahy ( Hungarian : Ipolyság ). Both were occupied by Hungary on October 12. The main difference between both parties' arguments was that the Hungarians presented the 1910 census figures, as had Germany during

258-520: A "humorous border", and the Hungarian delegation "analysed the map only to be polite". Although the Czechoslovak delegation declared that it was open for further discussion about its proposal and offered consultation with its experts, the Hungarian delegation rejected further discussion. On the evening of October 13, after consultations in Budapest, Kánya declared that the negotiations had failed and asked

344-489: A "rearrangement" of Central Europe and therefore should be subverted internally, isolated internationally, and finally eliminated by military force. During a meeting with Hitler in August 1936, Miklós Horthy advocated a common attack against Czechoslovakia to excise a "cancerous tumor from the heart of Europe". In late 1937 Hitler decided to open a campaign against Czechoslovakia. In 1938 Germany and Hungary focused on creating

430-718: A change in Germany's view of Hungarian territorial demands in eastern Czechoslovakia. Before the Munich Agreement , a Hungarian government emissary had officially asked the German and Italian delegations to resolve Hungarian demands together with the questions of Sudeten Germans . However, Hitler did not agree because he was not satisfied with the previous passivity of Hungary and because he had his own plans for Central Europe. The French and British delegates, Prime Minister Édouard Daladier and Neville Chamberlain , saw potential danger in such

516-532: A common Polish-Hungarian frontier would mean a flanking of Germany, Germany was willing to face such a frontier only if Poland compensated by giving the Danzig Corridor to Germany. Poland refused the German proposal. On October 20, the Rusyns produced a resolution more or less in favour of a plebiscite on all of Subcarpathian Rus' becoming part of Hungary. Five days later, Subcarpathian Prime Minister Andriy Borody

602-512: A common platform to that end, and in November 1938 Hitler negotiated with the Hungarian government concerning the fate of Czechoslovakia. Hungarian representatives considered an overt attack on Czechoslovakia too dangerous and wanted to preserve that country's relations with France and Britain, whose support in the question of Hungarian minorities was conditional on Hungary's not joining with Germany in military actions. This outraged Hitler and led to

688-518: A complex solution, but the Italian delegate, Prime Minister Benito Mussolini , allowed Hungarian demands to be reflected in an appendix to the agreement. It requested Czechoslovakia to resolve questions with Hungary and Poland within three months by bilateral negotiations, or matters would be resolved by the four signatories of the agreement. After the acceptance of the ultimatum concerning Trans-Olza , which had been annexed by Czechoslovakia in 1920 after

774-501: A guarantee of new borders from the side of Axis powers and proposed it officially on October 22. Czechoslovakia offered to cede Hungary territory that had 494,646 Hungarians and 168,632 Slovaks and to retain Bratislava, Nitra and Košice. Hungary turned down the proposal, which caused Germany to withdraw its position as mediator. Hungary demanded for the territories offered by Czechoslovakia to be immediately occupied by Hungary, for there be

860-658: A last time under the name Komárom-Esztergom county. Religion in Komárom-Esztergom County (2022 census – of those who declared their religion (57.0%)) In 2015, it had a population of 299,110 and the population density was 132/km. Hungarians constitute the majority of the population. The chief minorities are ethnic Germans (approx. 9,000), Roma (4,000) and Slovaks (3,000). Total population (2011 census): 304,568 Ethnic groups (2011 census): Identified themselves: 270 933 persons: Approx. 48,000 persons in Komárom-Esztergom County did not declare an ethnic group at

946-462: A line defined by Devín (Hungarian: Dévény ), Bratislava ( Pozsony ), Nitra ( Nyitra ), Tlmače ( Garamtolmács ), Levice ( Léva ), Lučenec ( Losonc ), Rimavská Sobota ( Rimaszombat ), Jelšava ( Jolsva ), Rožňava ( Rozsnyó ), Košice ( Kassa ), Trebišov ( Tőketerebes ), Pavlovce nad Uhom ( Pálóc ), Uzhhorod ( Slovak : Užhorod , Hungarian: Ungvár ), Mukacheve ( Mukačevo , Munkács ), and Vinogradiv ( Nagyszőlős ). The territory

