Armenians have been part of the Hungarian landscape from well before the birth of the first Hungarian Kingdom nearly 1000 years ago, and despite the often devastating effects of assimilation, their survival instinct has kept their Armenian identity alive.
Traces of the early Armenian presence are evident in every juncture of Hungarian history, often contained in historical documents describing many of Hungary's wars against invading armies.
Having already settled mainly in ancient Transylvania at a time when Hugary was ruled by King Stephan between 1001 and 1038, the Armenians have maintained an uninterrupted presence throughout the centuries.
They have often been associated with the royal families of Hungary, including that of King Andrew the Second, whose son was briefly engaged to Princess Zabel, the daughter of King Levon the First (1198-1219) of Armenia. The wedding did not materialize due to King Levon's death.
But the breakup did not have an adverse effect on the Armenian colonies in Hungary. In 1243, King Bela IV granted the Armenians special privileges in the Esztergom region of Hungary, giving them land and the right to build their own monasteries.
One of the historical seals of the ancient Hungarian village of Talmacs includes that of Bishop Martin, who added the region's Armenian Bishopric. Similar references are seen in the church records of Budapest, where Armenus Aegidius is mentioned as one of the city elders in the 15th century and Ermeni Stephanus as Chief Justice in the 16th century.
While mostly spread across Hungary, Armenians are more closely associated with Transylvania which was part of Hungary until 1526, then an autonomous region until 1848, then again part of Hungary until 1921 when it was integrated into Romania after the Allies drew up a postwar settlement under the Treaty of Trianon which drastically reduced Hungary's size.
The largest wave of Armenian immigrants began settling in what was then Hungarian Transylvania around 1672 with the encouragement and invitation of Prince Michael I of Apafi who gave the estimated 8,000 Armenian subjects of his Principality special privileges.
Armenians were soon to control 25 percent of the region's commerce and industry, establishing a number of Armenian towns and villages.
A historical document dated February 7, 1696 and signed by Prince Michael II of Apafi, ordered local rulers to treat the Armenians with special care.
"Let no one dare harm the Armenians. No one has the right to arrest them or put them in prison," he dictated,
He further went on to give the Armenians the right to establish their own courts, local administrations and community affairs.
"Let everyone know that if any Armenians are subjected to any kind of harsh and unjust actions, we will always be there to protect them," he wrote.
This special relationship continued for decades, only to be cut short by the loss of Transylvania to the Austrian Empire. It was during this war that the Armenian minority sided with the Hungarians and later threatened to leave the region if some of their privileges were not restored.
The threat paid off, and in the year 1700, the Armenians were allowed to establish themselves in a new city, Armenopolis, later known Szamosujvar, and more recently Gherla, where Armenians from the various regions of Transylvania soon gathered.
In an effort to consolidate and organize their status, the Armenians of Armenopolis established a "Council of Elders" in 1714, and in the following year they were officially recognized as the rulers of the city.
Here, the Armenian businessmen were strong enough to approach Austrian Emperor Carlos IV and request permission to expand to the nearby town of Erzsebetvaros (Elizabeth-Town), which was rapidly becoming another major center of Armenian habitation.
Permission was not only granted in 1733, but other ethnic groups living there were asked to leave and the Armenians given wide-ranging privileges including tax exemption, the election of their own leaders and permission to build and expand their city.
Historical records show that until as late as 1916, all the elected mayors of Erzsebetvaros were of Armenian origin.
It was in Erzsebetvaros that the first Armenian school was established in 1729, which was later expanded in 1744 thanks to a major financial donation by a local Armenian by the name of Bedros Kapayan. The city also had a special Armenian school for girls which was opened in 1730.
Already well entrenched in Hungarian life, the Armenians flourished in Transylvania, especially in the major cities where an estimated 10,000-15,000 Armenians lived until the 19th century.
Throughout the centuries, and despite the political and military upheavals of the region, the Armenians have maintained an active presence.
Many were involved in trade, especially in livestock, while others exported wood for boat construction in England and France. Alongside the rich merchant class, there were also artisans, and tannery owners who exported thousands of pieces of processed leather to nearby countries.
As in peacetime, the Armenians have also played an active role at times of war and foreign invasions.
In 1686, an Armenian tailor by the name of Kapriel Tokhatetsi, is said to have helped the local Hungarian authorities in Buda, which is present-day Budapest, in their war of liberation against the Ottoman Turks.
According to historical records, Tokhatetsi not only provided the armies fighting the Turks with vital military information, "but, at the appropriate time, blew up the Turkish military depot of the city".
"This ordinary Armenian has done a lot for the liberation of Buda from Turkish rule," one historian has said.
It was during the same war against the Ottoman Turks, that Hungary's well-established Armenian minority donated 100,000 Forints to the war effort and later another 15,000 Forints to repair damage caused by the fighting.
Later, during financial crises, the community also donated large sums of money to the central government as a "national debt to their adopted country."
Here, historians note a major financial donation in the 1700's by the Armenians of Szamosujvar towards the establishment of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.
Most prominent, however, was the role the Armenians played in the 1848-49 Hungarian War of Independence against Austrian rule.
In this historical battle, hundreds of Armenian officers and enlisted men were killed in the war effort which was led by 13 top generals, including three Hungarians of Armenian origin—Ernest (Erno) Kiss (Bzdikian), Vilmos Lazar (Ghazarian) and Janos Czetz (Tzetzian).
The first two were later executed by the Austrians and the third, Janos Czetz managed to escape to Argentina where he founded that nation's military academy.
Today, the government and people of Hungary, mark the occasion of their martyrdom on October 6 as a national day of mourning, an event in which the Armenian community of Hungary also participates to remember its own heroes.
More than 1000 years have passed since the Armenians first settled in Hungary. Wars, political upheavals and assimilation have taken their toll, but their survival instinct has kept them going throughout the centuries.
The renaissance of today's Armenian community of Hungary is the best witness to their determination to keep their ethnic roots alive.
