For what the bell tolls

The main patrons of the event were Dr. Zsolt Semjén, Deputy Prime Minister, Dr. Csaba Hende, Minister of Defence, and Cardinal Dr. Péter Erdõ; the patrons were the mayors of towns and villages involved. In Heroes’ Square, the commemoration began on June 22, at noon sharp, with the tolling of the Basilica’s bells and the national anthem.

After the opening speech of Dr. Ágoston Schulek, Chairman, Hungarian Heritage and Europe Association, Defence Minister Dr. Csaba Hende delivered the following address in front of János Hunyadi’s statue.

Mr Chairman! Dear Mayors! Dear commemorating audience! Ladies and Gentlemen!

Originally, legend means a book we have to read. We have to read it to learn from it and become wiser. Today – thanks to you – we recall one of the most beautiful stories in Hungarian history.

Ladies and Gentlemen!

The Ottoman Empire was brought into existence by the desire to conquer, and the compulsion to conquer kept it together. In order to guarantee the livelihood and wages of the vast numbers of officials and the gigantic army, they had to get spoils constantly. The empire that obtained new resources by conquering new provinces, became more powerful and began the next conquest. A strong social group emerged whose livelihood was conquest and who did not simply take part in wars but also forced them from time to time. This is why it was impossible to live in peace in the Ottoman Empire.

Hungary had to engage this unbelievably aggressive conquering power. Hungarian rulers had no other choice if they wanted to prevent pillaging in the country and the destruction of the Hungarian state. The nobility had no other choice if they wanted to keep their assets and lands. And the ordinary man had no other choice if he wanted to protect his family, house, everything he had been working for in his life. It was in the common interest of the entire nation – even if there were some who disagreed or saw it differently.

Without citing long historic expositions, I have to underline: as time was passing, the Ottoman Empire was growing and our chances were decreasing. Realistic politicians of the period must have realised after a while that there was no help. The fall of Hungary was a historic necessity. There were two men, János Hunyadi and Mátyás Hunyadi, who brought a real turning point into this struggle.

Ladies and Gentlemen!

János Hunyadi devoted his entire life, his entire political career to the fight against the Ottomans. And he halted the Turkish expansion for a long time: he took the theatre away from the borders of Hungary and selected a place for it in the empire. The defeat at Rigómezõ broke his career and he had to give up his greatest dream: to drive the Ottomans away from Europe. When Sultan Mehmed, the conqueror of Byzantium also deployed every imperial force – the most powerful and modern war machine in the world in those days – to Nándorfehérvár, nobody would have thought that Hunyadi and the army assembling around him could put up resistance to it. It seemed that it was going to be the final stop: Hungary would get to the end of a long road.

Ladies and Gentlemen!

The Nándorfehérvár victory is a miracle. On the one hand, it is the miracle of souls, on the other hand, it is the miracle of expertise. The Nándorfehérvár victory is the miracle of souls, of a certain thing called unity that is mentioned so often by us. Back then Europe spoke a common language: the language of Christianity, and even though not everybody was willing to take up arms and fight against the common threat, a lot of people did that. A barefooted monk, Saint John of Capistrano helped the most. He went all over the country together with two of his brethren and his words made people realise that they had to unite their forces because they belonged together. He had the ability to bring people together: farmers and bourgeois with mercenaries and noblemen spending their life with waging war at the borders. He brought together the Serbians, Croatians, Jews, Bosnians, and every other nationalities as volunteers, with the Hungarians. The Nándorfehérvár victory is the miracle of expertise: the peak of Hungarian military profession. It is having a clear vision of what we are capable of and how we can do that with the available equipment. Hunyadi lost neither his strength of mind nor his sense of reality. Allow me to recall the words he said after the victorious battle at the river to the soldiers in the garrison, who had been blockaded and fired at with cannons for weeks: “What makes you scared? Is this the first time you see the Turks? We have often made them run – and there were times when we were running away from them. Why does it confuse you if you look at them, for you have already seen them a number of times. Are you not familiar with their arms and their courage? Therefore, lads, we should put our trust in Christ, for whose name we have often shed our blood, and let us fight bravely against his enemies, who are our enemies. Did Christ not die for us? We shall also die for him! May your soul be firm and brave in the battle. This enemy is cowardly, you know it. And if God is with us, we can crush the enemy easily. It is its habit to show its back, and it is not ashamed that it flees and runs away and returns home running. But why all this talk? For you, who have withstood so much bitterness in a multitude of wars under my command, have already experienced it!"

Hunyadi gave proof of everything he was talking about. First, in a bloody close combat that lasted for a day in the burning and almost totally destroyed castle, he repelled the renewed attacks of the entire Ottoman army. Then on the following day, when the enthusiastic crusaders started a fight with the enemy on their own account and Sultan Mehmed was blinded by anger, he committed a huge mistake and left the right flank without cover, Hunyadi commanded his men to a final attack with incredible firmness. The attack of his heavy cavalry smashed up the Ottoman army, which simply could not hold on and before night fell, they resorted to running. Spirit and expertise: this is how the devastating historic necessity that seemed unavoidable, turned into a great triumph, thanks to János Hunyadi. Into the greatest and fullest victory in Hungarian history.

Ladies and Gentlemen!

János Hunyadi knew the road his father had chosen and he was searching for new ones. He developed and stabilised the line of castles on the border, protecting Hungary. He established a strong army, which was unparalleled in the world. When he died, Hungary was a Central European empire on the map. An empire that was capable of opposing the Ottomans in the hope of success. With his death, this empire disappeared. Ladies and Gentlemen! History is the instructor of life. We do have a lot to learn from the Hunyadis. We are under a lot of pressure at home and all over the world. Now these pressures do not entail the threat of an armed conflict, but they still have an effect on the daily life and future of the nation. There are some who say: it is better to put up our arms ad accept the unacceptable. We say: the homeland is the first, and national interests above all. With spirit and expertise, in other words, with committed work, sense of reality, unity, even the most difficult situations can be turned. We should not be afraid of painted paper tigers, and we should not ignore our duties. We have a lot of things to do: if the Hungarian nation wants to live, if we want to be an emerging, successful, growing nation in the 21st century, we have to realise that we belong together, therefore we have to unite. We have to find the paths that lead us to each other. And we have to find the roads we share with nations living with us, along mutual respect and common values. Just like the Hunyadis had found them.

Ladies and Gentlemen!

We have a lot to learn from the Hunyadis and also have a lot to learn from you. Who, as devoted citizens, have found and showed all of us this story that is meant to be read and recalled. You have done this with the power of your own community, speaking to everyone you could reach. In the recent period many people tried to make our legends unreadable, to cover them in the dust of ordinary weekdays and oblivion. Just remember the unworthy debate a few years ago, whether the public radio can broadcast the noon bell. But these times are over, for once and for all! It is time we celebrated our legends together again. Next year the entire country and the entire nation, on both sides of the border, should celebrate the 555th anniversary of the Nándorfehérvár victory and the 325th anniversary of the reoccupation of the Buda Castle in a proper way, it is absolutely necessary. Ladies and Gentlemen! The bell, the Nándorfehérvár bell, tolls for us. When we lay the flowers of remembrance, we want to express that we understand the message of the bell. We understand it and we try to live by it in our place, in our life.