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1032-527: A military administration on the redeemed territories. On November 11, Horthy solemnly entered the main town, Košice (Kassa). The military administration was changed to a civilian administration on December 21, 1938. The recovered Upper Hungary territories were incorporated into Hungary on November 12, 1938, by an act of the Hungarian Parliament. By following the former counties of the Kingdom of Hungary ,

1118-755: A new Gran (Esztergom) county administered by the Military District of Pest-Ofen . The districts were dissolved and traditional counties restored in 1860. Until the later 19th century the area of Lábatlan and Piszke (now merged with Lábatlan) was an exclave of Komárom county within Esztergom county. In 1920 the Treaty of Trianon assigned the part of Komárom county north of the Danube to Czechoslovakia ( Komárno region ). The southern part stayed in Hungary and merged with

1204-904: A plebiscite in the disputed territory and for Subcarpathia to "decide its own future". Czechoslovakia found it unacceptable to cede territories immediately that had not been the subject of discussion and to resolve the question of the remaining parts later. By accepting the proposal, Czechoslovak border fortifications would become Hungarian, and the Hungarian Army could invade more Czechoslovak territory. Hungary also warned that if Czechoslovakia refused that proposal, Hungary would demand arbitration (Italo-German in Western Slovakia, Italo-German-Polish in Eastern Slovakia and Subcarpathian Rus'). Then, Czechoslovakia would have no choice but to accept Hungarian demands or to agree with arbitration. That decision

1290-756: A plebiscite on Slovaks and Ruthenians for rejoining Hungary was rejected by Czechoslovakia as irrelevant because the Munich Agreement did not address question of either nation, the idea violated the sovereignty of Czechoslovakia and the Ruthenian delegate declared that the Ruthenian nation (except communists) had already expressed its will to live in Czechoslovakia. The Hungarian delegation rejected several Czechoslovak proposals, such as an offer to create an autonomous Hungarian territory within Slovakia. Kánya characterised

1376-585: The Czechoslovak Legion occupied the towns of Párkány and Komárom on the northern bank of the Danube . The workers' council and directory of Esztergom county were formed in its county center, while the directory of Komárom county was formed in New Komárom on the southern bank of the Danube . After the Treaty of Trianon the northern parts of the two counties became parts of Czechoslovakia . After

1462-729: The Polish border, thereby restoring a common Hungarian–Polish border, which had existed before the 1772 First Partition of Poland -Lithuania. Before the end of World War I and the Treaties of Trianon and Saint Germain , the Carpathian region of the former Kingdom of Hungary ( Transleithania ) in Austria-Hungary had, to the north, bordered the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria , a constituent part of Austria's Cisleithania . Six months after Hungary occupied

1548-630: The Rye Island . After World War II, the pre-war situation was reestablished, but in 1950, the county was renamed to Komárom as the county was rearranged and received some extra territories. This county was renamed to Komárom-Esztergom County in 1990. The part of the former county north of the river Danube is now in Slovakia , is part of the Nitra region and is largely identical with the Komárno district. The territory to

1634-517: The Szőny suburb of Komárom on the southern bank) and Perbete Stuhlbezirk ('seat-district'); Esztergom's Muzsla Stuhlbezirk and a small part of Győr County on the north bank – were combined into a new Komárom county (under the German name Comorn ) administered by the Military District of Preßburg ; the southern parts of the traditional Komárom and Esztergom counties, including Komárom's Kócs and Dotis Stuhlbezirke , were merged to form

1720-509: The treaty 44 villages from the former Komárom county and 22 towns from the former Esztergom county stayed in Hungary . In 1923 the two counties were merged under the name "Administratively pre-merged county of Komárom and Esztergom". After the First Vienna Award in 1938, the two counties were restored to their former size. The size of Komárom county also increased significantly because

1806-616: The 11th century as one of the first comitatuses of the Kingdom of Hungary. It was situated within a radius of about 20 km around Komárom. In the aftermath of the revolutions of 1848 in the Austrian Empire Hungary came under military administration and was divided into five military districts. In 1850 Komárom and Esztergom counties were divided along the Danube: the areas north of the river – Komárom's Comorn (Komárom) Land- and Stadtbezirke (land- and city-districts, including

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1892-416: The 1920 Treaty of Trianon . In March 1933 Hungary's prime minister declared that Hungary "wanted justice on the historical principle" and desired the restoration to Hungary of Hungarian-inhabited territories that Hungary had lost after World War I. In June 1933 Hungarian Prime Minister Gyula Gömbös visited Germany, meeting with Adolf Hitler , and they concluded that Czechoslovakia was a principal obstacle to

