Description
A concept drawing for the Hungarian/Magyar Women Warriors in the Historically Wrong Sketch Series: Medieval Revisited , which is roughly based on the Middle ages covering 800 AD to 1400 AD. Karpati Kiralysag, or the Kingdom of Carpathia, represents the historical Hungarian Kingdom in the Medieval, during the reign of the Arpads. Carpathia is taken from the name of the mountain range that stood tall over the region.
Inspired by the Music - Zengő együttes + Rüdiger Oppermann + Epi - Rózsák és tövisek
INTRODUCTION
The Magyars, ancestors of the modern Hungarians, have been the source of many scholarly studies and debates ranging their origin to the impact they caused in the history of Balkan and Western Europe. Begrudgingly, they were referred to as nomadic raiders who brought the demise of Great Moravia and terrorized much of Western Europe, comparable to other nomadic raiders like the Huns and the Avars. Though this idea is somewhat challenged by modern scholars, it is without doubt that the settlement of Magyars in the Carpathian basin led to the founding of one of the largest, influential and powerful medieval kingdoms, rivaling even France, that shaped the history of the Balkan region, as well as being one of the last bastion of Christian Balkan states to fight against the onslaught of Ottoman expansion from the 14th century onwards
DRAWING COMMENTARIES
Probably one of the least portrayed in DA, (unless you count Hetalia version of Hungary for the artwork) the Magyars are one of the most interesting medevial groups of people to study. Famous for their mounted warriors and also the goulash, I feel that I must make a contribution to represent them more in the art community. After all, the Historically Wrong Sketch Series would not be complete without the Magyars dominating the Carpathia region. However, I would like to point out that the History and the identity of Magyar itself is something that still puzzles me to this very moment.
Nevertheless, In this drawing, Haraszt-hazi Orsolya (Orsolia of House of Haraszti) is depicted as a Magyar Noblewoman in a stylized Kaftan dress with mail, as well as a stylized headdress. I'm not absolutely sure about the actual details of the traditional Magyar dress worn during the middle ages, but I took the inspiration from other steppe Turkic fashion (like the Pechenegs). Most of wealthy Hungarian nobles by the time of high middle ages and beyond would have worn western armors, typically those from German or Italy. So, her depiction would probably closer to Tribal Magyar Mounted Warriors than the Hungarian Knights.
Also, first and foremost, I would like to give a mountain of thanks for ugiel for helping with the proofreading and historical information with this drawing!
REFERENCES AND OTHER RELATED MEDIA
Developed from the Original Concept - Haraszti-hazi Orsolya of Kingdom of Carpathia
Drawn as part of the Women Warriors of Balkan Alliances in the Historically Wrong Sketch Series , featuring 5 distinct Balkan cultures represented in the series Anachronism and Historically Inaccurate depictions
Maybe related to:
The Polish , The Steppe Turkic Tribes , The Bulgarian , The Germans (Austrian)
A Part of the Historically Wrong Sketch Series: Medieval Revisited - You can find more on the various faction on the map here:
HWS Medieval Revisited - Faction Map v.1.30
HISTORICAL COMMENTARIES
The origins of Hungarians, or Magyars, is currently still a mystery and much to the subject of scholarly debate. One theory suggested that they were originally minority tribes inhabitting the central plains, surrounded by the Slavs and the Vlachs. Another theory, suggesting that the Magyars were originally Turkic when they settled down in the Hungarian Plains in the 9th century, specifically, the year 895when Arpad brought the Magyars through the Carpathian Mountains, whose ruling elites adopted the Finno-Ugrian Language from 11th century onwards. Regardless whether or not these two theories are correct, The Magyars had a very strong ties with the Persian and Turkestani culture, which are reflected in their arms, armours and combat tactics.
One thing that should be admired about the Magyars is that while many steppe or tribal empires/federations faded away due to internal instability and foreign incursion in the middle ages, the Magyars had succeeded in establishing their rule as Kingdom of Hungary, one of the largest Kingdom in Medieval Europe, a long lasting Sovereignty over the Carphatian region that has been culturally unique in the Balkans, something that has survived even to this day.
