The Fate of Western Hungary 1918-1921 - Corvinus Library ...

Commissioner Ulysses Grant-Smith were also nearby on the estate of Antal
Sigray, Western Hungary’s Chief Government Commissioner. In these weeks,
certain Hungarian aristocrats and Catholic prelates put their faith only in the
restoration of Charles IV, which is why they organized his return. Many
supported it in the hope that the king would prevent their western Hungary
estates being annexed to Austria. The change of border would have a
detrimental effect – especially on profitability and taxation – on the estates of
the families of the Esterházy of Fertőd, the Széchényi of Nagycenk, the Erdődy
of Vép, the Batthyány-Strattmann of Körmend and the Graskovics of
Németújvár.
The former monarch travelled to Budapest in an army officer’s uniform on
March 27, 1921 to confer with Regent Horthy about assuming authority.
Hungary remained a monarchy after the March 1, 1920 election by the National
Assembly of Horthy as Regent. The Entente Powers protested to the king in a
note on April 3, stating they would not recognize him nor would they tolerate,
in any form, the renewed reign of a Habsburg in Hungary. After the fruitless
task, Charles IV left Szombathely on April 5. 240 The presence of the former
monarch caused serious damages to the country because subsequently
Czechoslovak Foreign Minister Beneš was able to isolate Hungary completely
by mid-1921, while demonstrating the political unity of the Little Entente. As a
result of the attempted return, the Czechoslovak-Romanian defensive
agreement was signed on April 23, 1921 and the South Slav-Romanian on June
7, bringing to completion the triumvirate of the Little Entente brought into
existence with a specifically anti-Hungarian aim. 241
In the meantime, Prime Minister Teleki handed in his resignation due to his
240 Speidl, Zoltán: IV. Károly két restaurációs kísérletének nyugat-magyarországi
vonatkozásai (1921) [Two restoration attempts by Charles IV and their impacts in
Western Hungary]. In: Vasi Szemle, 1971, issue 1, pp. 107–119; Zsiga, Tibor: Az első
királypuccs és Vas megye (1921) [The first royal coup and Vas County (1921)]. In:
Vasi Szemle, 1979, issue 2, pp. 269–286; Zsiga, Tibor: Szombathely az utolsó királyi
székhely. IV. Károly első visszatérési kísérlete [Szombathely, the final royal seat. The
first return attempt of Charles IV]. In: Vasi Szemle, 1991, issue 4, pp. 549–560; Simola,
Ferenc: Elfeledett fénykép IV. Károly Vas megyei tartózkodásáról [Forgotten
photograph of Charles IV’s stay in Vas County]. In: Vasi Szemle, 2005, issue 6, pp.
785–789; Ormos, Mária: „Soha, amíg élek!” Az utolsó koronás Habsburg
puccskísérletei 1921-ben [“Never, as long as I live!” The coup attempts of the last
crowned Habsburg in 1921]. Pécs, p. 157.
241 The basis for the Little Entente was the Czechoslovak-South Slav alliance signed on
August 23, 1920, followed on April 23, 1921 by the Czechoslovak-Romanian, and
finally on June 7 by the Romanian-South Slav agreement. All three ensured military
assistance for the other in case of an attack by a third country. The signatories also
agreed to harmonize their foreign policies in regard to Hungary. See Tóth, Endre: IV.
Károly első magyarországi restaurációs kísérletének következménye: a csehszlovák–
román szövetségi egyezmény [The consequences of the first restoration attempt of
Charles IV: the Czechoslovak-Romanian alliance agreement]. In: Kisebbségkutatás,
year 16, 2007, issue 1, pp. 51–70.
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