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| {{short description|1907 shooting of civilians by Austro-Hungarian troops in present-day Ružomberok, Slovakia}} | |||
| {{refimprove|date=September 2007}} | |||
| {{pp-protected|small=yes}} | |||
| The '''Černová tragedy''' (or ''Černová massacre'', {{lang-sk|Černovská tragédia}}, {{lang-hu|Csernovai tragédia}}) was a bloody massacre that happened in ] (then officially Csernova, now part of ]) on ] ]. | |||
| {{POV|date=October 2013}} | |||
| The '''Černová massacre''' (or '''Černová tragedy''', {{langx|sk|Černovská tragédia}}, {{langx|hu|Csernovai tragédia}} or '''Csernova Affair'''<ref>{{cite book|last1=Oakes|first1=Elizabeth|last2=Roman|first2=Eric|title=Austria-Hungary and the Successor States: A Reference Guide from the Renaissance to the Present (European Nations)|year=2003|publisher=Facts on File|isbn=978-0-8160-4537-2|page=|chapter=Historical dictionary A-Z|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/austriahungarysu0000roma/page/456}}</ref>) was a shooting that took place in Csernova, ] (today Černová, part of ], ]) on 27 October 1907 in which 15 people were killed and many were wounded after ] fired into a crowd of people gathering for the consecration of the local Catholic church. The shootings sparked protests in European and American press and turned the world's attention to the treatment of minorities in the Hungarian part of ].{{citation needed|date=June 2013}} | |||
| ==Outline of the events== | ==Outline of the events== | ||
| ===Pretext=== | |||
| In Černová, the inhabitants decided to build a catholic church from their own and ]s' finances, and from the initiative of ], their own native priest. Construction started in April 1907 and by the autumn, the church was ready for consecration.<ref name="cernova">http://www.cernova.sk/sublinks/cernovska_masakra1.html (Slovak)</ref> At that time, Hlinka was suspended by his bishop ] because he supported the opponent (also known for his ]) of the Catholic People's Party in the election campaign. Moreover, Hlinka was sentenced for two years in jail because his campaign speeches were considered ] according to 172th § of the 1878 ]<ref> - 1878. évi V. törvénycikk a magyar büntetőtörvénykönyv a büntettekről és vétségekről ''(Act No. 5 (1878): on the Hungarian Penal Code for crimes and offences)''</ref>. However, the inhabitants requested that Hlinka should consecrate the church, otherwise they requested to delay the consecration. So the people of Černová requested the consecration of the church in a letter (worded by Hlinka). Párvy gave his consent to that. In a second letter (also worded by Hlinka) the people requested that Hlinka be present at the consecration and in a third one, that he himself consecrates the church. Párvy - according to the ] - refused to cancel Hlinka' suspension. Instead, he appointed ] Anton Kurimsky, the former ] of ]. | |||
| On the initiative of ], the Slovak parish priest of nearby ] (Rózsahegy) and a native of Černová, people of the city decided to raise money for the construction of a new church.<ref name="setonWatson">{{cite book|last=Seton Watson|first=Christopher, Hugh|title=The Making of a New Europe: : R.W. Seton-Watson and the Last Years of Austria-Hungría|year=1981|publisher=Taylor & Francis|location=Austria|page=53|isbn=9780416747300|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Jb8OAAAAQAAJ&q=cernova&pg=PA53}}</ref> The locals raised 80,000 crowns,<ref name="setonWatson"/> and minor donations were received from ] as well. The construction started in April 1907 and by the autumn, the church was ready for consecration.<ref name="cernova">{{Cite web|url=https://www.cernova.sk/|title=Stránky mestskej časti Černová|website=www.cernova.sk}}</ref> | |||
| The locals wanted the church to be consecrated by Hlinka, however, he was at the time suspended by bishop Sándor Párvy and sentenced to two years of imprisonment due to his pan-Slavic agitation during the election campaign of 1906 and the subsequent conviction of ].<ref name="Kamusella">{{cite book|last=Kamusella|first=Tomasz|title=The politics of language and nationalism in modern Central Europe|year=2009|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|page=556}}</ref> Hlinka vaiwed the consecration, had no knowledge of this. The people of Černová thus demanded the consecration to be postponed until Hlinka would be able to perform the ceremony. The bishopric denied their request and two ]-speaking priests were appointed in his stead:<ref name="nedelsky">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tR3gzo_4f88C&q=massacre+cernova&pg=PA61|title=Defining the Sovereign Community: The Czech and Slovak Republics|last=Nedelsky|first=Nadya|publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press|year=2009|page=61|isbn=978-0812241655}}</ref> first, Canon Anton Kurimsky, and after his refusal, Dean Martin Pazurik of Likavka. | |||