1978-1201: The 2011 census. Religious adherence in the county according to 2011 census: The Komárom-Esztergom County Council, elected at the 2024 local government elections, is made up of 15 counselors, with the following party composition: Komárom-Esztergom County has 1 urban county , 11 towns , 3 large villages and 61 villages. The county is ranked second in terms of population density among counties in Hungary: 66% of people live in towns. (ordered by population, as of 2011 census ) [REDACTED] municipalities are large villages. 47°35′N 18°20′E  /  47.583°N 18.333°E  / 47.583; 18.333 Kom%C3%A1rom County Komárom county (in Latin: comitatus Comaromiensis , in Hungarian: Komárom (vár)megye , in Slovak: Komárňanský komitát / Komárňanská stolica / Komárňanská župa , in German: Komorner Gespanschaft / Komitat Komorn )

2064-532: The Czechoslovak census of 1930. By considering the average population growth since the last census, it is possible to estimate the total size of population at the time of the arbitration at 935,000 people, 300,000 of whom were Slovaks or Czechs. Czechoslovakia lost also additional territory in Carpathian Ruthenia. Czechoslovakia lost the direct railway connection to Carpathian Ruthenia and to its ally Romania. Between October 28 and 29, 1938, Béla Imrédy and

2150-469: The Czechoslovak delegation proposed another solution. The goal of the Czechoslovak proposal was to the create borders with balanced minorities in both states (including Slovaks in Békés County ). As well as the principle of balanced minorities, the proposal included the Czechoslovak strategic interest of preserving the railway to Carpathian Ruthenia. Pál Teleki rejected the proposal without a deeper study as

2236-583: The Czechoslovak invasion that triggered the Polish-Czechoslovak War , up to the armistice line, and smaller disputed border areas by Poland, the Hungarian question had remained open. Poland later annexed further small border territories in northern Slovakia (on 1 December 1938, villages in Kysuce , Orava and Spiš ) comprising 226 km , with 4,280 inhabitants (see separate article, Polish–Czechoslovak border conflicts ). The Hungarian government understood

2322-523: The Czechoslovak side ( Bratislava , Nitra , Uzhorod and Mukachevo ; the question of Košice was open ). Germany rejected the accusations and declared that Ribbentrop line was created after it had consulted Darányi and that he had agreed to it. When the Hungarian government insisted, Ribbentrop announced that German mediation had ended. At the same time as Darányi, Czechoslovak Foreign Minister František Chvalkovský also visited Germany to negotiate with its representatives. Hitler blamed Czechoslovakia for

2408-630: The Danube near Parkan (Párkány). The Czechoslovak situation was worse in Carpathian Ruthenia , with its lower density of fortifications; there paramilitary units of the Rongyos Gárda infiltrated Czechoslovakia. The first two units of the Rongyos Gárda crossed the border on October 6, 1938, and two days later, they blew up the bridge over the Borozhava River . Such actions continued during

2494-464: The Hungarian claims for Bratislava . Instead, he advised Hungary to continue the negotiations and to preserve the ethnic principle. He proposed for Germany to act as a mediator. Ribbentrop and Darányi agreed on a map which would be offered to Czechoslovakia ("Ribbentrop line"). The line later became source of misunderstanding between Hungary and Germany. According to Darányi, Ribbentrop did not accept his requests because several important towns remained on

2580-448: The Hungarian minority lived (Austria, Romania and Yugoslavia). Tiso noted that he, for example, had been counted as a Hungarian during that census. Meanwhile, the Hungarian delegation did not accept the results of the Czechoslovak census and proposed to use the 1880 Hungarian census, before the peak of Magyarization, as a compromise. The Hungarians also did not agree on the definition of purely-Hungarian towns like Košice. The request for

2666-556: The Hungarians with border conflicts and diversion actions in Czechoslovakia. The first conflict occurred in the early morning of October 5, 1938, when troops of the Royal Hungarian Army crossed the border and attacked Czechoslovak positions near Jesenské with the goal of capturing Rimavská Sobota . Hungarian troops withdrew after the arrival of Czechoslovak reinforcements, which killed nine Hungarians and captured prisoners. Two days later, Hungarian troops again attempted to cross

