Hello…er, Dear Journal, maybe?
I'm sorry. I've never kept a diary before. So I'm not exactly sure how to formally write in one. Anyway, I suppose I should start by introducing myself. My name is Erzsébet Héderváry. I'm known as the Kingdom of Hungary, Magyar Királyság, in the tongue of my people. My people are a proud race; always have been. Ever since my nomadic childhood gallivanting over all the land my energy allowed, my people have always possessed a glorious spirit within them. I love my people. This is why I'll do anything for them if I think it will make them happy. Even if I don't want to…
I never wanted to be part of House of Habsburg. I was forced into it, and my people suffered a lot under the rule of the Austrians. That damned Roderich Edelstein, otherwise known, in those days, as the Archduchy of Austria. I hated him. I hated him with the burning fiery passion of a thousand suns. I was reduced to little more than a colony because of him. He controlled all aspects of my people's lives! All but taxation, anyway. My economy simply went down the drain, though. What makes it especially sad is that, at first, he helped me. He saved me from the Ottomans, and I thought my people and I would be okay. He only did it for his own benefit, the selfish bastard. I was tossed right into the empire after that. Another pet to lock in their cage of autocracy.
The House of Habsburg may have been wealthy and extravagant, but my part in this "House" may as well have been that of a maid. One of Austria's nobles told Emperor Leopold that he felt that Vienna should make my people beggars! Beggars! Yeah. Freaking. Right. Oh! But who came begging to whom when Frederick II objected to your ruler being a woman? That's right, it was your Empress, Maria Theresa. She came begging to me and my Diet, clutching her infant son in her arms, begging for sympathy. Of course, I granted her sympathy. As a lady myself, I couldn't let it stand that anyone thought a woman couldn't rule on her own, no matter how indignant I was toward the Austrians. So my troops and I promptly went out and saved their asses, since they obviously wouldn't have been able to make it without our help. They were up against that other rat, Gilbert Beilschmidt, otherwise known as the Kingdom of Prussia, the Königreich Preußen, the bigger dog. The Prussians were stronger and more skilled, and the Austrians knew it, therefore, they let the beasts (us, of course) out of their cage to take care of their business for them. And for what? All that work getting Austria out of trouble and they have the nerve to colonize my lands! Peasants came from seemingly everywhere and took up the lands that once belonged to my proud Magyar people.
Noble after useless Habsburg noble took control and rarely made anything better for us. Joseph II refused to be coronated under my oath because he didn't want to follow the rules of my constitution. This entitled little turd even tried to prevent us from speaking our own language, but my people fought back hard and brought back the usage of our beautiful mother tongue ten-fold! Along with it came a delightful resurgence of our rich culture. Dance and costume abounded and it was fantastic! It was the briefest of respites, but it restored our hope and our pride, that was all that mattered. For the moment, anyway.
Things were slightly better for a little while. Leopold II took power and, at long last, I was recognized as my own independent country once more! Even better, my Diet and I passed Law X in 1791. This law asserted that I am an independent nation and can only be ruled by someone I declare can rule me, in accordance with my laws only! My people were so much more content, which made me so happy! For the first time, I began to look at Roderich, that little twerp, in a less hateful light, and he at me. Things were good for about two years… UNTIL (dun, dun, duuun) Francis I succeeded to the throne. This guy. Was freaking. Insane. Most paranoid person, you've ever met, seriously. All he could think about was "Oh, this could start a revolution, better take that away. Oh! And that could start a revolution, too, let's cut that out." He was so obsessed with breaking me down and keeping my people in submission, it was sickening. It's like, inferiority complex much? He was having people arrested left and right. It was ridiculous! Maybe I'd softened my opinion of Austria too soon.
Throughout the entirety of Francis I's time in power, my people sunk slowly into poverty. My lands proved fertile for grain and sheep for wool export, both of which were in high demand at the time, however most of the money made from my people's toils went to the undeserving aristocracy instead of to my citizens. I glared Roderich down whenever we were forced to be in the same room at political meetings, not that my Diet and I were called upon much by the Emperor other than to heed his requests for men and war supplies. Roderich normally just kept his eyes down. Thinking back on it, there was some sadness in them, but I didn't care. He was a spineless little worm who knew how much his people's decisions were hurting mine, but didn't do anything about it. There were too many against him, all of their voices too loud for his soft one to interrupt. But in my opinion, he didn't even try. He just kept his eyes down.
Finally, I'd had enough of living under Austria's thumb, as my people and I had had to do for the last several decades. We had all had enough. So, on March 15, 1848, we revolted against Austria and his Habsburgs that had suppressed us for so long. I told my people that it was time to rise up! We are the Magyars! We are powerful! We are strong! Our spirits cannot be broken! Let's all show them that the Hungarian people are proud and that we will NOT be silenced any longer! We marched through our glorious cities of Buda and Pest, soon to be united as our glorious capital city of Budapest and my people bravely fought for their livelihoods! I found Roderich sitting inside the building where our meetings were always held. So many decisions that had been life-altering and painful for my people had been made at the table that now sat empty save the trembling country sitting at its head. In that moment, all I'd wanted to do was go up to him and smash his face with an iron skillet, but before I could take a single step closer to him he calmly told me to wait. He got up from his seat at the head of the table and took the long walk through the large meeting room over to me, his strides long and graceful. He fell to one knee in front of me and crossed his right arm over his chest. He said:
"I'm sorry."
I was stunned. Was this truly happening. Is this stoic country admitting his guilt to me? Is he truly penitent?
"Erzsébet. I'm so sorry…for all the sadness I've caused you. All of the pain. You didn't deserve it. All this time, I've had to sit idly by and watch everything be taken from you by representatives of me. Believe me, it was hard….the Habsburgs are very powerful, and difficult to stand up to…so I never did…and I regret it so much. Your revolution was a long time coming and I deserve it. People are greedy, and we represent our people, we do what we can to make them happy…even if we don't want to."