| Hlinka was getting prepared for a lecture tour in ]. Before he left, the people of Černová once again wrote a letter to bishop Párvy. He delayed the consecration with a few days, but appointed again Kurimsky. When Hlinka left, he told to the people: ''"If you want, consecrate the church, if not, well, not!"''. The people were not aware of the canon law and Hlinka took no effort to tell them that he has no right to consecrate the church. Instead of explaining this, he left his worshippers with the belief that they have the right to review the bishop's decision. The lack of enlightenment (and, thus, information) was one of the main factors leading to the tragedy. | |||
| The ceremony was to take place on 27 October 1907. The official procession arrived at the village accompanied by a squad of 15 gendarmes. It was protested against by the locals, who attempted to block its way to the church to prevent Pazurik from consecrating. The demonstration was peaceful in nature <ref name="gleiman">{{cite book|last=Gleiman|first=Lubomir|title=From the Maelstrom: A Pilgrim's Story of Dissent and Survival in the Twentieth Century|year=2011|publisher=AuthorHouse|page=30|isbn=9781452020174|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bJQPu99K_d0C&q=cernova+hlinka&pg=PA30}}</ref><ref name="elMallakh">{{cite journal|last=El Mallakh|first=Dorothea H.|title=The Slovak autonomy movement, 1935-1939: a study in unrelenting nationalism|journal=East European Quarterly|year=1979|isbn=9780914710493|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c8hnAAAAMAAJ&q=cernova+hlinka}}</ref> although some accounts report stone-throwing at a member of the gendarme escort.<ref name="setonWatson"/> Outnumbered and in panic<ref name="holec" /> the gendarme leader ] Ján Ladiczky,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ujszo.com/velemeny/a-kilencvenot-eve-ujra-es-ujra-eldordulo-cernovai-sortuz |title=A kilencvenöt éve újra és újra "eldördülő" černovái sortűz |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=29 October 2002 |website=ujszo.com |publisher=ÚjSZÓ}}</ref><ref name="holec" /> an ethnic Slovak,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mno.hu/portal/593281?answerID=4488|title=Slota újabb kirohanása: tovább sértegeti a magyarokat}}</ref> ordered his squad to open fire into the crowd without prior warning<ref name="setonWatson"/> killing 15 of the protesting villagers, seriously wounding 12 and lightly injuring 40.<ref name="cernova"/><ref name="nedelsky"/><ref name=holecSME>{{cite web|title=Historik: Ospravedlnenie Maďarov za Černovú by nebolo produktívne|url=http://www.sme.sk/c/6113458/historik-ospravedlnenie-madarov-za-cernovu-by-nebolo-produktivne.html|publisher=Petit Press}}</ref> | |||
| Dean Pazúrik, Hlinka's superior upon getting know the new date asked for further delay so Hlinka can return to take part. The bishop agreed, but Hlinka wrote in his response (24 October): ''"I won't participate on the consecration on any conditions. Try to dissuade Kurimsky if you can and you yourself consecrate the church. I also don't want to be present because I don't want to be responsible for any possible events..."'' This letter makes clear that Hlinka was aware of the risk of "possible events" (though probably not a massacre), but he refused to return to calm down his people. (Although he was suspended as a parish priest, he was welcome to participate as a worshipper, but he seemed to be too offended to do so.) | |||
| The majority of the members of the ] gendarmes involved in the shooting were of ] origin (five persons from the total seven), and they performed the shootings not because of any ethnic reason, but they were obligated to do so according to the rules of their service.<ref name="holec"> Interview with Roman Holec, historian</ref><ref>{{cite journal| author = Csapó Csaba| date = January 2010| title = A csendőri szolgálat| journal = Rubicon| volume = XX| issue = 202| pages = 13}}</ref> | |||