The birth of the Hungarian state could be traced back to the seven tribes from the Pontic steppes that formed the Magyar federation in early 9th century that would later descended into the Carpathian Basin, conquering the territory previously held by the Moravians. Initially, The Carpathian basin was an area of clashes of three regional powers: the Great Moravia, First Bulgarian Empire and East Francia. These three kingdoms occasionally hired the service of Magyars horsemen as auxiliary to fight in their wars, so this would probably be one of the reasons why the Carpathian basin was chosen due to the familiarities of Magyars with the area. When the Magyars were united under the Arpad, they crossed the Carpathian Mountains and entered the basin in the late 9th century. There's several historical sources that chronicled the events of this migration, with ranging dates and accuracies but the common assumption was that the Magyars entered the area initially as small migrations after a combined attack of the Pechenegs and Bulgarians against them. With the disintegration of Moravia, the Magyars exploited the internal conflicts and invaded the region, thereon established their firm hold in the late 9th century as Principality of Hungary. The origin of the name Hungary is as debated as the Origin of Magyars themselves, but several written sources referred the Magyars either as "Hetu-Moger (Seven Magyars)", Ungari or Hungrin, and is no way related to the English word of “hungry” .
The Hungarian Principality wasn't a developed state at this time, as the Arpads who ruled the realm had weak influence over the tribal Hungarian warlords and chieftains who had settled in the area. In this period, the Hungarians launched several attacks deep into Europe, to Italy, Germany, France, and even as far as Spain. Their defeat at the battle of Lechfeld in year 955, finally stopped the invasion and allowed the Magyars to focus more on rebuilding their realm. This is somewhat interesting, because the Magyars’ loss at the battle of Lechfeld included many of the warlords and chieftains and thus allowed the Arpads to firmly establish their grip in Hungary and united the tribes. The nomadic lifestyle would soon phase out in favor of settled communities, and the principality would later turn into a Kingdom with the conversion of Hungarians into Christianity and the coronation of Stephen I of Arpad as the first King of Hungary. This signaled the birth of one powerful kingdom that would remain influential in the politics of Balkan region as well as throughout Europe, before their decline in the 16th century.
The final fate of the Kingdom of Hungary could be chronicled after the battle of Mohacs in 1526, when king Louis II died in fight, the Kingdom became a sphere of influence of Turkish Ottomans and Austrian Habsburgs, fighting each other to take over Hungary. In the same year Habsburgs took western parts of the realm. Ottomans, ruled by Suleiman the Magnificent, were slowly gaining power in other parts of the realm, where John Zapolya, the enemy of Habsburgs, ruled as the king of Hungary, chosen and crowned after Louis’s death. Zapolya’s son and successor, John Sigismund, in 1570 ceded most of his lands to Turkey and become duke of Transylvania. From that moment, Hungarian lands were divided in three parts: one controlled by Habsburgs, the second one controlled by Turkey and the last one was semi-independent Transylvania.
Disclaimer: I am by no means expert in History, just a humble man with passion for learning history. Also, English is not my first language so if you do find any errors or would like to make a correction/feedback, please feel free let me know
Comments: 59
riritaki [2017-11-16 04:10:24 +0000 UTC]
I found this through a google search and I had to log in to leave a comment... I love this so much! You depicted this beautifully and it's SO rare for me to come across any sort of old Hungarian culture depicted anywhere outside of the Hungarian internet haha. Not only that, most of the time it's mostly men that are represented despite the Magyars being a culture that used to have warriors/fighters of both genders. I'm very interested in learning about my culture's past, and seeing this made me so happy! <3 Thank you for this beautiful drawing!
👍: 1 ⏩: 0
Nosonart [2016-02-29 07:41:27 +0000 UTC]
Amazing!, have draw one about Medieval Romania? (Wallachia/Transylvania/Moldavia)
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
sylvain1975 [2015-11-01 09:58:09 +0000 UTC]
The Bavarian chronicler, Aventinus account about the Hungarian warrior women from the conquest period (IX-X century).
"Eadem ferocitas faeminis inerat. Tot seruitia, post fata in alio mundo contingere, quod hostes mactassent, credebant."
English.
"The women had the same ferocity as well. They believed that after they die, they will have so many slaves as many enemies they will slaughter."
Johannes Aventinus: Annalium Boiorum VII, 1554 p. 482
This was an old Hungarian belief, shared with all the horse archer nomadic warrior nations. The same belief we can find in the Hungarian legend of the Lehel's horn.
huns2huns.com/the-horn-of-lehe…
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Zombixxx [2015-03-22 10:18:27 +0000 UTC]
Good work my friend!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
aristi1982 [2015-03-22 02:54:03 +0000 UTC]
Excellent!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
tadzikonserwator [2015-03-16 16:02:04 +0000 UTC]
That reasearch is razy. Grat job.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Fufulet [2015-02-04 17:28:11 +0000 UTC]
She has a funny expression like she says "Oh, what we have here?".
