Magyar

Member of the largest ethnic group in Hungary, comprising 92% of the population. Most are Roman Catholic. The Hungarian language belongs to the Uralic group.

Magyars are of mixed Ugric and Turkic origin, and were originally nomadic peoples living in the region between the Volga and the Ural Mountains. They arrived in Hungary towards the end of the 9th century when they displaced the resident Huns and Slavs. Defeated in the 10th century, they settled and adopted Christianity. They were ruled by the Turks in the 16th and 17th centuries and then by the Hapsburgs, under whom they gained autonomy in 1867. They became independent in 1918.

Language The earliest document written wholly in Magyaric dates from 1295 and contains 300 words, but from the 10th century onwards Hungarian words appear in Greek-Byzantine works and in Greek and Latin documents found in Hungary.

Ethnic groups The Magyars today are a uniform people speaking one language; but there are still small groups with distinct characteristics that can be traced back to the original different tribes: they are the Sarkoz (in the province of Tolna), the Ormansag (southwestern Baranya), the Csokoly (near Kaposvar), the Palocz (in the northern provinces), and the Matyo (in the district of Mezokovesd).