DIE UNGARISCHEN OFFIZIERE UNTER FRANZ JOSEPH I., 1867-1916

• Authors: Balla Tibor

Title variants

EN

Hungarian officers during the era of Francis Joseph I. (1867 – 1916)

• Languages of publication: DE

Abstracts

EN

The most important supports of the Habsburg monarchy included the officer corps and generality, representing the transnational nature of the multinational monarchy troops. The author states that the boundless loyalty of the officers towards their emperor and king, Francis Joseph I. and the monarchy, held a higher position in their value hierarchy than their national identity. In the period of 1867 – 1916, the professional officer corpse of the army was not very active politically, maintaining its appropriate distance from the rising nationalism. In 1898 – 1914 a quarter of the officer and superior command corps was a native of Hungary. Almost 15 percent of the officers were Hungarians. Officers coming from Hungary acquired professional knowledge during their studies at military academies of the armed forces (Theresian Military Academy in the New Town of Vienna, Technical Military Academy in Vienna or the Royal Hungarian Academy Ludovica in Budapest), or graduated from one of the total nineteen cadet schools in the Habsburg monarchy. Many of them, including the officers of the Hungarian home defence (Honvéd), also attended the Military School in Vienna, established in 1852 by the general staff of the Imperial and Royal army as the establishment of higher education. The reader will also learn that the prestige and professional preparation of the officers of the I. and R. Army were superior compared to their colleagues from the Hungarian home defence. On the other hand, the Hungarian home defence (Honvéd) offered its members an option of faster career growth. At the same time, the author states that the officers of Hungarian origin were preferred and favoured for promotions in the common troops, at the expense of other nations, which naturally provided them with better career prospects. Otherwise, the social origin, nationality or religions were not considered for promotions. Education and training played the key role in the career growth in the officer corps of the common I. and R. Army and the Hungarian home defence.

Keywords

EN

HUNGARIAN OFFICER; GENERALITY; I. AND R. ARMY; FRANCIS JOSEPH I.

• Publisher: Vojenský historický ústav Bratislava
• Journal: Vojenská história
• Year: 2021
• Volume: 25
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 40 - 54

Contributors

author

Balla Tibor

• Nemzeti Közszolgálati Egyetem, Hadtudományi és Honvédtisztképző Kar, Budapest, Hungary