My anger had subsided. Though what he allowed to happen to be my people was still unforgivable, I understood him completely. He was only desperately trying to do the exact same thing as I was, as all nations try to do, really: keep the people happy. I kneeled down next to him and he looked at me with his guilty eyes.
"You know," I said, "I get it. I hated your guts before…but I finally understand." I sighed. "This is a mess. Our empire is breaking apart." I looked at him with determination and stood up. "So how about we fix it together?" I offered my hand and he took it.
"Okay," he said, standing up.
"But, you need to stand up to the Habsburgs. You need to try harder. The only way this Empire is going to work is if we rule it together as equals. You know that this is for the good of both of our countries and you need to get that idea through their big, aristocratic heads, got it?" I said.
"Yes, ma'am," he says, smiling nervously at the thought of standing up to his rulers.
Get ready, Journal, this is the good part, where everything works out! It's also where things get a bit…weird, but it was all for the best, I think! My diet and the Emperor passed what we called the April Laws. Under them, I get to have independent ministries of finance and defense, and I can make currency through my own central bank! Swanky! It made the social classes more equal too! Guilds don't have privileges anymore, nobles have to pay taxes, and peasants get to hold property on the land they worked on! I have freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, oh, and did I mention I HAVE A NATIONAL GUARD NOW (AHHH!), and I get to rule Transylvania too (Though all of their meetings will be held at night…and I have to make sure to have some nice garlic-filled pasta with Italy before I go there…just kidding!)
So Austria kept his promise, and I was so thrilled! The day we signed in the April Laws was one of the happiest days my people have had in a long time. However, after the conference where we signed them in, we were having a banquet to celebrate and suddenly I found that Roderich and I were alone. Everyone else had surreptitiously left the room while I was distracted with all the delicious food on my plate! I nervously asked Roderich where everyone had gone, not knowing what to expect.
He walked over and sat next to me. "Yes, about that…I asked everyone to leave quietly so I could do this in private," he said. "I'm not really one to make a big show of things and this isn't really anyone else's business but ours…and I feel it would be uncomfortable for us both if there were others here…" he muttered, avoiding eye contact.
"Roderich, what's going on? Is something the matter?" I asked worriedly.
"Well, not exactly. It's just…" He sputtered, scratching the back of his head embarrassedly. "It's just that…in order for me to assure that the April Laws can't be violated by any ruler of either of ours…the Habsburgs…and your Diet…they say that there should be…a dual monarchy." He says, staring intensely at his shoes.
"Uh…I'm sorry, but I don't know what that is," I tell him.
"It means that there's going to have to be a…" he pauses for a long moment, his face turning the slightest pink, "…a marriage. Between you and I. We have to form a joint nation through a political marriage. It's the only way I'll be able to make sure no one can oppress you and your people. This is how it has to be for us to be equal…I'm sorry, this is so abrupt. I really didn't know how to go about doing this…" he stutters. His face is quite a deep shade of red now.
My hand flies to my mouth in disbelief. I was certainly happy to be equal but I hadn't seen this coming.
"Oh!...Oh. Ah, well, now that it's happened, I'm afraid I don't know how to go about it either, Mr. Edelstein," I chuckled nervously.
He smiled sympathetically. "Well, I suppose the way to do it is the formal way, I'd imagine…" he says. He takes out a simple golden ring and bows to me, reaching for my hand, which I give. "Erzsébet Héderváry, would you do our peoples, and I, the great honor of joining together our two glorious nations with our marriage?" He asks.
'This is the right thing to do. Our peoples will be happy, and…being married to him, it doesn't seem like it'll be that bad actually,' I thought.
"Roderich Edelstein, I will proudly do so. May our nations forever live prosperously under our union." I say, beaming, as he slips the ring onto the third finger of my left hand proudly.
I'm not really the type to be into the mushy stuff but it does warm my heart to look back on that moment. It's even better when I look at him now, still as much the gentleman as he ever was. With the Compromise of 1867, the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary was born, and it was a glorious time. To this day, our union is still set firmly in stone, our nations equal.
After that day, of course, there were hardships. The assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand and his wife and the outbreak of World War I did certainly put a strain on us, but we stayed dutifully by one another's side and came out on the other side of hell having made it, somehow. The loss of most of Eastern Europe was our only sacrifice. Things were even worse at the outbreak of the second Great War. Europe was tearing itself apart. We watched as it fell around us. We watched as our people were carted off by the millions, never to be seen again. We shed many tears and earned many scars. The last of our former glory as an Empire was taken from us and we were reduced to our current borders. But we were okay. This sounds cheesy as hell, but I think we were both okay because we finally weren't alone anymore. We weren't silent voices amongst large governments of loud nobles. We could stick up for each other, and that we did. The House of Habsburg still rules over us to this day. Our people are happy, we are happy. We love our people, and we will do anything for them. Together, we can.
Goodbye, Journal. Thank you for listening.
Laßt uns fest zusammenhalten, Let us stand together firmly,
In der Eintracht liegt die Macht; In the unity is power,
Mit vereinter Kräfte Walten With the combined forced rule
Wird das Schwere leicht vollbracht, If the severity accomplished easily,
Laßt uns Eins durch Brüderbande Let us band of brothers through one
Gleichem Ziel entgegengehn Go towards the same goal
|: Heil dem Kaiser, Heil dem Lande, :| Hail to the Emperor, healing the land,
Österreich-Magyar wird ewig stehn! :| Austria-Hungary will stand forever! :|
Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser,
Austro-Hungarian National Anthem