Hont County was an administrative county (
comitatus
''Comitatus'' was in ancient times the Latin term for an armed escort or retinue. The term is used especially in the context of Germanic warrior culture for a warband tied to a leader by an oath of fealty and describes the relations between a lo ...
) of the
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coronation of the Hungarian monarch, c ...
. Most of its territory is now part of
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the ...
, while a smaller southern portion is part of
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Cr ...
.
Today, in Slovakia Hont is the informal designation of the corresponding territory and an official tourist region.
Geography
Hont county shared borders with the counties
Bars,
Zólyom
Zvolen (; hu, Zólyom; german: Altsohl) is a town in central Slovakia, situated on the confluence of Hron and Slatina rivers, close to Banská Bystrica. It is surrounded by Poľana mountain from the East, by Kremnické vrchy from the West a ...
,
Nógrád
Nógrád ( sk, Novohrad; german: Neuburg) is a village in Nógrád County, Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, ...
,
Pest-Pilis-Solt-Kiskun
Pest-Pilis-Solt-Kiskun is the name of an administrative county (comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory is now in central Hungary, comprising the territory of the present Hungarian county Pest and the northern part of present Bács ...
and
Esztergom
Esztergom ( ; german: Gran; la, Solva or ; sk, Ostrihom, known by alternative names) is a city with county rights in northern Hungary, northwest of the capital Budapest. It lies in Komárom-Esztergom County, on the right bank of the river ...
. It was situated between
Selmecbánya and the
Danube
The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...
river, but the territory around the town of
Korpona was added only at the end of the 19th century. The rivers Korpona and
Ipoly were the central rivers that flowed through the county. Its area was 2633 km
2 around 1910.
Capitals
The capitals of the county were the
Hont Castle together with Hídvég (present-day
Ipeľské Predmostie), then from the 16th century onwards there was no permanent capital, and finally since early 19th century, the capital was Ipolyság (present-day
Šahy
Šahy ( hu, Ipolyság, rarely german: Eipelschlag) is a town in southern Slovakia, The town has an ethnic Hungarian majority and its population is 7,238 people (2018), with an average age of 42.5.
Geography
It is located at the eastern reaches o ...
).
History
The county arose in the 11th century by separation from the
Nógrád
Nógrád ( sk, Novohrad; german: Neuburg) is a village in Nógrád County, Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, ...
county. Around the year 1300, the territory of
Kishont was added to the territory of the county, but received a special status.
From 1552 to 1685, most of the county was part of the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...
and belonged to the administrative unit called
Nógrád sandjak.
Changes to the northern border of the county were performed in 1802 (Kishont became part of the
Gömör-Kishont county) and then in the late 19th century (above all
Korpona was added to the territory).
In the aftermath of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
, most of Hont county became part of newly formed Czechoslovakia, as recognized by the concerned states in 1920 by the
Treaty of Trianon
The Treaty of Trianon (french: Traité de Trianon, hu, Trianoni békeszerződés, it, Trattato del Trianon) was prepared at the Paris Peace Conference and was signed in the Grand Trianon château in Versailles on 4 June 1920. It forma ...
. A small part of the county situated south-east of the river Ipoly/
Ipeľ, stayed in Hungary.
In Czechoslovakia, the county continued to exist as the Hont county (''Hontianska župa''). In 1923, it became part of the Zvolen county. he Hungarian part of Hont merged with the Hungarian part of
Nógrád county
Nógrád ( hu, Nógrád megye, ; sk, Novohradská župa) is a county ( hu, megye) of Hungary. It sits on the northern edge of Hungary and borders Slovakia.
Description
Nógrád county lies in northern Hungary. It shares borders with Slovakia an ...
to form Nógrád-Hont county in 1923.
In 1928, it became part of the newly created Slovak Land (''Slovenská krajina/zem''). After the
First Vienna Award
The First Vienna Award was a treaty signed on 2 November 1938 pursuant to the Vienna Arbitration, which took place at Vienna's Belvedere Palace. The arbitration and award were direct consequences of the previous month's Munich Agreement, which ...
, between 1938 and 1945 it was united with the redeemed parts of former
Bars and Hont counties to form Bars-Hont county with the capital of
Léva. The remaining northern part became part of the newly created Hron county (1940–1945) of Slovakia. After World War II, the Trianon borders were restored, Nógrád-Hont County was formed on her remnants in Hungary. In 1949, the Czechoslovak part became part of the newly created Nitra region and Banská Bystrica region of Czechoslovakia, while the Hungarian part was eventually merged into newly formed
Pest County in 1950. In 1960, the Czechoslovak became part of the newly created
Western Slovak region and
Central Slovak region. In 1993, Czechoslovakia was split and in 1996 its territory became part of the newly created
Nitra region
The Nitra Region ( sk, Nitriansky kraj, ; hu, Nyitrai kerület) is one of the administrative regions of Slovakia. It was first established in 1923 and from 1996 exists in its present borders. It consists of seven districts ( sk, okres) and 354 m ...
and
Banská Bystrica region
The Banská Bystrica Region ( sk, Banskobystrický kraj, ; hu, Besztercebányai kerület, ) is one of the eight regions of Slovakia. It is the largest region by area, and has a lower population density than any other region. The Banská Bystri ...
of Slovakia.
Demographics
Subdivisions
Until 1802, the county consisted of 3
processuses (in Slovak slúžnovské okresy; a type of districts led by "iudices nobilium") plus the Kishont district. In 1802, when Kishont was removed, the county was divided in four new processus.
In the early 20th century, the subdivisions of Hont county were:
The towns of
Vámosmikola and
Szob are now in Hungary.
See also
*
Alajos Szokolyi
Alajos János Szokolyi (also referred to as Alajos Szokoly, ; sk, Alojz Sokol; 19 June 1871 – 9 September 1932) was a Hungarian athlete, sports organizer, sports manager, archivist and physician.
He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics, wi ...
Notes
References
{{Authority control
States and territories disestablished in 1920
Counties in the Kingdom of Hungary
Divided regions