Slovakia's Zvolen: Once Austrian-Hungarian, Now Independent

Zvolen, a city in central Slovakia, was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire from 1867 to 1918. The city, which sits at the confluence of the Hron and Slatina rivers, has a rich history that dates back to the Paleolithic era. In the ninth century, a Slavic settlement in the area became a regional centre of what is now central Slovakia. Over the centuries, Zvolen changed hands several times, passing through the control of various kingdoms and empires, including the Kingdom of Hungary, the Habsburg Monarchy, and Czechoslovakia.

Zvolen was part of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1000-1526

Zvolen, a city in central Slovakia, was part of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1000-1526. The city is situated on the confluence of the Hron and Slatina rivers and is surrounded by the Poľana mountain range to the east, Kremnické vrchy to the west, and Javorie and Štiavnické vrchy to the south.

The name Zvolen is of Slovak origin, meaning "the chosen one, splendid, excellent". The city has been inhabited since the Paleolithic era, with a Slavic settlement in the ninth century that became a regional center of what is now central Slovakia. In the 11th and 12th centuries, one of the largest medieval castles in Europe, Pustý hrad, was constructed in Zvolen. The town, originally built under the castle, was located on an important trade route, Via Magna, from Buda to Kraków.

Zvolen was granted town privileges by King Béla IV in the 1230s, making it one of the first towns in the Kingdom of Hungary. The privileges were confirmed on December 28, 1243, after the original document was destroyed in war. Later, King Louis I the Great built a new castle, which became a popular hunting resort for Hungarian royalty. The future Queen Mary of Hungary and Emperor Sigismund celebrated their wedding there in 1385.

In the 14th century, the Kingdom of Hungary experienced a period of interregnum and anarchy following the death of Andrew III, the last male descendant of the native Árpád dynasty. Central power was re-established in the early 1320s under Charles I, who introduced a centralized power structure. The kingdom reached its peak of power under Louis the Great, who led military campaigns against Lithuania, southern Italy, and other faraway territories.

The expansion of the Ottoman Empire reached the kingdom under Sigismund of Luxembourg, and a talented military commander, John Hunyadi, led the fight against the Ottomans. The kingdom suffered a major blow with the Mongol invasion of 1241-1242, and Cuman and Jassic groups settled in the central lowlands. The kingdom continued to face challenges, including civil wars, pagan uprisings, and attempts by the Holy Roman Emperors to expand their authority. However, it also experienced periods of stability and prosperity, with the development of towns, trade, and cultural exchange.

In the 16th century, following the Battle of Mohács in 1526, the Kingdom of Hungary was ruled by two crowned kings, John I and Ferdinand I, marking the end of Zvolen's time as part of the Kingdom of Hungary.

It was then part of John Zápolya's Eastern Hungarian Kingdom from 1526-1551

From 1526 to 1551, Zvolen was part of John Zápolya's Eastern Hungarian Kingdom. John Zápolya was a prominent member of a Croatian-Slavonian noble family. He was Voivode of Transylvania from 1510 to 1526 and became King of Hungary in 1526, ruling until 1540.

Zápolya's rule was disputed by Archduke Ferdinand I, who also claimed the title of King of Hungary. Ferdinand was backed by the higher nobility of Hungary, while Zápolya was supported by the majority of the country's untitled lesser nobility. This dispute led to a civil war that lasted for decades. Zápolya's alliance with the Ottomans also led to Hungary becoming an Ottoman vassal state.

In 1529, Zápolya agreed to make Hungary a vassal state of the Ottoman Empire in return for recognition and support. This agreement was brokered by Zápolya's treasurer, George Martinuzzi, who became his most trusted minister. Zápolya's realm became an Ottoman vassal in 1529 when he swore fealty to Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.

In 1538, Zápolya and Ferdinand reached an agreement known as the Treaty of Nagyvárad, which would have made Ferdinand the sole monarch upon Zápolya's death, as the latter was childless at the time. However, Zápolya married Isabella Jagiellon in early 1539, and their son, John Sigismund Zápolya, was born in 1540. Zápolya died in July 1540, and his son was elected king soon after. Isabella and John Sigismund moved to Transylvania, where they took up residence.

Zápolya's death and the birth of his son led to renewed violence, and the Ottomans took advantage of the situation to conquer the city of Buda and partition the country in 1541.

From 1551-1672, it was part of the Kingdom of Hungary (crownland of the Austrian Empire)

From 1551 to 1672, Zvolen was part of the Kingdom of Hungary, which was a crownland of the Austrian Empire. During this period, the Kingdom of Hungary was a state outside of the Holy Roman Empire, but part of the lands of the Habsburg monarchy, which became the Austrian Empire in 1804. The Kingdom of Hungary was ruled by two crowned kings, John I and Ferdinand I, after the Battle of Mohács in 1526. The exact territory under Habsburg rule was initially disputed, as both rulers claimed the whole kingdom. This period of uncertainty lasted until 1570, when John Sigismund Zápolya (John II) abdicated as King of Hungary in favour of Emperor Maximilian II.

During the early stages of this period, the lands ruled by the Habsburg Hungarian kings were regarded as both the "Kingdom of Hungary" and "Royal Hungary". Royal Hungary was a symbol of the continuity of formal law after the Ottoman occupation, as it preserved its legal traditions. However, in general, it was de facto a Habsburg province. The Hungarian nobility forced Vienna to admit that Hungary was a special unit of the Habsburg lands and had to be ruled in conformity with its own special laws.

The territory of present-day Slovakia, of which Zvolen is a part, was included in this polity, along with northwestern Transdanubia. Control of the region of northeastern Hungary often shifted between Royal Hungary and the Principality of Transylvania. The central territories of the medieval Hungarian kingdom were annexed by the Ottoman Empire for 150 years.

