4. Main articles: Kingdom of Hungary in the Middle Ages and Ottoman–Hungarian WarsKingdom of Hungary in the Middle AgesOttoman–Hungarian Wars Hungary is one of the oldest countries in Europe. It was settled in 896, before France and Germany became separate entities, and before the unification of Anglo- Saxon kingdoms. Medieval Hungary controlled more territory than medieval France, and the population of medieval Hungary was the third largest of any country in Europe. Árpád was the Magyar leader whom sources name as the single leader who unified the Magyar tribes via the Covenant of Blood (Hungarian: Vérszerződés) forged one nation, thereafter known as the Hungarian nation [5] and led the new nation to the Carpathian Basin in the 9th century. [5] After an early Hungarian state was formed in this territory military power of the nation allowed the Hungarians to conduct successful fierce campaigns and raids as far as today's Spain. [6] A later defeat at the Battle of Lechfeld in 955 signaled an end to raids on foreign territories, and links between the tribes weakened. The ruling prince (fejedelem) Géza of the Árpád dynasty, who was the ruler of only some of the united territory, but the nominal overlord of all seven Magyar tribes, intended to integrate Hungary into Christian Western Europe, rebuilding the state according to the Western political and social model. [7] He established a dynasty by naming his son Vajk (the later King Stephen I of Hungary) as his successor. This was contrary to the then-dominant tradition of the succession of the eldest surviving member of the ruling family.Europemedieval FranceÁrpádMagyarHungarian [5]Carpathian Basin [5]fierce campaigns and raidsSpain [6]Battle of LechfeldGéza Árpád dynasty Christian [7] Stephen I of Hungary [edit] The Patrimonial Kingdomedit

9. They speak Hungarian

10. Population : 9,930,915 (July 2008 est.)

11. Birding Factoids 323 species in 46 families None of the 5 European endemics are represented here. No national endemics 3 speciality species 7 endangered species

12. Particularly during The early years of communist rule, the churches had faced extensive harassment and persecution by the regime. Many clergy had been openly hostile to the new government at its inception. The new secular authorities, for their part, denounced such attitudes as traitorous, and they mistrusted the churches as a source of opposition