Komárom-Esztergom County - Misplaced Pages Continue

2752-406: The Hungarians. As Ciano saw it, "The truth is that he intends to protect Czechoslovakia as far as he can and sacrifice the ambitions, even the legitimate ambitions, of Hungary". After October 17, activities around Subcarpathian Rus' intensified. Poland proposed a partition of Subcarpathian Rus' among Hungary, Poland and Romania . Romania, a staunch ally of Czechoslovakia against Hungary, rejected

2838-488: The Munich Conference, but Czechoslovakia presented the latest 1930 figures and contested the validity of the 1910 census. Later, Czechoslovakia also presented figures from Hungarian censuses before 1900. It considered the 1910 census as unacceptable because it represented the peak of Magyarization and differed from previous Hungarian and later Czechoslovak censuses as well as postwar censuses from other countries in which

2924-531: The Slovak cabinet, and General Rudolf Viest . The central government of Czechoslovakia was represented by Ivan Krno , Political Director of the Czechoslovak Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who held rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary. Autonomous Carpathian Ruthenia was represented by Ivan Párkányi , who was a minister without portfolio . The Czechoslovak (Slovak and Ruthenian) delegation

3010-543: The appendix of the Munich Agreement as an agreement of the Great Powers for the revision of peace treaties and emphasised that it did not mean only the revision of borders based on ethnicity but also the eventual restoration of Hungarian territory before 1918 and the creation of a common border with Poland. Official Hungarian circles were aware that Hungary alone was too weak to enforce its territorial demands towards Czechoslovakia because they knew that any attack would encounter

3096-430: The area of Csallóköz , which previously belonged to Pozsony county , was also added to it, so it consisted of six districts now, as opposed to the previous four. As a consequence of the temporary armistice following World War II the 1937 borders of the country were restored. Due to this a temporary administrative reorganization was conducted, where the previous Komárom and Esztergom counties were now merged for

3182-433: The award had been announced, János Esterházy , a leader of the Hungarian minority in Slovakia, proposed for Hungary to return to Slovakia 1000 km of the territory that Hungary had received, predominantly Slovak lands between Šurany (Nagysurány) and Palárikovo (Tótmegyer), to ensure the long-term peaceful co-existence between both nations. His proposal was not accepted by the Hungarian government. The obvious violation of

3268-585: The award in which anti-Hungarian slogans were shouted and Hungarian houses or cultural institutions were damaged. On the third anniversary, a mob furious at the shooting of Slovaks by Hungarian police in Komjatice destroyed the Hungarian Cultural House. Hungary annulled Point 4 of Article 27 of the Treaty of Trianon , which committed it to respect the new borders that were defined by the treaty. According to Deák, Hungary also violated Articles 48 and 49 of

3354-612: The behavior of the Slovaks". However, the situation in Central Europe changed after the Munich Agreement, and the German-Hungarian-Polish bloc was over. Germany refused to take steps to strengthen Hungary. Hitler declared that if Hungary started a conflict, nobody would help it. He rejected the idea of a common conference of the four signers of the Munich Agreement, the demands for plebiscites in Slovakia and Carpathian Ruthenia and

3440-552: The census of 1900, the county was composed of the following religious communities: Total: In the early 20th century, the subdivisions of Komárom county were: Komárno , Zemianska Olča , Dvory nad Žitavou and Hurbanovo are now in Slovakia. First Vienna Award The First Vienna Award was a treaty signed on 2 November 1938 pursuant to the Vienna Arbitration, which took place at Vienna 's Belvedere Palace . The arbitration and award were direct consequences of

3526-426: The central government. After it had been emphasised that it is mainly the interest of Slovakia, they decided to accept. Moreover, Tiso hoped that his Hungarian partners would more likely accept concessions if they did not negotiate with representatives of the central government. Under the pressure of the threat of internal destabilisation of Czechoslovakia because of diverting actions and the further radicalisation of

Komárom-Esztergom County - Misplaced Pages Continue

3612-574: The city from the Ottomans, by armies led by John III Sobieski in 1696. The assembly was dissolved in both counties during Rákóczi's War of Independence , and then it was reformed after the war, in Esztergom county in 1710 and in Komárom county in 1712. Esztergom county was one of the two counties in which the leadership consisted of common nobles and not religious and political leaders (the other one being Pest-Pilis-Solt-Kiskun county ). They were not granted

