The Slovene March or Slovene krajina ( sl, Slovenska krajina, hu, Vendvidék, Szlovenszka krajina, Szlovén krajina) was the traditional denomination of the
Slovene-speaking areas of the
Vas and
Zala County
Zala ( hu, Zala megye, ; ; ) is an administrative county (comitatus or ''megye'') in south-western Hungary. It is named after the Zala River. It shares borders with Croatia ( Koprivnica–Križevci and Međimurje Counties) and Slovenia (Lendava ...
in 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 first king Stephen ...
from the late 18th century until 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 (1919–1920), Paris Peace Conference and was signed in the Grand Trianon château in ...
in 1919. It comprised approximately two-thirds of modern
Prekmurje
Prekmurje (; dialectically: ''Prèkmürsko'' or ''Prèkmüre''; hu, Muravidék) is a geographically, linguistically, culturally and ethnically defined region of Slovenia, settled by Slovenes and a Hungarian minority, lying between the Mur Ri ...
,
Slovenia
Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...
, and the modern area between the current Slovenian-Hungarian border and the town of
Szentgotthárd
Szentgotthárd ( sl, Monošter; german: St. Gotthard) is the westernmost town of Hungary. It is situated on the Rába River near the Austrian border.
History
The town took its name from, and grew up round, the Cistercian Szentgotthárd Abbey, fo ...
, where
Hungarian Slovenes
Hungarian Slovenes ( Slovene: ''Madžarski Slovenci'', hu, Magyarországi szlovének) are an autochthonous ethnic and linguistic Slovene minority living in Hungary. The largest groups are the Rába Slovenes ( sl, porabski Slovenci, dialecticall ...
still live. In Hungarian, the latter area is still known as Vendvidék, which is the Hungarian denomination for the Slovene March, while in Slovene it is referred as ''Porabje'' (literally, 'the area along the
Rába
The Rába (german: Raab; hu, Rába; sl, Raba ) is a river in southeastern Austria and western Hungary and a right tributary of the Danube.
Geography
Its source is in Austria, some kilometres east of Bruck an der Mur below Heubodenhöhe Hill. ...
river').
It should not be confused with the medieval
Slovene (or Windic) March of the Holy Roman Empire which was located in the present-day south-east Slovenia, roughly in the areas of the regions of
Lower Carniola
Lower Carniola ( sl, Dolenjska; german: Unterkrain) is a traditional region in Slovenia, the southeastern part of the historical Carniola region.
Geography
Lower Carniola is delineated by the Ljubljana Basin with the city of Ljubljana to the no ...
,
White Carniola
White Carniola ( sl, Bela krajina; german: Weißkrain or ''Weiße Mark'') is a traditional region in southeastern Slovenia on the border with Croatia. Due to its smallness, it is often considered a subunit of the broader Lower Carniola region, alth ...
and
Lower Sava Valley
The Lower Sava Valley ( sl, Posavje, also ''Spodnje Posavje'' and ''Posavska regija''Ferenc, Tone. 1995. "Posavje". ''Enciklopedija Slovenije'' vol 9. Ljubljana: Mladinska knjiga, pp. 155–156.) is a region in southeastern Slovenia on the border ...
.
Origins of the name
March
March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the second of seven months to have a length of 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of Marc ...
, or "territory" (cognate to "mark"), is a word indicating a border county of a kingdom.
Since the 10th century, the
Slovene-inhabited area between the
Mura and
Rába
The Rába (german: Raab; hu, Rába; sl, Raba ) is a river in southeastern Austria and western Hungary and a right tributary of the Danube.
Geography
Its source is in Austria, some kilometres east of Bruck an der Mur below Heubodenhöhe Hill. ...
rivers was part 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 first king Stephen ...
. Most of this area was included in
Vas County, while a smaller portion to the southeast (the areas between
Lendava
Lendava (; formerly ''Dolnja Lendava'', in older sources also ''Dolenja Lendava''; hu, Lendva, formerly ''Alsólendva''; german: Lindau, formerly ''Unter-Limbach'') is a town in Slovenia in the region of Prekmurje. It is the seat of the Municipa ...
and
Beltinci
Beltinci (; Prekmurje Slovene: ''Böltinci'', hu, Belatinc or ''Belatincz'', ger, (Alt)Fellsdorf) is a town in the Prekmurje region of northeastern Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Beltinci. Črnec Creek, a tributary of the Ledav ...
