Modern History: BEING A CONTINUATION OF THE Univerfal History. The HISTORY of HUNGARY. T The Huns HE modern Hungarians are defcended from the antient Hunns, whofe origin and emigrations are related in the Antient Hiftory, Though the Hunns garians from were entirely fubdued by Charlemain, yet they were not ut-whom de terly extirpated by that conqueror, as fome authors pretend; fcended. on the contrary, he gave orders to fpare the common people*; many of whom, in order to be free from paying tribute, confented to become Chriftians; for whofe fervice he caused a church to be built, and dedicated to the Virgin Mary, without the walls of the city of Buda. Their country, indeed, during the long continuance of the war, was greatly depopulated, their nobility and princes deftroyed, and heir chief taken prisoner; fo that this once flourishing nation, which formerly poffeffed all the countries from the east part of Germany to Thrace and the Euxine-Sea, and from the Adriatick gulph as far north as Sarmatia, was then reduced within the limits of the prefent kingdom of Hungary, which is bounded towards the fouth by the river Drave, on the north by the Carpathian mountains, which divide it from Poland and Ruffia; on the eaft by Tranfilvania and Walachia, and on the weft by Stiria, Auftria, and Moravia. The river Danube runs BONFINIUS, Dec. i. 2 SAX. CRANTzı, lib. ii. c. 16. 1. 9. p. 90. MOD. HIST. VOL. XLII, The bounds of the king dom. The Hun main. through the middle of the country, and divides it into two provinces, called the Upper and Lower Hungary. The counties in the whole kingdom are reckoned fifty-feven, many of which were formerly fubject to the dominion of the Turks; but by the conquefts of prince Eugene, the emperors have again recovered almost the whole kingdom. There are here very few cities, and thefe but thinly inhabited; but the kingdom. abounds with villages and towns as large as cities, and full of people. A.C.889. So far was this nation from being extirpated by Charlemain, garians that we find they rebelled against his fon Lewis the Pious, rebel awho, when he was holding an affembly of the ftates at Aix la gainst the Chapelle, was informed, that Lindeutus had prevailed with the defcend people of Lower Hungary to revolt. Lewis, immediately ants of difmiffing the affembly, went with an army to the Danube, Charle- and, marching along that river, engaged and defeated Lindeutus, whom he afterwards pursued to the mountains of Tranfilvania, whither the rebel had retreated. Lindeutus, finding himself unable to refift the arms of the emperor, fued for peace, which he obtained, and was generously pardoned. We do not read of any expedition of the Hungarians after this, till the reign of the emperor Arnolphus, who is faid by Luitprandus to have introduced them into Germany and France; though Bonfinius affirms, that they rebelled against Arnolphus, and while the Franks were weakened with inteftine divifions, over-ran Germany, fparing no age or fex, burning the cities, and pillaging the churches of their wealth. Afterwards they invaded France, where they committed the like ravages; and, returning with their fpoil through Bavaria, defeated the emperor Lewis III. near Augsburg. Four A.C.893. years afterwards, we find them affifting Leo the emperor at A.C.902. Conftantinople, against the Bulgarians. In the year 902, the Hungarians hearing of the divifions in Italy between the two vade contending kings, Berengarius, duke of Friuli, and Guido, duke of Spoleto; they entered that country by the pass of They in- Friuli, and ravaged that part of Lombardy. Luitprandus relates, that not thinking themselves powerful enough to engage Lombar the numerous forces of Berengarius, they quitted Italy, and dy, but wintered in Pannonia; from whence many of their countrymen having joined them, they returned in the spring, and, having defeated Berengarius, who endeavoured to oppose them, they took Aquilia, Padua, and Verona, without any refiftance, and marched as far west as the river Tifino. But retire upon receiving a fum of money. BONF. Dec. i. 1. 10. a Idem ibid. vol. x. p. 634. e BARONII Ann. Beren Berengarius, having again affembled a numerous army, prepared to oppofe them; upon whofe approach the barbarians, thinking themselves unequal to the Italian forces, retreated precipitately over the Adda, and fent to Berengarius, offering to deliver up all their booty, provided he would allow them to march home in fafety: which request being denied, they continued their retreat to the river Medcaccus, where being again refused the liberty of marching home in fafety, their defpair drove them to the refolution of attacking the Italians; and dividing their armies into three bodies, they furprised Berengarius, and entirely routed his forces. Being thus a fecond time masters of that part of Italy, they took and