3698-534: The county. It also covered the eastern part of the island between the Danube and the Little Danube (Slovak Žitný ostrov translates as English: Rye Island , Hungarian: Csallóköz ). Around 1910 its area was 2,834 km (1,094 sq mi). The capital of the county was the Komárom Castle and later the town of Komárom (the town was divided into Komárom - Komárno ). The Komárom comitatus arose in

3784-472: The elimination of the largest communication, economic and cultural centre it the east and on the interruption of the railway to Carpathian Ruthenia and allied Romania. That would totally isolate the eastern part of the republic, which could be later annexed by Hungary. Both Tiso and Ďurčanský believed that they had persuaded Hitler. Tiso sent a letter to Prague to notify on the positive results. A few days later, Ribbentrop revealed himself to be quite hostile to

3870-404: The end of the war of independence of 1848-1849 , but the commission of Esztergom county was disrupted by the occupation of imperial troops on 15 January 1849. After the war the leadership of the counties was headed by Imperial–royal commissioners. In 1851 the parts of the counties that lay on the southern bank of the Danube were reorganized as Esztergom county with Esztergom as its center, and

3956-502: The entry of Hitler's army into the Sudetenland . The result of arbitration was met by most of the Hungarian population by local statements of disagreement. Hungarian Honvéds were not welcomed also in some "pure Hungarian" villages, and in one village, their accommodation had to be arranged by force. The ceded territories were occupied by the Royal Hungarian Army ( Magyar Királyi Honvédség ) between November 5 and 10, 1938. Hungary imposed

4042-517: The ethnic balance between the two countries' minorities, which had repeatedly been endorsed years earlier by Hungary, and the short period between the award and a Hungarian attack against Slovakia in March 1939, caused anti-Hungarian sentiment and social movements to become a significant unifying element for Slovaks during the Second World War. Anti-Hungarian demonstrations were held on each anniversary of

4128-669: The failure of negotiations with Hungary and requested their renewal. He gave Chvalkovský a map with the Ribbentrop line and promised to guarantee new borders, which were based on that proposal. Back in Prague, Chvalkovský recommended to accept the Ribbentrop line. However, the Slovak autonomous government was against such a solution and hoped to achieve further corrections. On October 19, Tiso and Ďurčanský met with Ribbentrop in Munich and managed to persuade him to assign Košice to Czechoslovakia and to accept

4214-505: The four signatories of the Munich Agreement to be the adjudicators. As the United Kingdom and France had decided not to make any decision, the adjudicators became German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop and Italian Foreign Minister Galeazzo Ciano . On October 13, the day that the negotiations deadlocked, Hungary conducted a partial mobilisation. Czechoslovakia performed actions to strengthen its security and declared martial law in

4300-414: The frontier region. After the failure of bilateral negotiations, the border dispute escalated to a wider international level. The Axis powers took the initiative in favour of Hungary to realise their own plans for the region. Hungary sent delegations to both Italy and Germany. Count Csáky went to Rome. Kálmán Darányi went to Germany and told Hitler that Hungary was ready to fight and "[would] not accept

4386-487: The introduction of other parties from Hungary. The United Hungarian Party then used its power for the persecution of Slovaks and of Hungarians who had disagreed with the activities against Czechoslovakia before the award. After the Vienna Award, the Hungarian government and United Hungarian Party organised celebrations and a triumphant entry of the Hungarian Army into the redeemed territories. Organizers consciously imitated

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4472-633: The leader of the United Hungarian Party Andor Jaross made an agreement that representatives of the party who stayed in the redeemed territories would be part of a civic group of general staff, which would hold supreme authority. One of its parts (the Upper Country Unification Group) later became the basis for the Ministry for Upper Country, led by Jaross. All other political parties were banned, and obstacles were made for

4558-604: The line to the border with Romania . That included the towns of Senec (Szenc), Galanta (Galánta), Vráble (Verebély), Levice (Léva), Lučenec (Losonc), Rimavská Sobota (Rimaszombat), Jelšava (Jolsva), Rožnava (Rozsnyó), Košice (Kassa), Michaľany (Szentmihályfalva), Veľké Kapušany (Nagykapos), Uzhhorod (Ungvár), and Mukachevo (Munkács). Slovakia lost 10,390 km with 854,277 inhabitants – 503,980 Hungarians (58,99%), 272,145 Slovaks or Czechs (32,43%), 26,151 Jews (3,06%), 8,947 Germans (1,05%), 1,825 Ruthenians, 14,617 other and 26,005 foreign citizens according to