) belonged to
Zala County
Zala ( hu, Zala megye, ; ; ) is an administrative county (comitatus or ''megye'') in south-western Hungary. It is named after the Zala River. It shares borders with Croatia ( Koprivnica–Križevci and Međimurje Counties) and Slovenia (Lendava ...
. In the 12th century, the
bishop of Győr
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
founded a Slovene deanery district in his bishopric, under the name
Tótság.
The name came from the Hungarian term ''Tót'', which meant '
Slav
Slavs are the largest European ethnolinguistic group. They speak the various Slavic languages, belonging to the larger Balto-Slavic branch of the Indo-European languages. Slavs are geographically distributed throughout northern Eurasia, main ...
'. In the
local Slovene dialect, the ecclesiastical administrative unit became known as the ''Szlovenszka okroglina'' 'Slovene District'. In 1778, this area was transferred to the newly created
Bishopric of Szombathely, and the first bishop,
János Szily
János Szily (20 August 1735, Felsőszopor - 2 June 1799, Szombathely) was a Hungarian Catholic bishop and patron of the arts.
Biography
He was born to a Catholic father and a Lutheran mother. After completing his primary and secondary studies ...
, created a district called ''Vendvidék'' 'Wendic March', from the Hungarian term ''
Vend'' for the local Slovenes.
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
priests of the region called it ''Slovenska krajina'', from the name of the local Slavic people, which in their
local dialect
Local may refer to:
Geography and transportation
* Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand
* Local, Missouri, a community in the United States
* Local government, a form of public administration, usually the lowest tier of administra ...
, as in all
Slovene dialects
In a purely dialectological sense, Slovene dialects ( sl, slovenska narečja , ) are the regionally diverse varieties that evolved from old Slovene, a South Slavic language of which the standardized modern version is Standard Slovene. This also ...
, is ''Slovenci'' or ''Slovénge''.
The quest for autonomy
In the late 19th century, the Hungarian authorities followed an assimilatory policy towards the minorities, pushing the Catholic majority of Slovenes, and their leaders
József Borovnyák
József Borovnyák or Borovnják ( sl, Jožef Borovnjak; 1826 – 19 September 1909) was a Prekmurje Slovene writer, politician, and Roman Catholic priest in Hungary.
Borovnják was born in the village of Ivanócz (later Alsószentbenedek, ...
and
Ferenc Ivanóczy
Ferenc () is a given name of Hungarian origin. It is a cognate of Francis, Francisco, Francesco, François, Frank and Franz. People with the name include:
* Ferenc Batthyány, Hungarian magnate and general
* Ferenc Berényi, Hungarian artist
* ...
, to aspire for autonomy of the Slovene March. In 1918, with the breakdown of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
, the Slovene politicians in
Prekmurje
Prekmurje (; dialectically: ''Prèkmürsko'' or ''Prèkmüre''; hu, Muravidék) is a geographically, linguistically, culturally and ethnically defined region of Slovenia, settled by Slovenes and a Hungarian minority, lying between the Mur Ri ...
were confronted with the choice between continuing to be part of the newly established
Hungarian Democratic Republic
The First Hungarian Republic ( hu, Első Magyar Köztársaság), until 21 March 1919 the Hungarian People's Republic (), was a short-lived unrecognized country, which quickly transformed into a small rump state due to the foreign and military ...
, seek for an autonomous entity, establish an independent state (Republic of the Slovene March), or join the new
State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs
The State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs ( sh, Država Slovenaca, Hrvata i Srba / ; sl, Država Slovencev, Hrvatov in Srbov) was a political entity that was constituted in October 1918, at the end of World War I, by Slovenes, Croats and Serbs ( ...
(
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
). The Hungarian republican leaders
Mihály Károlyi
Count Mihály Ádám György Miklós Károlyi de Nagykároly ( hu, gróf nagykárolyi Károlyi Mihály Ádám György Miklós; archaically English: Michael Adam George Nicholas Károlyi, or in short simple form: Michael Károlyi; 4 March 1875 ...
and
Oszkár Jászi
Oszkár Jászi (born Oszkár Jakobuvits; 2 March 1875 – 13 February 1957), also known in English as Oscar Jászi, was a Hungarian social scientist, historian, and politician.
