“The Zrínyis Were Not Only Heroes But Also Patriots”

On the morning of the national day of honor, in the presence of Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic and Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Veysi Kaynak, President of Hungary Dr. János Áder inaugurated a statue to Miklós Zrínyi and his soldiers. In his speech delivered on the 450th anniversary of the death of the military commander, Dr. János Áder pointed out that “For Miklós Zrínyi, faithfulness and persistence were as natural as air. He knew that he must defend something that is much greater and more important than the castle walls. He had to defend he king, to whom he swore his oath, and the homeland that his forebears had also defended heroically.

János Áder pointed out that Zrínyi could have kept aloof of the fight due to his rank and wealth, but he thought that the ones who were given more opportunity than others by their birth also bear great responsibility. The President of Hungary quoted a line from the work “The Peril of Sziget" written by the namesake great-grandson of the heroic military commander: “We have lived valiantly, let us die valiantly, setting an example to the world".

In the afternoon – in the presence of János Hóvári, President, Zrínyi Miklós Memorial Committee – Dr. Gábor Földváry, Deputy State Secretary for Legal and Administrative Affairs, Ministry of Defence and Croatian Deputy Defence Minister Tomislav Ivic laid a wreath by the newly inaugurated monument.

At the evening ceremony, after the words of welcome said by Péter Vass, Mayor of Szigetvár, Minister of Defence Dr. István Simicskó delivered a speech. “Suleiman led the strongest army in the world to here. Miklós Zrínyi and his 2500 men defending the castle stopped this world-beating army here. This huge human achievement involved an incredible amount of courage. They deserve that we pay tribute to them", he emphasized, adding a quote from Pál Vasvári: “This famous family was flourishing during those centuries in which valor was the highest civil virtue (…) Let’s not forget that the Zrínyis were not only heroes but also patriots."

The Minister of Defence also pointed out that today’s emerging threats dominating Europe and the world have a new look. Quoting the ancient Greek Antisthenes, Dr. István Simicskó said that “we have to pay attention to our enemies, because they are the first to discover our mistakes and weaknesses". He added that “It is often hard to tell friends from enemies in today’s world (….) We can see a peculiar globalization, in which the role of the states is weakening further and the civilizations are mixing. This is what we can see today in Europe too. We must join forces and stand united, knowing our values and traditions. The Hungarian nation can exist as long as there is a strong Hungarian state. If it weakens and becomes divided or ceases to exist, then the Hungarians’ existence will no longer be guaranteed. We need a strong Hungarian state with a strong Hungarian army, which defends our borders, traditions and values."

450 years ago, in 1566, Miklós Zrínyi and his 2500-strong army resisted the Ottoman siege for more than a month. During several unsuccessful attempts to capture the castle, the 60-80,000-strong Ottoman army lost 25,000 men. On the last day of the siege around noon – at the dawn of which 72-year-old Suleiman was already dead, but the leaders of his armies concealed this from the troops and the enemy – Zrínyi and his remaining 300 men took off their amours, put on their most beautiful ceremonial dresses, and charged at the attackers from the fortress, being aware of certain death and remaining eternally faithful to their homeland.

Photo: Veronika Dévényi