Corvin Chain Association Remembers Historian István Nemeskürty

The Hungarian Corvin Chain Association held a commemorative event celebrating the life and work of polymath and historian, István Nemeskürty, at its headquarters in Villa Róheim, Budapest, on Tuesday.

Although István Nemeskürty described himself not as a historian, but as a man “familiar with history”, he was often ahead of other historians in his research, said Prof. Sándor Szakály at the conference, where the late writer’s nation-building work was praised. At the conference, held on the ninth anniversary of the author’s death, the Hungarian historian recalled that Nemeskürty believed that there are historical periods that need to be made more accessible to the general public, reported Magyar Nemzet.

The Director General of the Veritas Institute for Historical Research, Prof. Szakály pointed out that the writer, who also called himself a teacher, considered the shaping of national consciousness to be his primary task. He reminded that Nemeskürty, who was the first president of the Hungarian Corvin Chain Board after 2001, was a true “apostle of historical scholarship”.

His most important idea, however, was that of belonging to a community – because those with a Hungarian national consciousness form a community.

Sándor Szakály underlined Nemeskürty’s democratic approach – he never claimed to have possessed the truth, although he had a huge background knowledge. He never shied away from controversy, and he perhaps even managed to use controversy to his advantage. The historian saw Nemeskürty’s life’s work as an important message that a nation must know its past and take ownership of the whole.

The Corvin chain can serve as a compass for Hungarian society and István Nemeskürty was one of them, according to a message sent by E Sylvester Vizi, president of the Hungarian Corvin Chain Board. His message was delivered by Prof. Miklós Maróth, former vice-president of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. It stressed that the Hungarian Corvin Chain Association’s aim is to preserve the writer’s legacy and to make him a role model for future generations. In his view, Nemeskürty had set in motion processes that are still having a major impact today. In his message Prof. E Vizi stressed that it is not good if we do not take part in shaping our own destiny, and let everything to “just happens to us”. On his part, Nemeskürty did not accept that there can only be one way of thinking about everything. He believed that the formation of a common opinion could serve the national interest, read Prof. E. Vizi’s message.

Bishop Levente Balázs Martos, Auxiliary Bishop of Esztergom and Budapest, said that alongside national consciousness, religiousness also permeated Nemeskürty’s thinking. The Auxiliary Bishop also reminded that

without a true common challenge that unites all, the morals of a nation would also seize to exist.

Featured Photo: MTI/Lakatos Péter