Search results: military

Hungary’s Modern Army Showcased in Groundbreaking Reality Series

Hungary’s Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky introduced a groundbreaking sport reality series co-created by the Ministry of Defence and TV2 at a recent press conference. The television show will offer viewers an inside look at military training, personal challenges, and the transformative power of camaraderie.

Viktor Orbán Comments on Attack on Presidential Palace in Chad

24 armed men attacked the Presidential Palace in N’Djamena, Chad yesterday, 8 January, but the attack was thankfully thwarted. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán of Hungary commented on the incident on his X page. Hungary has had a strategic partnership with the African nation of Chad since September 2024.

Orbán Ally Herbert Kickl Asked to Form Government in Austria

Three months after the September 2024 elections Austria now has the opportunity to align with the will of the electorate. Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen has invited Herbert Kickl, leader of the Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ) and an ally of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, to form a government after mainstream parties’ talks collapsed.

Károly Patkó, Zebegény (1934). Private Collection

The (Habsburg) Empire Strikes Back

‘The Danubian Compact could serve as a modern, flexible framework for cooperation, focusing on shared economic interests, energy security, infrastructure development, and more. What if the real future of Central Europe does not lie in resurrecting the past, but in reimagining it for a new era? The pieces are there, the question is whether the leaders of these nations are willing to make that leap.’

A 17th century portrait of Ilona Zrínyi (detail, by unknown painter)

Valour and Beauty — The Extraordinary Life of Countess Ilona Zrínyi

Ilona Zrínyi, a noblewoman hailing from a Croatian–Hungarian aristocratic family, is one of the most defining female figures in Hungarian history. An uncompromising patriot and fearless leader, the Countess defended the castle of Munkács (Mukachevo) for three years against the Habsburg forces. Although she died in exile in Turkey in 1703, she was reburied alongside her freedom fighter son, Ferenc II Rákóczi in Kassa (Košice, Slovakia) in 1906.

Portrait of Thomas Cranmer by Gerlach Flicke (detail, 1545)

The Anglosphere and Central Europe: A Personal View

‘The failed revolutionary upheavals in 1848 would see thousands of Central Europeans go into exile in Britain. One of the most famous of these was Hungarian national hero Lajos Kossuth, who travelled extensively in the United States before moving to London, to live there for most of the 1850s. In America, Kossuth was received at the White House twice by President Millard Fillmore, and was generally feted and celebrated everywhere he went.’