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

At this time, the Romanian High Command began to withdraw its forces on
September 23 from Trans-Danubia, on orders of the Entente Mission in
Budapest. Their positions were assumed by units of the National Army. With
the tacit approval of the Entente, the Vas County-Szombathely units led by Col.
Lehár began their slow infiltration of Budapest and its environs in the first days
of October. The main force, the Szombathely division, began its movement
toward the capital by rail on November 8. After the creation of security and
other concerns, the National Army officially marched into Budapest on
November 16, led by C-in-C Miklós Horthy, later to be governor of Hungary.
The entry of Horthy and the Vas-Szombathely units into the capital made all
the papers and a newsreel clip was also made. It was ceremoniously shown in
the cinema on the main square of Szombathely on December 5-7 to the city’s
and county’s worthies. The important role of the units was lauded by the
Western Hungarian counties’ Government Commissioner, Count Antal Sigray
(1879–1947), who later acclaimed them on December 15, 1919 at his official
inauguration as High Constable.
Initially, after the fall of the Commune – principally because of the
occupation of Budapest by Romanian forces – strong Hungarian central
authority was lacking. Hence, three-four counties were organized into
government commissions, whose appointed head, the commissioner, wielded
almost unlimited authority. The Hungarian Government Committee for Moson,
Sopron, Vas and Zala Counties, including the city of Sopron, of Western
Hungary was set up on August 12, 1919. 169 Archduke Joseph, Hungary’s
temporary head of state, named Count Antal Sigray as head of the public
administration. 170 Sigray received authority over all civil public administrative
169 Soós, Katalin. A Nyugat-Magyarországi Kormánybiztosság megszervezése [The
organization of the Western Hungary government commission]. In: Acta Historica, vol.
XXXIII. Szeged, 1969, pp. 21–39; Zsiga, Tibor: Az ellenforradalmi rendszer hatalomra
jutásának eszközei és sajátosságai Vas megyében (1919-1920) [The methods and
features of the anti-revolutionary regime coming to power in Vas County (191901920)].
In: Vasi Szemle, 1977, issue 3, pp. 394–403; Zsiga, Tibor: A Nyugatmagyarországi
Kerületi és Vasvármegyei Kormánybiztosságok, mint az ellenforradalmi állam első
decentralizált szervei [The district and Cas County government commissions of
Western Hungary as the first de-centralized organs of the anti-revolutionary state]. In:
Vasi Szemle, 1978, issue 1, pp. 105–114.
170 Count Antal Sigray headed the government committee until January 1920, until
elected as representative of the Christian National Unity Party. The post was then filled
until August 1920 – the position was then suspended – by Count József Cziráky (1883-
1960), former High Constable of Sopron County, monarchist politician and manager of
the Habsburg estates in Hungary. The position was re-activated on November 13 and
Sigray was again appointed to it. The actual reorganization only took place in January,
1921. Békés, Márton: A becsület politikája. Gróf Sigray Antal élete és kora [The
politics of honor. Life and times of Count Antal Sigray]. Magyar Nyugat Könyvkiadó,
Vasszilvágy, 2007, pp. 67–79; Békés, Márton: Sigray Antal Nyugat-Magyarország
1919-es szerepéről [The role of Antal Sigray in Western Hungary in 1919]. In: Vasi
Szemle, 2006, issue 6, pp. 757–766.
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