plundered Trevifo, and having fuddenly built fome boats, they likewife made themselves mafters of Venice; but failing in their attempt upon the island of Clodia, they retired to their camp at Padua; and Berengarius confenting to pay them a large fum of money, they quitted, for that time, Italy. A FEW years after, the Hungarians were again invited into They are Italy by Albericus, prince of Etruria; who, though he had again inrepulfed the Saracens from Naples and Calabria, had been ex-vited into pelled from Rome by a faction of the nobles. The Hunga- Italy by rians, upon his invitation, immediately collected an army, Albericus, and entering Italy by Friuli, marched from thence to the Flaminian way, pillaging and deftroying the towns through which they went; but, instead of marching to Rome, they turned afide into Etruria, which they miferably ravaged with fire and fword, carrying off with them an infinite number of people into flavery; and having thus learned the way into Italy, for feveral years after they invaded it annually, for the fake of booty; till Berengarius II. defirous of freeing Italy, his country, from those incurfions, concluded an alliance with them. The Hungarians, having made a peace with the Italians, turned their arms against Germany; and the Chronicle of Minden makes mention of their incurfions into Saxony, in the year 908. Arnulphus, duke of Bavaria, having led them towards the Rhine against the emperor Conrad I. who had formerly taken his duchy of Bavaria from him, and obliged A.C.916. him to fly with his family into Hungary. In the year 916, they again invaded Germany, and, among other ravages, burnt the church of Bremen. Henry the Fowler, in the beginning of his reign, to fecure his dominions from the incurfions of thefe barbarians, made a truce with them for nine years, and confented to pay them a fum of money annually. About f MEIB. Rer. Ger. Script. v. i. c. 3. P. 558. SAX. CRANT. 1. iii. g ADAM BREM. lib. i. cap. 46. BARON. Ann. v.x. p. 694. A.C.908. They in vade Ger mary. tion into Italy and burn Pa this time, Berengarius II. having been expelled his kingdom by Rodolphus of Burgundy, whom the difcontented Italians had called in to their affiftance, fled to the Hungarians, his allies, and begged their help to recover Lombardy. Berengarius having continued in exile three years, at last returned to Italy with an Hungarian army, under the command of Salardus, who, wherever he marched, ravaged all with fire and A.C.924. fword; and having made himself mafter of the city of Pavia, They make which was then the royal refidence, and very populous, he an irrup- gave it up to be plundered by his army; and afterwards setting fire to it, of all the inhabitants, only 200 were faved, who redeemed their lives by paying eight bushels of filver, picked up from the rubbish of the houfes, and forty-three churches which were deftroyed. Berengarius dying this year, the Hungarians quitted Italy, and croffing the Alps with intention of going into France, they were inclosed in a valley, and cut off by Rodolphus of Burgundy, and Hugh prince of Arles". Some years afterwards, the truce made with the emperor Henry being expired, the Hungarians, fome fay to the number of 100,000, invaded Germany; and leaving one half of their army to befiege Fechebourg, they marched with the rest A.C. 933. into Saxony. But Henry aflembling an army, and hearing the They are Hungarians were encamped at Merfburg, marched against entirely them, and taking the advantage of a fog, fell upon them unrouted in expectedly, killed 36,000 of them on the fpot, and drove feGermany. veral thousands of them befides into the river. Those who via. were left at the fiege of Jechebourg being informed of this defeat, retreated immediately in great confufion, but were moftly cut off by the country people. This expedition of the Hungarians is varioufly related by feveral authors, but they all agree, that at Merfburg they received a fignal defeat; in confequence of which, Germany was freed from their incurfions for feveral years after. In general, the Hungarian hiftory, during that period, is very obfcure and uncertain; there is no mention made of the internal government of their kingdom, or who were their princes or rulers; they are only known to exift by their incurfions upon their neighbours the Germans, French, Italians, and Bulgarians; no enemy havA.C.937. ing penetrated into their own kingdom for more than a cenThey in- tury, it remained a quiet nursery for those roving warriors. vadeltaly, THE Hungarians, notwithstanding their defeat in Germany, but are ae- four years, after invaded Italy, marching down as far as Capua feated near h BAR. Ann. v. x. p. 707. i Ibid. v. x. p. 719. LUITPRAND. l. ii. c. 8, & 9. MEIB. Rer. Ger. Script. v. i. p. 247, 641, & 648. SAX. CRANT. 1. i. c. 8. BONF. Decad. i. 1. 10. p. 107. Capua. |