Early life
Oszkár Jászi was born in Nagykároly on March 2, 1875 ...
were inclined to give a wide autonomy to the Slovene March. The Slovene governor
József Klekl worked out a detailed program of autonomy together with Jászi. The proposal included an autonomous Slovene assembly in
Murska Sobota
Murska Sobota (, Slovenian abbreviation: ''MS'' ; german: Olsnitz;''Radkersburg und Luttenberg'' (map, 1:75,000). 1894. Vienna: K.u.k. Militärgeographisches Institut. hu, Muraszombat) is a town in northeastern Slovenia. It is the centre of the ...
, a regional defence unit, the establishment of a Slovene high school in
Szentgotthárd
Szentgotthárd ( sl, Monošter; german: St. Gotthard) is the westernmost town of Hungary. It is situated on the Rába River near the Austrian border.
History
The town took its name from, and grew up round, the Cistercian Szentgotthárd Abbey, fo ...
, and the introduction of a trilingual administration in the territories of Szentgotthárd, Murska Sobota,
Lendava
Lendava (; formerly ''Dolnja Lendava'', in older sources also ''Dolenja Lendava''; hu, Lendva, formerly ''Alsólendva''; german: Lindau, formerly ''Unter-Limbach'') is a town in Slovenia in the region of Prekmurje. It is the seat of the Municipa ...
and
Őriszentpéter
Őriszentpéter ( sl, Šentpeter) is a town in Vas County, Hungary.
Geography
The town extends on the hills of the region Őrség, where the river Zala flows through. Zala has its source about away at Szalafő.
The town has an ancient sze ...
, with an equality between
Prekmurje Slovene
Prekmurje Slovene, also known as the Prekmurje dialect, East Slovene, or Wendish ( sl, prekmurščina, prekmursko narečje, hu, vend nyelv, muravidéki nyelv, Prekmurje dialect: ''prekmürski jezik, prekmürščina, prekmörščina, prekmör ...
,
Hungarian and
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
. The name of the proposed entity would be Slovene March ''(Slovenska krajina).'' On 19 January 1918, a convention was assembled in
Beltinci
Beltinci (; Prekmurje Slovene: ''Böltinci'', hu, Belatinc or ''Belatincz'', ger, (Alt)Fellsdorf) is a town in the Prekmurje region of northeastern Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Beltinci. Črnec Creek, a tributary of the Ledav ...
, which proposed that the Slovene March became an authonom territory in Slovenia and in
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
. Some Slovene politicians, such as
Mihael Kuhar,
Joško Godina,
Ivan Jerič and the great Slovene politician
Anton Korošec
Anton Korošec (, ; 12 May 1872 – 14 December 1940) was a Yugoslav politician, a prominent member of the conservative People's Party, a Roman Catholic priest and a noted orator.
Early life
Korošec was born in Biserjane (then Duchy of Styr ...
also felt that the idea of an independent Slovene March was possible. But Klekl disagreed and pushed for the inclusion of the Slovene March into
Slovenia
Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...
, which was then part of the
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
Kingdom commonly refers to:
* A monarchy ruled by a king or queen
* Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy
Kingdom may also refer to:
Arts and media Television
* ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...
.
Initially, the area was assigned to Hungary, but with the outbreak of the
Hungarian Revolution of 1919
The Socialist Federative Republic of Councils in Hungary ( hu, Magyarországi Szocialista Szövetséges Tanácsköztársaság) (due to an early mistranslation, it became widely known as the Hungarian Soviet Republic in English-language sources ( ...
, the situation changed dramatically. After a short interim of the
Hungarian Soviet Republic
The Socialist Federative Republic of Councils in Hungary ( hu, Magyarországi Szocialista Szövetséges Tanácsköztársaság) (due to an early mistranslation, it became widely known as the Hungarian Soviet Republic in English-language sources ( ...
, the
Republic of Prekmurje
The Republic of Prekmurje ( hu, Vendvidéki Köztársaság, Mura Köztársaság; sl, Murska Republika, Republika Prekmurje; Prekmurje Slovene: ''Reszpublika Szlovenszka okroglina'', ''Mörszka Reszpublika'') was an unrecognized state in Prek ...
was proclaimed in late May 1919 by the activist
Vilmos Tkálecz
Vilmos Tkálecz ( sl, Vilmoš Tkalec January 8, 1894 – May 27, 1950) was a Hungarian-Slovenian schoolmaster and politician who served as governor of the short-lived Republic of Prekmurje in 1919.
