The Croatian Royal Council condemns the chauvinistic rhetoric of the Hungarian Prime Minister Orban, by answering: the issue of administration over Rijeka was resolved in 1918 within the Kingdom of Croatia
The recent statement of the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban offended our society by reminding us of many pretensions, appropriations and usurpation of Croatian state-crown right, which has been maintained for centuries with hard efforts. In his latest statement, the Hungarian Prime Minister, in justification of easing measures against energy trade with Russia, also touched the Adriatic, alluding to the Croatian port of Rijeka:
"Those who have a sea and ports are able to bring oil on tankers. If they hadn't taken it away from us, we would have haw a port."
In response to many inquiries from Croatian diplomats and journalists, Hungarian State Secretary for Information Tamas Menczer confirmed on his official Facebook profile the alleged thought by calling it a historical fact:
"The Croatian Foreign Ministry misunderstood something. Prime Minister mentioned a historical fact."
Considering that the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is known for historical revisionism, and glorification of historical periods, which we consider certainly positive for a nation and a country that for a better future turns to the traditions of its past. However, Prime Minister Orban made a big mistake and did not take a better look at the historical facts, because then he would have known that the issue of administration over Rijeka was resolved in 1918 within the Kingdom of Croatia. That's why we asked our member Ante Brešić pl. Mikulić, a doctoral student who spent a decade researching the history and principles of the trialist movement and its peak in October 1918. Therefore, we ask ABM this question: What do you think about Prime Minister Orban's statements are well-founded, has the Hungarians been "deprived" of the sea?
(Common Austrian and Croatian-Hungarian coat of arms)
"Certainly, the statement of the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is not appropriate because not only does it have no historical basis, but it encroaches on the state-crown right of another country. Namely, the East Adriatic coast has never been part of the Kingdom of Hungary, but exclusively the territory of the Kingdom of Croatia, Habsburg coastal countries, Venice, etc. This is especially clear to us since the Zadar Peace Treaty in 1358 where the eastern Adriatic cities and islands are regarded internationally as a constituent part of the Kingdom of Croatia under reign and governship of the Croatian Ban. The period to which Prime Minister Orban could refer is the the of the free port of Rijeka, which throughout its history has been part of the Kingdom of Croatia, or the free port in the Habsburg and Croatian-Hungarian state structures, when the later was recognised as the Corpus separatum. Perhaps in the old proverb of that old personal and crown union "Egy korona, két nemzet" (one crown, two nations), Prime Minister Orban forgot this last part related to the two and not one nation.
(Famous forgery and violation of the Croatian state-territorial framework known as the Rijeka appendix)
The historical issue of Rijeka's status in the Croatian-Hungarian relations has been permanently resolved twice in recent history, for the first time in 1848 with the Croatian Ban Josip Count Jelačić Bužimski when it joined Rijeka County and Kotor as part of the Triune Kingdom of Croatia, Slavonia and Dalmatia. While the second time when the disagreement over the Rijeka issue left the issue of administration opened from the time of the Croatian-Hungarian Settlement of 1868 and the forgery known as the Rijeka appendix until October 22, 1918, when the Hungarian government and parliament recognised the unity of all Croatian lands within the united Kingdom of Croatia. It was in this period from 1868 to 1918 that Rijeka came under a joint Croatian-Hungarian administration. In that period, the unresolved status of Rijeka is visible in the original text of the Croatian-Hungarian Settlement, Paragraph 66, which reads:
"In terms of the preceding paragraphs, it is acknowledged that the territorial scope of the Kingdoms of Dalmatia, Croatia and Slavonia includes; 1. The entire area, which for the time being together with the city of Bakar and its district belongs to the County of Rijeka, with the exception of the city of Rijeka and its district, in respect of which between the two Royal committees (councils) the settlement failed"
According to the original text, it is clear that the issue of Rijeka was left unresolved and this situation remained until 1870, when the administration of Rijeka will be subject to joint administration until the final issue of the status of Rijeka is resolved. Although in reality the common Croatian-Hungarian administration was dominated by Hungary through its governors, Rijeka itself never became part of Hungary and was an open question between the two Kingdoms during this time. The final question of Rijeka's administration was resolved, as I mentioned earlier in 1918, within the framework of the Kingdom of Croatia, which finally ended the issue over Rijeka.
On October 22, 1918, Prime Minister Sandor Wekerle made it clear that Hungary itself had nothing against the unification of all Croatian lands. In addition, the long-time opponent of the unity of Croatian lands, Count Tisza, pointed out that he now supports unification and regrets many injustices done earlier to Croatia. Therefore, Orban's claim that the sea was "taken away" from them is not true, especially when we know that Hungary not only recognised the unification of Croatian lands in 1918 but also hosted the then legitimate Croatian Ban Dragutin Karl Unkelhauser and the Croatian royal government in formation and later exile. Obviously, Hungary itself was the patron of the Croatian government which had the task od unification of Croatian lands years before Trianon and would even continue to operate after, which makes the claim of the seizure of the sea truly historically incorrect."
Croatian Royal Council
2022.
Become a Patron and support the work of the Croatian Royal Council, you can donate to this account:
Recipient's name: Hrvatsko kraljevsko vijeće
(Croatian Royal Council)
IBAN: HR81 2340 0091 1110 8158 5
SWIFT: PBZGHR2X
Bank: Privredna banka Zagreb
Description: Donation
Comments