| The people of Černová knew nothing about this letter and kept on organizing in favor of Hlinka. They sent anonymous letters to the bishop (Párvy), the canon (Kurimsky), the dean (Pazúrik). In one letter, the wrote to Pazúrik: ''"we will welcome you with axes, clubs and stones. Even the smallest child will throw stones at you because you have Jewish nature, you keep with the ]s, not with the Catholics…"'' But the recipients did not take these letters seriously. | |||
| ==Consequences== | |||
| ] came to sanctify the church on 27 October in a ] with underofficer Pereszlényi and 15 gendarmes (mostly ethnic Slovak). When the coach with the priest and officers turned into the narrow street leading to the church, the crowd (some 400 local people) obstructed the path and started to scrum. The gendarmes lost control and ] Ján Ladiczky gave order to shoot. The gendarmes fired four times, killing 15 people, seriously injuring 12 and lightly injuring 40.<ref>http://www.cernova.sk/sublinks/cernovska_masakra3.html (Slovak)</ref> In addition, 40 people were imprisoned or financially penalized. | |||
| ⚫ | Hlinka's appeal against his 1906 verdict was rejected, thus, on 30 November 1907 Hlinka started to serve his jail term in the Csillagbörtön (''Star Prison''), ]. On the other hand, Hlinka appealed with success his suspension to the Holy See, so it was cancelled on 8 April 1909. When Hlinka left the prison, Bishop Párvy appointed him again to his Ružomberok parish, and Hlinka consecrated the church in Černová with Párvy's consent. The tragedy sparked protests in the ]an and US press and it turned the world's attention to the attitude to the minorities in Hungary.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Racial problems in Hungary|last=Seton-Watson|first=Robert|year=1908|author-link=Robert Seton-Watson}}</ref> | ||
| Today's Slovak politicians — especially the members of the ] interpret the event as "Hungarian gendarmes shooting at innocent Slovaks". With many of their claims regarding the events, the ] continues to perpetuate a "false myth of Černová".<ref> A szóvivő Rafael Rafaj aláírásával ellátott dokumentum annak ellenére ápolja tovább csernova hamis mítoszát, hogy egy évtizede már komoly, a legendákkal, tévhitekkel leszámoló monográfia szól az esetről egy szlovák történész, Roman Holec tollából.</ref> Some Slovak sources claim that the gendarmes were ethnic Hungarian.<ref>{{cite book|last=Kirschbaum|first=Joseph M. |title=Slovakia in the 19th & 20th centuries|publisher=Slovak World Congress|year=1978|pages=464}}</ref> even though there was a very small number of ethnic Hungarians in the region where the gendarmes were recruited. According to Slovak historian Roman Holec, professor at ], the majority of the gendarmes were Slovaks from ]. (According to the official 1910 census, over 90% of the population were ethnic Slovaks in that county.) They were nevertheless honored for the deed, because they were in the service of Hungarian state. The rioters were violent from lack of fear of getting shot (i.e. that the sergeant would refrain from giving an order of fire or use blanks). The gendarmes were shooting in all directions instead of aiming for feet or into the air (most victims died due to their head and chest injuries).<ref name="holec" /> Some sources claim there were 5 Slovakian and 2 Hungarian<ref>{{Cite web |date=2006-10-27 |title=Egy elfelejtett sortűz nyomában |url=https://m.mult-kor.hu/20061027_egy_elfelejtett_sortuz_nyomaban |access-date=2024-05-25 |website=Múlt-kor történelmi magazin |language=hu}}</ref> gendarmes, while some like ] historian Roman Holec claims all of them were Slovakians, proving the crime was not ]. | |||
| The tragedy sparked huge respond in Hungary and abroad: the anti-Hungarian ethnic and foreign newspapers used the event to illustrate the situation of ethnicities in Hungary. The leftist Hungarian media interpreted the events as the responsibility of the clergy, especially the bishop. | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| Although police force fire was not uncommon that time in Austria-Hungary (regardless ethnicity) and elsewhere (in 1907 in Romania, during the last European peasant uprising, the army massacred 11 thousand people; in 1904 the Russian army killed more than 1000 workers in ], not mentioning the British colonial police in India), the events received extraordinary international attention with some Czecho-Slovak help. Important protesting European personalities included the Norwegian Nobel Prize laurate ], the Oxford historian ], the speaker of the Austrian parliament. The American Slovaks used the incident for a mass campaign for Hlinka. | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| Many could gain political profit from the events: the Czech and Slovak nationalists, the socialists, and Hlinka himself. Instead of returning to his home town (some of the victims were his relatives), he kept on giving lectures (even at the evening of the massacre, just after he got know of the events) and pushed the advantage of the political atmosphere. | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| Today's nationalist Slovak politicians - especially the members of the ] - see the event as a symbol of the myth of the "brutal" Hungarians and "pigeon-hearted" Slovaks, or interpret it as "Hungarian gendarmes shooting at innocent Slovaks" (during the legal actions after the massacre, some gendarmes refused to be witnesses, because the victims were their relatives). However, objective Slovak politicians and historians see the events as the manifestation of abuse of police power without any ethnic or nationalist intention. | |||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
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| ==External links== | ==External links== | ||
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| * {{cite book | author=Roman Holec | title=Tragédia v Černovej a slovenská spoločnosť (The Černová tragedy and the Slovak society) | publisher=Matica slovenská, Martin | year=1997 | id=ISBN 9788070904367}} | |||
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Latest revision as of 20:18, 2 November 2024
1907 shooting of civilians by Austro-Hungarian troops in present-day Ružomberok, Slovakia
 | The neutrality of this article is disputed. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until conditions to do so are met. (October 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
The Černová massacre (or Černová tragedy, Slovak: Černovská tragédia, Hungarian: Csernovai tragédia or Csernova Affair) was a shooting that took place in Csernova, Kingdom of Hungary (today Černová, part of Ružomberok, Slovakia) on 27 October 1907 in which 15 people were killed and many were wounded after gendarmes fired into a crowd of people gathering for the consecration of the local Catholic church. The shootings sparked protests in European and American press and turned the world's attention to the treatment of minorities in the Hungarian part of Austria-Hungary.
Outline of the events
Pretext
On the initiative of Andrej Hlinka, the Slovak parish priest of nearby Ružomberok (Rózsahegy) and a native of Černová, people of the city decided to raise money for the construction of a new church. The locals raised 80,000 crowns, and minor donations were received from Slovak Americans as well. The construction started in April 1907 and by the autumn, the church was ready for consecration.
The locals wanted the church to be consecrated by Hlinka, however, he was at the time suspended by bishop Sándor Párvy and sentenced to two years of imprisonment due to his pan-Slavic agitation during the election campaign of 1906 and the subsequent conviction of incitement. Hlinka vaiwed the consecration, had no knowledge of this. The people of Černová thus demanded the consecration to be postponed until Hlinka would be able to perform the ceremony. The bishopric denied their request and two Hungarian-speaking priests were appointed in his stead: first, Canon Anton Kurimsky, and after his refusal, Dean Martin Pazurik of Likavka.
The ceremony was to take place on 27 October 1907. The official procession arrived at the village accompanied by a squad of 15 gendarmes. It was protested against by the locals, who attempted to block its way to the church to prevent Pazurik from consecrating. The demonstration was peaceful in nature although some accounts report stone-throwing at a member of the gendarme escort. Outnumbered and in panic the gendarme leader sergeant Ján Ladiczky, an ethnic Slovak, ordered his squad to open fire into the crowd without prior warning killing 15 of the protesting villagers, seriously wounding 12 and lightly injuring 40.
The majority of the members of the Hungarian gendarmes involved in the shooting were of Slovak origin (five persons from the total seven), and they performed the shootings not because of any ethnic reason, but they were obligated to do so according to the rules of their service.
