István Kováts ( Slovene ''Števan Kovatš''; January 25, 1866 – December 11, 1945) was a Hungarian

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

pastor, writer, and historian. He wrote in the

Prekmurje Slovene Prekmurje Slovene, also known as the Prekmurje dialect, Eastern Slovene, or Wendish (, , Prekmurje Slovene: ''prekmürski jezik, prekmürščina, prekmörščina, prekmörski jezik, panonska slovenščina''), is the language of Prekmurje in Easte ...

(the language of the

Hungarian Slovenes Hungarian Slovenes ( Slovene: ''Madžarski Slovenci'', ) are an autochthonous ethnic and linguistic Slovene minority living in Hungary. The largest groups are the Rába Slovenes (, dialectically: ''vogrski Slovenci, bákerski Slovenci, porábsk ...

). He was born in Lébény, near

Győr Győr ( , ; ; names of European cities in different languages: E-H#G, names in other languages) is the main city of northwest Hungary, the capital of Győr-Moson-Sopron County and Western Transdanubia, Western Transdanubia region, and – halfwa ...

to the Lutheran landowner István Kováts and Katalin Kováts. He first studied in

Sopron Sopron (; , ) is a city in Hungary on the Austrian border, near Lake Neusiedl/Lake Fertő. History Ancient times-13th century In the Iron Age a hilltop settlement with a burial ground existed in the neighbourhood of Sopron-Várhely. When ...

, and then in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

at the

University of Halle-Wittenberg Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (), also referred to as MLU, is a public research university in the cities of Halle and Wittenberg. It is the largest and oldest university in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. MLU offers German and i ...

and

University of Jena The University of Jena, officially the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (, abbreviated FSU, shortened form ''Uni Jena''), is a public research university located in Jena, Thuringia, Germany. The university was established in 1558 and is cou ...

. He was ordained on September 29, 1889 and made a curate in Tét, and then sent to

Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...

in 1891. On March 12, 1892 he went to the Slovene March, in

Murska Sobota Murska Sobota (, Slovenian abbreviation: ''MS'' ; ;''Radkersburg und Luttenberg'' (map, 1:75,000). 1894. Vienna: K.u.k. Militärgeographisches Institut. ) is a town in northeastern Slovenia. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Murska Sob ...

, where he learned the local dialect. He married Irena von Berke, a Hungarian noblewoman who was the daughter of Mihaly von Berke, a wealthy landowner. They had three children; two daughters and one son. His son Karel Kováts (later Kovač) built the new Lutheran church in Gornji Slaveči and was the head of the Lutheran church in Slovenia. István Kováts was the president of the Bank of the Slovene March and the head of the Lutheran Congregation of Mura until 1941. From 1941 to 1945, he was the honorary head of the Lutheran Congregation of Mura. He built the new Lutheran church in Murska Sobota, and the Lutheran dormitory. In 1940 he wrote a history of Lutheran Vicarage of Murska Sobota, and he edited the almanac ''Evangeličanski koledar'' and the gazette ''Düševni List''. He died in

on 11 December 1945. For his contribution to the

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...

he received the National Defence Cross (Nemzetvédelmi Kereszt) from

Miklós Horthy Miklós Horthy de Nagybánya (18 June 1868 – 9 February 1957) was a Hungarian admiral and statesman who was the Regent of Hungary, regent of the Kingdom of Hungary (1920–1946), Kingdom of Hungary Hungary between the World Wars, during the ...

himself.

Alexander I of Yugoslavia Alexander I Karađorđević (, ; – 9 October 1934), also known as Alexander the Unifier ( / ), was King of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes from 16 August 1921 to 3 October 1929 and King of Yugoslavia from 3 October 1929 until his assassinati ...

awarded him the Order of St. Sava (fourth class).

His work

* Zgodovina Mursko-soboške evangeličanske gmajne, ''Evangeličanski koledar'', 1940.

Sources

Encyclopedia of Prekmurje Biography – István Kováts

Literature

* Kovats Štefan (1866–1945). ''Evangeličanski koledar'' 1952. 55-56. * Theodor Hari: ''Zgodovina evangeličanske cerkve v Murski Soboti'', 2000. {{DEFAULTSORT:Kovats, Istvan Slovenian writers and poets in Hungary Officers of the Order of St. Sava 1866 births 1945 deaths University of Halle alumni University of Jena alumni People from Győr-Moson-Sopron County

His work

See also

Sources

Literature