Some Candidates for the Vacant Throne of Interwar Hungary: International Approaches to Finding a Resolution

Abstract

After the resignation of Charles IV, a particular public law situation, the so-called “kingdom without a king,” came about in interwar Hungary, which persisted through the whole period. The “king question” that developed around taking the vacant throne aroused a keen interest not only in internal politics, but also abroad. The study gives a short account about who could emerge as a possible Hungarian king and why they could do so, and how the issue was presented to the international public. The author analyses the rumours, both in the press and in diplomatic documents, which are rather under-exploited as sources in historical research. The article first outlines the general socio-political situation in post-Great War Hungary and then shows how the problem of the “king question” divided Hungarian public life into several camps. It then, without claiming completeness, examines the motivations and realities of combinations for some of the individuals who most frequently appeared as candidates for king in the various rumours. In terms of the timing of the rumours, the study highlights the domestic and international events and circumstances in which interest in the issue of Hungary’s “kingless kingdom” was heightened in public discourse, and how such combinations influenced the image of contemporary Hungary. It also sheds light on the reasons that have prevented the kingdom issue from being settled. Finally, the author attempts to outline what the “ideal” new Hungarian king, acceptable both abroad and at home, should have been like under the given circumstances.

Keywords

• interwar hungary
• kingdom without a king
• legitimism
• free king-electors
• pretenders and candidates to the throne