In Hungary in 1904, there was a crisis in the quiet life. As the upper classes staggered, with a series of parties and balls, and everyone immersed themselves in how to deal with habsburg rule, external crises crept in.
Born into a century-old Hungarian family, Count Mikloš Banfi witnessed that period and wrote his experience in three manuscripts, unfortunately, during World War II, the manuscript was lost, and after 50 years, it reappeared.
Who is Miklosh Banfi? Count Mikloš Banfi was born in 1873, and his cousin Baron Derro Banfi served as Prime Minister of Hungary from 1895 to 1899. His nephew Karl I was the last emperor of the Habsburg and Austro-Hungarian empires.
Count Banfi spent most of his life either in Fort Bonzida near Fort Klossburg or at his family's home in the city of Pest. He grew up in a luxurious and well-educated life, and was obsessed with music and writing.
From 1913 to 1918, also during the outbreak of World War I, count Banfi, in his 40s, became a member of Parliament on behalf of his hometown of Collosburg. During his tenure, he presided over the Budapest State Opera, and he also introduced Bartók's works despite strong resistance. He was also responsible for the preparations for the coronation of the "last emperor" Karl I.
Yes, you read that right, it's Baltóc not Balzac, and the difference between the two is that Baltóc is a musician and Balzac is a writer.
Bartók was a leading figure in modern Hungarian music, but his idea of incorporating symphonies into folk songs caused a lot of controversy at the time.
This is because after Hungary was swallowed up by Austria at the end of the 17th century, the Habsburgs tried to promote cultural Germanization, which was reflected in the glorification of symphony, while Hungarian national music, that is, folk songs, was destroyed.
Bartók's idea, which was undoubtedly contrary to the ideas of the ruling class, was greatly discouraged, but Count Banfi broke through the obstacles and introduced it to the Budapest State Opera.
Breaking through barriers and bold innovation are his characteristics. This is also reflected in his married life. His wife, a former actress at the National Theatre in Budapest, is a superb actress and loved by the audience. Wangzu fell in love with actors, how hard they had to make in that era!
In 1921, Count Banfi was in charge of diplomatic affairs and resigned a year and a half later. There are three reasons: one is overwork; The second is that the League of Nations withstood strong opposition and won hungary full membership, but it also put him under a lot of psychological pressure; Third, while staying at home in Budapest, he was stabbed in the back by a minority.
The Count of Banfi was a gentle and determined man. He chose to break off his friendship because he felt that his former close friend, his cousin Carlo Mihay, was too radical in his views. After the overthrow of the Later Habsburgs, Kaloy Mihay became President of the Hungarian Republic.
His moderation and firmness are also reflected in his handling of transylvania's ownership. After 1926, despite his resignation, Count Banfi worked with Hungarian officials to gain rights in parts of Transylvania.
Ruled by the Kingdom of Hungary since the 17th century, Transylvania became a refuge for the Hungarian upper echelons after the Turkish conquest of Budapest, and after World War I, became part of Romania as a result of the Treaty of Trianon signed in 1920.
During World War II, Nazi Germany, in order to gain Hungarian support, forced Romania to sign the Vienna Arbitral Award to return northern Transylvania to Hungary, including Fort Collos, Fort Bonzida and nearby lands, as well as the Banfi family's mountain woodlands.
Romania, however, insisted that they had the right to own the whole of Transylvania according to history. They therefore demanded that the other side immediately return the northern transylvania region.
Several sides quarreled, and many peace talks ended in failure, and Banfi advocated that the matter be shelved for the time being, leaving it to the end of the war and the decisions of the great powers to discuss. He traveled to Bucharest to persuade Romania to sign a separate peace treaty.
The attentive Count Banfi found that the return of northern Transylvania to Hungary in the Vienna Arbitral Award did not have the support of most Transylvanians, because they wanted more rights, so count Banfi thought that turning Transylvania into a semi-autonomous region was the best way to go.
This idea was opposed by the Hungarian elite. Similarly, this move also made the German side hate Banfi to the bone, and in the face of misunderstanding, Banfei did not explain too much.
But it turned out that it was Banfi's wise decision that reduced the losses of the war.
Negotiations stalled, and it was later sought to apply for Fort Collos as an undefended city. The undefended city has the right to order the defenders to withdraw, voluntarily renounces the occupation of the city, and the city pursues the principle of non-resistance in order to reduce the damage caused by war. Count Banffey kept his hometown, and the historic city of Closburg was not bombed as heavily as the surrounding countries.
Preserving their homeland, they offended Germany, and in 1944, the Germans ransacked the Banfi family's Bunkzida Fort in retaliation for Count Banfi's persuasion of Romania to sign a separate peace treaty. Seventeen trucks of looted by the Germans in Banfi's home of Zida Fort were blown up by the Allied air force on their way to Germany.
Most of the roof, windows and floors of the once beautiful Fort Bunzida are now gone, and most of the Baroque decorations have been destroyed.
Banfi tried his best to stay in Fort Kloss (later renamed Cluj) for a long time, trying to salvage the rest of the family's inheritance, but without success. He later moved to Budapest, where he died in 1950 at the age of 77.
Count Banffer was not only a linguist and artist, but also a prolific writer, whose main works include a classic trilogy depicting life in Hungary between 1904 and 1914. He believes that all who have thought about Hungarian history should read it. The book was recently introduced and published and renamed the Destiny of the Austro-Hungarian Trilogy.
The first publication, "The Mountain Rain Is Coming", tells the story of Hungary's life in 1904, which was immersed in the period of opposition to the internal Habsburg dynasty, and the life of the upper class of paper and gold fans.
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@ Youth Reading Session