4644-564: The negotiations and after the First Vienna Award. During the second day of bilateral negotiations (October 10, 1938), Hungarian troops murdered a railway officer in Borozhava and damaged railway facilities. Czechoslovakia had an interest in stabilising the situation because its foreign ministry had to resolve problems with Poland and Germany and did not want to start negotiations before October 15. The Czechoslovak minister of foreign affairs

4730-569: The negotiations was to demand areas in which at least 50% of Hungarians lived according to the 1910 census. That formulation was chosen with respect to the signers of the Munich Agreement , but Hungary also requested areas that did not match those criteria. On the first day, Hungary supplied memorandum with the requested territorial changes. The Hungarians further demanded a plebiscite in the remaining territory in which Slovaks and Ruthenians would declare whether they wanted to be incorporated into Hungary. Hungary demanded territories up to and including

4816-466: The negotiations. The central government in Prague was aware that the delegation should be led by a Slovak and considered Milan Hodža or Imrich Karvaš . However, after the creation of an autonomous government, Foreign Minister František Chvalkovský proposed its representatives: Jozef Tiso or Ferdinand Ďurčanský . Both politicians at first refused on the justification that the role was in competition with

4902-406: The negotiations. The negotiations were a formality, and a new border was drawn after half a day. When the award was announced by Ribbentrop around 7 p.m., the Czechoslovak delegation was so shocked that Tiso actually had to be talked by Ribbentrop and Chvalkovský into signing the document. Czechoslovakia had to surrender the territories in southern Slovakia and southern Carpathian Ruthenia south of

4988-494: The north of the Danube is part of Slovakia ( Nitra region ) and is largely identical with the Komárno district. The territory to the south of the Danube is part of Hungary. The town on the northern shore was renamed to Komárno. Komárno and Komárom are today connected by the Elisabeth Bridge. In 1900, the county had a population of 180,024 people and was composed of the following linguistic communities: Total: According to

5074-501: The occupied territory was divided into two new counties with seats in Nové Zámky and Levice, and some lands became part of other Hungarian counties. On 30 November 1938 Czechoslovakia ceded to Poland small patches of land in Spiš and Orava regions. Tiso took the result personally, especially because he had failed to arrange the evacuation of Košice. He announced the results of the award on

5160-419: The parts on the northern bank were reorganized as Komárom county with Komárom as its center. These reformed counties only existed until 1860. After that the county commissions elected in 1848 restored them to their previous state. Towards the end of the 19th century, two towns in Komárom county — Lábatlan and Piszke — were added to Esztergom county, during the reorganization of counties in 1876. In January 1919

5246-431: The previous month's Munich Agreement , which resulted in the partitioning of Czechoslovakia . Though some from the government called for military action, Hungarian revisionism primarily aimed to restore the historical boundaries peacefully. In the interwar period, Hungary was weaker economically and militarily than the neighbours against which it had territorial claims. Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy had supported

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5332-411: The prior approval of Germany, which insisted on its negative opinion, Hitler's disagreement, Ribbentrop's disappointment with previous negotiations with Darányi and the danger of military conflict if one country did not accept the results. Hungary managed to persuade Italy that the powerful German influence that was exercised through Czechoslovakia could be eliminated by a strong Hungary. Ciano accepted

5418-424: The prior proposal of keeping balanced minorities both in Czechoslovakia and Hungary. Czechoslovak experts prepared material that argued that the Hungarian statistics were unreliable and that the Hungarian demands did not comply with the ethnic principle but were driven by foreign policy and strategic factors. They argued that Hungarian claims for Košice were not motivated by ethnic or historical reasons but focused on

5504-533: The proposal and even offered military support for Czechoslovakia in Subcarpathia. Hungary, in turn, attempted to persuade the Subcarpathian Rus' representatives to become part of Hungary. A common Polish-Hungarian border, which would arise by a Hungarian annexation of Subcarpathian Rus', had been a longtime dream of both Poland and Hungary, Poland was moving troops toward that border for support. However, since

5590-522: The proposal and promised to advocate Hungarian interests. During Ribbentrop's visit to Rome (October 27–30, 1938), Ciano persuaded Ribbentrop on the importance of arbitration for the Axis powers's future position in the region, and Ribbentrop promised to persuade Hitler. Italy took the initiative and proposed to achieve common agreement in Rome as a basis for arbitration. Ciano, who had been briefed by Hungarian experts,

