Magyars, << MAG yahrz, >> are a group of people usually called Hungarians. They are traditionally considered descendants of the early Magyars, a people who founded Hungary in the late 800’s. Today, Magyars make up almost all of Hungary’s population. Millions also live in neighboring countries and in the United States and other Western nations. The Magyar language is in the Finno-Ugric group, which includes Estonian and Finnish.
From about 3000 B.C. to A.D. 500, the Magyars lived between the Volga River and the Ural Mountains in what is now Russia. By the late 800’s, they had moved southwest to settle in what became Hungary. From then until the mid-900’s, they raided many neighboring peoples. During the 1000’s, the Magyars adopted Christianity and founded a powerful kingdom.
In 1526, the Ottoman Empire, based in what is now Turkey, defeated the Magyars. Hungary was divided between the Ottomans and the Austrian Habsburgs (or Hapsburgs). The Habsburgs expelled the Ottomans and gained complete control of Hungary in the early 1700’s. Later, the Habsburgs were forced to share power with the Magyars in the kingdom of Austria-Hungary, which lasted from 1867 to 1918. Hungary became a separate republic in 1918. After World War I (1914-1918), many Magyars became inhabitants of neighboring countries when Hungary was reduced in size under the Treaty of Trianon.