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
artlovr59 [2014-11-09 12:11:09 +0000 UTC]
Very nice indeed. It depends on which period of the Middle Ages you're talking about. The upper class quickly adopted Western styles and armour, but they kept their buttoned coats and "süveg" (steppe type) hat. As to the origins, one could go on and on. There are mentions in the 11th Century of Slavs, but nothing on the Vlach until 13th C and only in the southern part of the Carpathians.
As to "Ungri, Hungari". This name has been associated with people in Hungary as early as the 560s. Some believe this came from the Onogurs, who were the majority people in the Carpathian Basin. That was the view of Prof Gyula László based on his lifetime of archaeology.
I think it's great that you want to talk about a basically under-represented people! Great!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
J4B [2014-10-10 12:11:56 +0000 UTC]
She has a cute face and I really like her hat.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
J4B In reply to Gambargin [2014-11-09 11:46:13 +0000 UTC]
Tha's okay.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
joolita [2014-09-14 11:13:18 +0000 UTC]
Adding the background was a really good choice. It adds to the atmosphere of the scene; makes me wonder, were they hunting, maybe? Don't worry thet the background is sketchy - a more detailed one would just obscure the picture.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Gabbanoche [2014-07-26 16:56:23 +0000 UTC]
I like her hat alot!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Gambargin In reply to Gabbanoche [2014-11-09 03:33:16 +0000 UTC]
Thank you , sorry for my late reply.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Gambargin In reply to Wolfberry-J [2014-11-09 03:33:10 +0000 UTC]
Thank you , sorry for my late reply.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Gambargin In reply to ironsides11 [2014-11-09 03:32:59 +0000 UTC]
Thank you Dane , sorry for my late reply.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
akitku [2014-04-22 05:36:02 +0000 UTC]
This one is really pretty. The outfit looks great and I just love tha hat and cloak. The way you suggest fur is great! Also, I really like her expression and her hair.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Gambargin In reply to akitku [2014-11-09 03:32:26 +0000 UTC]
Thank you akitku , sorry for my late reply.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
lavenderl [2014-04-21 20:19:56 +0000 UTC]
Lovely. ^^
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Gambargin In reply to lavenderl [2014-11-09 03:32:10 +0000 UTC]
Thank you eva , sorry for my late reply.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
lavenderl In reply to Gambargin [2014-11-09 10:21:23 +0000 UTC]
You're most welcome. ^^ No problem.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
artlovr59 [2014-04-21 12:04:21 +0000 UTC]
I really like this, especially the warrior next to her. He looks just right. I will tell you that in the pagan era (although already monotheist) women had very clear work definitions, as did the men, and women warriors were not among them. Later, when there were desperate situations (fighting the Ottomans, or Hapsburgs) women warriors were seen. But definitely not among the pre-Christians.
👍: 0 ⏩: 2
artlovr59 In reply to Gambargin [2014-11-09 12:23:48 +0000 UTC]
I think in the ancient days there were no women warriors at all, because it was a very, very rigid society, with people even being buried according to their rank and place. However, later, there were numerous women who took up arms, like the Women of Eger (1550s) Ilona Zrínyi (1680s) and then a lot of women in the 1848 Revolution, who pretended to be men and fought as Huszárs.
I don't know of any indication of either the Avars or the Bulgars using women as soldiers. Perhaps once the Bulgars had become Slavicised, they might have, but the Steppe people had very strict codes as to division of labour and women warriors were not a category, at least until Islam. (Early Islam was much more open to women having leading roles than much we see today, which is rather odd, I think.)
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
my-sword-is-bigger In reply to artlovr59 [2014-04-22 03:19:39 +0000 UTC]
'pagan era' is .. not very accurate. There were shitloads of religions all across the world who weren't Christians. All the cultures were different and changed a lot over time; some had women warriors, some didn't.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
artlovr59 In reply to my-sword-is-bigger [2014-04-22 09:56:43 +0000 UTC]
Sure, but that is the term we use in Hungarian history about the period before 1000 AD and that's how I was using it.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
paweldaruk [2014-04-21 11:50:30 +0000 UTC]
Fabulous work, mate!!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Lemniskate [2014-04-21 11:26:14 +0000 UTC]
Why don't you like the diacritical marks? They're not just decoration, you know?
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
jeandulin [2014-04-21 11:14:08 +0000 UTC]
Hm...she is very beautiful, gin!!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
jeandulin In reply to Gambargin [2014-11-09 07:57:24 +0000 UTC]
I would ask u a request
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
jeandulin In reply to Gambargin [2014-11-10 09:14:39 +0000 UTC]
A similar thing, yes: I'm starting a project and you can help me for the art ideas, would u know more about it?
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
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