5676-463: The proposal as a "bad joke" and declared that it was "absolutely impossible to discuss this question". Czechoslovakia then offered to cede Great Rye Island (Slovak: Žitný ostrov , Hungarian: Csallóköz , 1838 km , with 105,418 inhabitants, almost all of whom were Hungarians), the creation of a free port in the town of Komárno and a population exchange in the remaining frontier regions. Hungary turned down that offer as well, and on October 13,

5762-411: The radio late in the evening and blamed the central government for its long-term policy but accepted the result. The First Vienna Award finally refuted interwar Hungarian propaganda that "Slovak brothers" dreamed about returning to the 1000-year Hungarian Empire and could not openly declare their opinion under Czech domination. It also led to worsening anti-Hungarian sentiment in Slovakia. Shortly after

5848-537: The rank of lord-lieutenant unlike the leaders of other counties; they could only acquire vice-ispán and other lower ranks. The two counties were first merged in 1786 by Joseph II , with the new center being Tata. The merged county was separated after his death in 1790, and both Esztergom and Komárom were granted the rank of county center. The noble leadership was replaced by county commissions in both counties in May 1848. The county commission of Komárom county functioned until

5934-557: The remainder of Carpathian Rus', in September 1939, after the German invasion of Poland, the Polish government and tens of thousands of Polish soldiers (including airmen and ground crews) including Stanisław Maczek 's 10th Motorized Cavalry Brigade as well as volunteers (collectively known as " Sikorski's tourists " by reference to an official statement by Joseph Goebbels ) evacuated to internment Hungary and Romania, from where (thanks partly to

6020-400: The resistance of the more modern Czechoslovak Army . Therefore, Hungary decided to fight Czechoslovakia in the diplomatic field instead and to push for territorial revision in the spirit of Munich Agreement. The Munich Agreement had defined a three-month period to resolve Hungarian demands, but the Hungarian government pushed to start negotiations immediately. The pressure was increased by

6106-652: The results. The award was made in Vienna by the foreign ministers of Germany, Joachim von Ribbentrop , and of Italy, Galeazzo Ciano . The Hungarian delegation was led by Foreign Minister Kálmán Kánya , accompanied by Education Minister Pál Teleki . The Czechoslovak delegation was led by Foreign Minister František Chvalkovský , accompanied by Ivan Krno . Important members of the Czechoslovak delegation included representatives of Subcarpathian Rus' (Prime Minister Avgustyn Voloshyn ) and of Slovakia (Prime Minister Jozef Tiso and Justice Minister Ferdinand Ďurčanský ). Also present

6192-563: The situation in Hungary, Czechoslovakia agreed to begin negotiations on October 9. Negotiations were held between October 9 and October 13, 1938, in Komárno , on the Slovak northern bank of the Danube River , just on the border with Hungary. The Czechoslovak delegation was led by Jozef Tiso , the prime minister of the autonomous government, without any experience with similar negotiations, and it included Ferdinand Ďurčanský , Minister of Justice in

6278-476: The southern part of Esztergom county to form Komárom-Esztergom County in 1923. The forming of Czechoslovakia, whose border in the south became the Danube River, separated the seat of the county, Komárom, from its southern half. In 1938, the Czechoslovak part became part of Hungary by the First Vienna Award . Komárom county was recreated, which included, besides the territory of pre-1920 Komárom County, most of

6364-507: The tacit acceptance local governments) were able to go on to on to France and to French-mandated Syria to fight in the Polish Armed Forces in the West . After World War II , the 1947 Treaty of Paris declared the Vienna Award null and void. From 1933 Hungary closely coordinated its foreign policies with those of Nazi Germany, in the hope of revising Hungary's borders as established in

6450-647: The territorial claims of the Kingdom of Hungary , and revision of the 1920 Treaty of Trianon . Nazi Germany had already violated the Versailles Treaty by the remilitarization of the Rhineland (7 March 1936) and the Anschluss of Austria (12 March 1938). The First Vienna Award separated, from Czechoslovakia , territories in southern Slovakia and southern Carpathian Rus' which were mostly Hungarian -populated and returned them to Hungary. Hungary thus regained some of

