…it is a clear historical fact that between 1779 and 1918 a portion of the Adriatic shores were under Hungarian rule (with the exception of the 1809-1813 French occupation) and, despite the city’s autonomy, under Hungarian governance.
– confirmed the Institute of Hungarian Research in its latest study which was prepared in connection with the recent minor diplomatic scandal. Last week on Friday, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was discussing the potential Russian oil embargo; he stated that those countries that have sea-access can ship oil from anywhere in the world, “we would have had seaports, but these were taken away.” The Croatian State Archives reacted with a statement that “nobody took away Hungary’s seaports because the country never had any,” which the Hungarian left-wing media enthusiastically quoted.
How did the Hungarians get a seaport?
According to the latest study by the Institute of Hungarian Research, Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III, of the Habsburg house, purchased Rijeka for their kingdom; thereby, the city was part of the Austrian-Hungarian monarchy until its collapse. The city enjoyed extensive autonomy and from the beginning of the 18th century it belonged to the Graz-based Central Austrian government and from 1747 to the Imperial Royal Governorate.
The following year, the Austrian seaside commercial province was established, operating under the authority of the Imperial and Royal Central Directorate of Trade. To simplify the rather complicated governance *** relations in 1754, the area was transferred directly under the Austrian trade council. Despite several reorganizations, the territory remained the property of the Austrian Archduke. According to the institute, fundamental changes in the fate of Rijeka was tied to Joseph II.
King Joseph II adopted an idea from his mother – Empress Maria Theresa – that a seaport would have a positive impact on Hungary’s economy; this is why Rijeka was put under the rule of the Hungarian Chancellery and the Hungarian council of governors based in Bratislava (Pozsony).
The queen agreed with the proposal and on August 9, 1776 incorporated Rijeka into the administration of Croatia with the stipulation that a new county be established and that Rijeka be run by its own governor. The governor appointed was József Majláth.
The Croatians wanted something else
The Croatian orders were reluctant to carry out the will of the new governance and they complained about the new ruler; this led to a conflict
between the parties. Rijeka’s senate proposed a solution, according to which
“In the same way as all the other parts and provinces connected with the Kingdom of Hungary, this city is owned and possessed by its territory as connected to and included in the Holy Crown of the Kingdom of Hungary.”
Maria Theresa granted their request and on April 23, 1779, she issued the new decree by which
it was allowed for the commercial city and district of Rijeka be considered a separate body attached to the Holy Crown of Hungary and be treated in all respects. By no means should it be confused with the Buddar district which has belonged to the Kingdom of Croatia since ancient times.
Thus, in the end, the situation was resolved by the queen’s decree placing Fiume directly under the Hungarian Holy Crown rather than the Croatian Kingdom. After this, the city’s affairs were arranged by the Hungarian chancellory and the Hungarian government bodies. The parliamentary decree was already on the agenda of the next parliament convened after 1779, in 1790. At the time, due to Leopold II’s efforts and the Croatian’s resistance, it was delayed, but the Hungarian orders kept it on the agenda. Because of the wartime conditions, it was not relevant in 1792 and 1796, but in 1802, the Hungarians raised the issue again, and the queen promised to resolve the issue at the next meeting. Interestingly, the study mentions that the orders of Krajina also tried to “acquire” the city in 1795, but Francis I rejected their request.
War was no obstacle
As is documented in the report, the parliament after 1802 during the war could not deal with anything other than the French occupation of Vienna; when they convened in 1807 with the help of Archduke Joseph of Austria and Palatine of Hungary, it was sanctified into law that the city of Rijeka and its ports belong to the Kingdom of Hungary.
“With the approval of His Holy Majesty, the city of Rijeka and its ports, which Empress Maria Theresa and Queen gave to us by special decree, is now declared to be a part of the country by law”
In the study they confirm that at this point, Rijeka’s belonging to the Kingdom of Hungary was codified into law. From then on, until the Croatian-Hungarian compromise, the public status of the city was determined on the basis of this legislation.
The 1867 law clearly states that the city and district of Rijeka do not belong to Croatia; it goes on to name the territories that it does recognize as belonging to Croatia. A picture of contemporary life at Hungary’s port at the time was summarized by a 19th century French traveller:
Fiume is the Hungarian city where Croatians speak Italitan.
Hungary gives up Rijeka
This status remained up until 1918 with the end of the Austro-Hungarian empire when Rijeka became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. The Trianon peace dictate finalized the new governance of Rijeka:
“Hungary waives all rights and claims to Fiume and the surrounding territories which belonged to the former Kingdom of Hungary”
After Trianon, Italy and the freshly formed Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes fought over Rijeka, thus in 1920 the Free State of Fiume was established. One of the official languages here was Hungarian. This state was recognized by the United States, France, and the United Kingdom. In 1924, Italy took over the free state, then after WWII it became a part of Yugoslavia, under the Croatian state. Since Croatia became independent, Rijeka is now the third largest city in the country after Zagreb and Split with 108 thousand residents. Of that population, 1.9 percent is Italian and less than 1 percent Hungarian.