In 1570, John Sigismund Zápolya abdicated as King of Hungary in favour of Emperor Maximilian II, under the terms of the Treaty of Speyer. The term "Royal Hungary" fell into disuse after 1699, and the Habsburg kings began referring to the newly enlarged country by the more formal term "Kingdom of Hungary".

The Habsburgs, an influential dynasty of the Holy Roman Empire, were elected as Kings of Hungary. Royal Hungary became a part of the Habsburg monarchy and enjoyed little influence in Vienna. The Habsburg king directly controlled Royal Hungary's financial, military, and foreign affairs, and imperial troops guarded its borders. The Habsburgs avoided filling the office of palatine to prevent the holders from amassing too much power.

The so-called "Turkish question" divided the Habsburgs and the Hungarians. Vienna wanted to maintain peace with the Ottomans, while the Hungarians wanted them ousted. Recognising their weak position, many Hungarians became anti-Habsburg. They complained about foreign rule, the behaviour of foreign garrisons, and the Habsburgs' recognition of Turkish suzerainty in the Principality of Transylvania. Protestants, who were persecuted in Royal Hungary, considered the Counter-Reformation a greater menace than the Turks. The Austrian branch of the Habsburg monarchy needed the economic power of Hungary for the Ottoman wars. During the Ottoman wars, the territory controlled by the Kingdom of Hungary shrank by around 60%. Despite these enormous territorial and demographic losses, the smaller, heavily war-torn Royal Hungary remained as economically important to the Habsburg rulers as the Austrian hereditary lands or the Bohemian crownlands even in the late 16th century. Out of all his countries, the depleted Kingdom of Hungary was, at that time, Ferdinand I's largest source of revenue.

The Reformation spread quickly, and by the early 17th century, hardly any noble families remained Catholic. In Royal Hungary, the majority of the population became Lutheran by the end of the 16th century. Archbishop Péter Pázmány reorganised Royal Hungary's Roman Catholic Church and led a Counter-Reformation that reversed the Protestants' gains in Royal Hungary, using persuasion rather than intimidation. The Reformation caused rifts between Catholics, who often sided with the Habsburgs, and Protestants, who developed a strong national identity and became rebels in Austrian eyes. Chasms also developed between the mostly Catholic magnates and the mainly Protestant lesser nobles.

Zvolen was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire from 1867-1918

Zvolen, a city in central Slovakia, was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire from 1867 to 1918. The city has a rich history, with evidence of human habitation dating back to the Paleolithic era. By the ninth century, a Slavic settlement had become a regional centre of what is now central Slovakia.

In the 11th and 12th centuries, one of the largest medieval castles in Europe, Pustý hrad, was constructed in Zvolen. The town, originally built under the castle, was situated on an important trade route, Via Magna, from Buda to Kraków. In the 1230s, Zvolen was granted town privileges by King Béla IV—making it one of the first towns in the Kingdom of Hungary. The town's privileges were confirmed on 28 December 1243, after the original document was destroyed in the war.

During this period, Zvolen was the capital of Zólyom County until the 1760s. Later, King Louis I the Great built a new castle, which became a popular hunting resort for Hungarian royalty. The future Queen Mary of Hungary and Emperor Sigismund celebrated their wedding at the castle in 1385.

In the 19th century, Zvolen continued to grow in importance. In 1848-49, Ľudovít Štúr, a key figure in the Slovak National Movement, represented Zvolen as his constituency in the Diet. The construction of two new railways in 1871-72 further solidified Zvolen's status as a major transportation hub and industrial centre.

Zvolen played a significant role during the Slovak National Uprising, with two armoured trains, Hurban and Štefánik, manufactured in the local railway manufactory. Today, Zvolen remains an important transportation hub in Slovakia, with one of the country's four central train stations.

After World War I, it became part of Czechoslovakia

After World War I, Zvolen became part of Czechoslovakia, which was formed from several provinces of the collapsing empire of Austria-Hungary. The new Czechoslovak state was declared by Tomáš Masaryk, Edvard Beneš, and other leaders on October 28, 1918, and was quickly recognised by France and other Allied opponents of Austria.

The Czechoslovak Republic experienced social breakdown and a wave of violence in the immediate post-war years, but it managed to overcome the postwar shock successfully. The founding of the new state played a role only in the Czech parts of the Czech lands. In Slovakia, about 200 Slovak political representatives proclaimed the independence of Slovakia from Hungary and unification with the Czech lands in a new Czechoslovak state. The official narrative spoke about the unified will of the "Czechoslovak" nation, which deliberately initiated the creation of an independent Czechoslovak national state based on democratic and humanistic ideals.

The Czechoslovak territory was afflicted by social breakdown and a wave of violence and criminality in the immediate post-war weeks and months. Plundering and robberies struck vast regions of the Czech lands, and Jews became targets of looting and violence. The new state authorities did not hesitate to intervene: security forces shot and arrested thousands of strikers, and law courts sentenced about 500 rebellious workers. However, in 1922, President Masaryk granted a pardon to the arrested workers and announced many other amnesties in the immediate post-war period.

The Czechoslovak state took steps to stabilise the economy. On October 28, 1918, the Czechoslovak National Committee gained control over the Prague corn supply, and the monetary reform of February 1919, implementation of an import duty, and later the so-called "nostrification" of companies separated the new state from the economic and financial system of the Habsburg Empire. The initial foreign policy of the new state avoided any official contacts and cooperation with other successor states, especially German-Austria and Hungary. Instead, it tried to embed the Czechoslovak state in a new international order.

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