6536-478: The territories (now parts of Slovakia and Ukraine ) which Hungary had lost after World War I under the Treaty of Trianon. Czechoslovakia also ceded to Poland small patches of land in Spiš and Orava regions. In mid-March 1939 Adolf Hitler gave Hungary permission to occupy the remainder of Carpathian Rus' (officially known as Carpatho-Ukraine since December 1938). This advanced Hungary's territory northward, up to

6622-458: The three border castles stopping the Ottoman conquest for long decades. During the Ottoman occupation of Hungary , Esztergom became the center of a sanjak spanning across several counties. Komárom county on the other hand was continuously functioning, its castle was never captured by the conquering armies. The general assembly of nobles in Esztergom county was reintroduced after the liberation of

6708-555: Was Hermann Göring . A few days before the arbitration, Budapest had received messages from some borderline villages that rejected becoming part of Hungary ("Stay there, do not liberate us. We are having a good time, better than you, liberate yourself"). The arbitration began in the Belvedere Palace , in Vienna , at noon on November 2, 1938. The Czechoslovak and the Hungarian delegations were allowed to present their arguments. Chvalkovský

6794-490: Was 14,106 km (with 12,124 km in Slovakia and 1,982 km in Carpathian Ruthenia). It included 1,346,000 citizens (1,136,000 in Slovakia, 210,000 in Carpathian Ruthenia). According to the last census, 678,000 of them had declared a non-Hungarian nationality (553,000 in Slovakia, 125,000 in Carpathian Ruthenia) in 1930. Hungary also requested the immediate takeover of two border towns from Czechoslovakia as

6880-457: Was an administrative county ( comitatus ) of the Kingdom of Hungary , situated on both sides of the Danube river. Today, the territory to the north of the Danube is part of Slovakia , while the territory to the south of the Danube is part of Hungary . Komárom County shared borders with the counties of Győr , Pozsony , Nyitra , Bars , Esztergom , Pest-Pilis-Solt-Kiskun , Fejér and Veszprém . The rivers Danube Vág and Nyitra ran through

6966-399: Was arrested in Prague, and Subcarpathian Foreign Minister Avhustyn Voloshyn was appointed prime minister. He was willing to consider the cession of only ethnically-Hungarian territories to Hungary and rejected the idea of a plebiscite. Negotiations between Czechoslovakia and Hungary resumed by diplomatic channels. Czechoslovakia adopted the "Ribbentrop line" in the hope that it would receive

7052-468: Was brief and left the task of presenting the Czechoslovak case to Krno. Despite explicit demands by the Czechoslovak representatives, both arbiters refused to let Tiso and Voloshyn participate. Ribbentrop and Ciano reasoned that only the representatives of central governments could participate (Czechoslovakia, rather than the partially-autonomous Slovakia or Carpatho-Ruthenia). They assumed that Chvalkovský would be more submissive and that Tiso would complicate

7138-473: Was focused on building new relationships with Germany and Italy to negotiate guarantees for new borders. After the Munich Agreement, all political subjects in Slovakia concluded that it is necessary to change the Slovak position and declared its autonomy on October 6, 1938. The new autonomous government understood the definition of borders as a priority, and the Slovak People's Party requested to participate in

7224-434: Was forced also by fact that both France and Britain had lost interest on Czechoslovakia and considered the region to be in the German sphere of influence. Both parties hoped that Germany would support their demands. The Slovak autonomous government also accepted the idea of arbitration with unrealistic expectations, based on Ribbentrop's assurances. Although the Hungarian government demanded arbitration, it had not had have

7310-430: Was in a better position than the less-informed Ribbentrop and so achieved several important concessions. On October 31, the Hungarian envoy in Rome confidentially informed Hungarian government, "Ribbentrop definitely agreed with the return of Košice , Uzhorod and Mukachevo ". On October 29, 1938, Czechoslovakia and Hungary officially asked Germany and Italy to arbitrate and declared in advance that they would abide by

7396-537: Was not completely prepared for lack of time. By contrast, the Hungarian delegation comprised experienced individuals and was led by Foreign Minister Kálmán Kánya and Education Minister Pál Teleki . The Hungarian government welcomed the composition of Czechoslovak delegation and believed that it would be easier to influence the inexperienced Slovak politicians by promises. That expectation was not fulfilled since other Slovak delegates rejected any possibility of returning to Hungary. The Hungarian government's strategy for

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