Tkálecz was born on January 8, 1894, in Tur ...
. After less than two weeks, the tiny Republic was invaded by the Army of the
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
Kingdom commonly refers to:
* A monarchy ruled by a king or queen
* Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy
Kingdom may also refer to:
Arts and media Television
* ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...
that occupied the entire
Prekmurje
Prekmurje (; dialectically: ''Prèkmürsko'' or ''Prèkmüre''; hu, Muravidék) is a geographically, linguistically, culturally and ethnically defined region of Slovenia, settled by Slovenes and a Hungarian minority, lying between the Mur Ri ...
. With 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 (1919–1920), Paris Peace Conference and was signed in the Grand Trianon château in ...
of June 1920, almost the totality of the area was assigned to the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.
After 1919
After 1919, the name Slovene March fell into disuse. In the
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Kraljevina Jugoslavija, Краљевина Југославија; sl, Kraljevina Jugoslavija) was a state in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 unt ...
, it was gradually replaced by the name
Prekmurje
Prekmurje (; dialectically: ''Prèkmürsko'' or ''Prèkmüre''; hu, Muravidék) is a geographically, linguistically, culturally and ethnically defined region of Slovenia, settled by Slovenes and a Hungarian minority, lying between the Mur Ri ...
, although most of the local elites preferred the old name Slovene March. The name however made little sense in the changed circumstances, since the region was not any more a Slovene-speaking peripheral area of Hungary, but was considered part of
Slovenia
Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...
. During the 1920s, the name Slovene March was thus replaced by 'March of the Mura' (Slovene: ''Murska krajina''; Prekmurje dialect: ''Mörska krajina''), which was used together with the denomination Prekmurje (literally 'the region over the Mura' or 'Trans-Mura'). After World War Two, this latter name prevailed, and all the others fell in disuse.
See also
*
Prekmurje
Prekmurje (; dialectically: ''Prèkmürsko'' or ''Prèkmüre''; hu, Muravidék) is a geographically, linguistically, culturally and ethnically defined region of Slovenia, settled by Slovenes and a Hungarian minority, lying between the Mur Ri ...
*
Hungarian Slovenes
Hungarian Slovenes ( Slovene: ''Madžarski Slovenci'', hu, Magyarországi szlovének) are an autochthonous ethnic and linguistic Slovene minority living in Hungary. The largest groups are the Rába Slovenes ( sl, porabski Slovenci, dialecticall ...
*
Prekmurje Slovene
Prekmurje Slovene, also known as the Prekmurje dialect, East Slovene, or Wendish ( sl, prekmurščina, prekmursko narečje, hu, vend nyelv, muravidéki nyelv, Prekmurje dialect: ''prekmürski jezik, prekmürščina, prekmörščina, prekmör ...
*
Republic of Prekmurje
The Republic of Prekmurje ( hu, Vendvidéki Köztársaság, Mura Köztársaság; sl, Murska Republika, Republika Prekmurje; Prekmurje Slovene: ''Reszpublika Szlovenszka okroglina'', ''Mörszka Reszpublika'') was an unrecognized state in Prek ...
Sources
* Források a Muravidék Történetéhez/Viri za zgodovino Prekmurja (Sources with the history of Prekmurje) 2. tome, Edit: László Mayer és András Molnár, Slovene translation: Magda Berden,
Szombathely
Szombathely (; german: Steinamanger, ; see also other alternative names) is the 10th largest city in Hungary. It is the administrative centre of Vas county in the west of the country, located near the border with Austria. Szombathely lies by t ...
-
Zalaegerszeg
Zalaegerszeg (; hr, Jegersek; sl, Jageršek; german: Egersee) is the administrative center of Zala County, Zala county in western Hungary.
Location
Zalaegerszeg lies on the banks of the Zala River, close to the Slovenian and Austrian borders and ...
2008.
Göncz László: ''A muravidéki magyarság 1918-1941'' (Prekmurje Hungarians in 1918-1941)* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090218225225/http://sulinet.hu/oroksegtar/data/Magyarorszagi_nemzetisegek_kotetei/Nemzetisegi_politika_magyarorszagon_a_20_szazadban/pages/002_1901-1919.htm Nemzetiségi viszonyok és nemzetiségi politika Magyarországon 1901-1919]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Szlovenszka Krajina
Counties in the Kingdom of Hungary
Former states and territories in Slovenia
Hungarian Slovenes
History of the Slovenes