Consequences
Hlinka's appeal against his 1906 verdict was rejected, thus, on 30 November 1907 Hlinka started to serve his jail term in the Csillagbörtön (Star Prison), Szeged. On the other hand, Hlinka appealed with success his suspension to the Holy See, so it was cancelled on 8 April 1909. When Hlinka left the prison, Bishop Párvy appointed him again to his Ružomberok parish, and Hlinka consecrated the church in Černová with Párvy's consent. The tragedy sparked protests in the European and US press and it turned the world's attention to the attitude to the minorities in Hungary.
Today's Slovak politicians — especially the members of the Slovak National Party interpret the event as "Hungarian gendarmes shooting at innocent Slovaks". With many of their claims regarding the events, the Slovak National Party continues to perpetuate a "false myth of Černová". Some Slovak sources claim that the gendarmes were ethnic Hungarian. even though there was a very small number of ethnic Hungarians in the region where the gendarmes were recruited. According to Slovak historian Roman Holec, professor at Comenius University in Bratislava, the majority of the gendarmes were Slovaks from Liptó county. (According to the official 1910 census, over 90% of the population were ethnic Slovaks in that county.) They were nevertheless honored for the deed, because they were in the service of Hungarian state. The rioters were violent from lack of fear of getting shot (i.e. that the sergeant would refrain from giving an order of fire or use blanks). The gendarmes were shooting in all directions instead of aiming for feet or into the air (most victims died due to their head and chest injuries). Some sources claim there were 5 Slovakian and 2 Hungarian gendarmes, while some like Slovakian historian Roman Holec claims all of them were Slovakians, proving the crime was not ethnically motivated.
See also
References
- Oakes, Elizabeth; Roman, Eric (2003). "Historical dictionary A-Z". Austria-Hungary and the Successor States: A Reference Guide from the Renaissance to the Present (European Nations). Facts on File. p. 456. ISBN 978-0-8160-4537-2.
- ^ Seton Watson, Christopher, Hugh (1981). The Making of a New Europe: : R.W. Seton-Watson and the Last Years of Austria-Hungría. Austria: Taylor & Francis. p. 53. ISBN 9780416747300.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Stránky mestskej časti Černová". www.cernova.sk.
- Kamusella, Tomasz (2009). The politics of language and nationalism in modern Central Europe. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 556.
- ^ Nedelsky, Nadya (2009). Defining the Sovereign Community: The Czech and Slovak Republics. University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 61. ISBN 978-0812241655.
- Gleiman, Lubomir (2011). From the Maelstrom: A Pilgrim's Story of Dissent and Survival in the Twentieth Century. AuthorHouse. p. 30. ISBN 9781452020174.
- El Mallakh, Dorothea H. (1979). "The Slovak autonomy movement, 1935-1939: a study in unrelenting nationalism". East European Quarterly. ISBN 9780914710493.
- ^ Roman Holec szerint egyes politikusok régi mítoszokat próbálnak újraéleszteni Interview with Roman Holec, historian
- "A kilencvenöt éve újra és újra "eldördülő" černovái sortűz". ujszo.com. ÚjSZÓ. 29 October 2002.
- "Slota újabb kirohanása: tovább sértegeti a magyarokat".
- "Historik: Ospravedlnenie Maďarov za Černovú by nebolo produktívne". Petit Press.
- Csapó Csaba (January 2010). "A csendőri szolgálat". Rubicon. XX (202): 13.
- Seton-Watson, Robert (1908). Racial problems in Hungary.
- Egy elfelejtett sortűz nyomában A szóvivő Rafael Rafaj aláírásával ellátott dokumentum annak ellenére ápolja tovább csernova hamis mítoszát, hogy egy évtizede már komoly, a legendákkal, tévhitekkel leszámoló monográfia szól az esetről egy szlovák történész, Roman Holec tollából.
- Kirschbaum, Joseph M. (1978). Slovakia in the 19th & 20th centuries. Slovak World Congress. p. 464.
- "Egy elfelejtett sortűz nyomában". Múlt-kor történelmi magazin (in Hungarian). 2006-10-27. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
External links
49°05′30″N 19°15′20″E / 49.091742°N 19.255686°E / 49.091742; 19.255686
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