DUKE and DUCHESS OF SUSSEX EXPECTING ANY DAY - THE HUNGARIAN LINK TO QUEEN ELIZABETH and ROYAL GRANDCHILDREN

Update November 29, 2023

Hello Friends.  Since this post gets a lot of hits, I thought to say a little more about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex who have made the Santa Barbara - Los Angeles adjacent California their home. I can't say every American "has their back," but I can say that most Americans respect their wish to make their own money and not be dependent on Britain or the Royal Family. As well, I think there is interest in their children who are no doubt being raised as Americans with British heritage. I tend to think that in America there is a general interest in genealogy and genetics (DNA) and with that comes interest in what is inherited biologically - without such interest being automatically taken as an "ism."  For instances, there is curiosity in what children who have been born by surrogate look like (such as Paris Hilton and her husband's children) and immense interest in the Kardashians and their children and who they look like. My heritage does not include people who were slaves in the United States or any recent or traceable persons of "African"/ Black heritage so I don't know exactly what it is like to have that heritage, but I try to have empathy for the sensitivity some people have.  In general I do not think of this curiosity about who children look like is racism.  Racism to me involves not just noticing but also actively going against a person or a group of people for their racial heritage, ethnic heritage, or how they look. Living in a "mixed" culture in California, I think people here are overall quite liberal in attitude. I have no strong opinion on if or who anyone in the Royal Family is racist and find it all rather interesting.

Here at Magyar-American I play (in what I hope is a humorous way) with the various stereotypes of Hungarians and Hungarian-Americans, some of which I've experienced and some which I have been told abut by others. I hope my readers take those posts into consideration - and in stride.  Please leave comments if you have an opinion!

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As Royal Watchers know, American Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, the Duchess and Duke of Sussex, are expecting their first child any day. (I've been peeved over criticisms of The Duchess of Sussex's finally taking some time off in wait of her baby and concerned that she intends to go back to work so quickly. At 38 years old, and bearing a first child, I want to remind everyone she is not a "spring chicken," however well and eager she appears. Give this woman a break!)

Queen Elizabeth is partly Hungarian, and Prince Charles has gotten himself a little vacation home in Romania - Transylvania area - where so many Hungarian nobles once lived as part of the more mountainous region referred to as "Royal Hungary" which also includes present day Slovakia.) Of this I read various opinions about how the locals feel but it seems he himself loves it there when he visits. (And where I suspect he gives himself time off from being Prince Charles.)

The connection with the aristocracy and nobility of Hungary comes from one of Queen Elizabeth's great great grandmothers (1/16th) who was Countess Klaudina Zsuzsanna Thedy de Kis-Rhede (1812-1841). (Nick Gombash at Hungary Exchange has an impressive chart of lineage in which you can follow and perhaps you too will link to the British Royal Family.)

And so Baby Sussex will have among it's ancestors a bit of the Hungarian nobility as well as once upon a time African slaves brought to America.

Of interest to Hungarian-Americans also is the present day Princess Micheal of Kent.

MAGYAR NEWS - PRINCESS MICHEAL OF KENT - HUNGARY CONNECTION

EXCERPT: But currently, the closest Hungarian relation to the Queen is the former Marie Christine von Leibnitz, who married Prince Michael of Kent in 1978, making her Princess Michael of Kent. Her father was Baron Gunther von Reibnitz and her mother was Countess Szapary Maria Anna Von Muraszombath. 

UPDATE July 2019
A genealogy chart that shows how the British Royal family is related to Hungarian nobility and Vlad the Impaler : FAB PEDIGREE - ANNA LONYAY - PRINCE CHARLES - VLAD THE IMPALER

SORROW at HUNGARY's MAKING HOMELESSNESS CRIMINAL - IS HUNGARY A CHRISTIAN COUNTRY?

Hungary became a country  as a Christian country.  I feel sorrow for the homeless of Hungary who are now criminals because they are poor or rootless.  To me this is as backwards as it gets, that is if this is what Hungarian Christianity has come to.  

This I realize is a strong statement, but I come from one of the wealthiest "Countries" of all, not just the United States but California, which has an amazing economy statistically but which still has thousands of homeless people,  and believe me when I say that those homeless census' are only of those willing to be counted.  California, especially the large cities such as San Francisco and Los Angeles, where rents and housing costs are extreme has that impressive economy but still so many are not included in it.

I believe stereotyping homeless people is a problem.  For instance a stereotype is that homeless are all mentally ill, addicted, or criminal, when sure, some are, but many are not.  Consider that there are people out there who have worked for many years but at jobs that just did not pay enough money or had no retirement plans.

I've met these people around town due to some volunteer work I've done and because I take my dog to parks which are usually near civic centers and libraries.  In recent months I've met a man who is on dialysis who was a fisherman for many years and who has been sleeping under the roof of a senior center for two years. I met a woman who sleeps in a borrowed car who is a cancer survivor and due to her illness was out of the workplace for some time.  Both impress me as intelligent and stressed out but well mentally (i.e. not seriously permanently mentally ill.)  I also met a man who refused to pay his rent when his rich and powerful landlord refused to repair the walls of his old apartment which had vermin (rats) coming in.  He was on the street for 11 months before he found a place in a new senior building.  The new senior building was built in a part of the city that has a crime rate almost double than the rest, in other words a very undesirable area.  Most people in it are afraid to go out after dark.

In the United States being mentally ill (and willing to go on disability such as SSI), or addicted (and willing to get into rehab) generally will lead to housing with some sort of government subsidy for the rent, but even then this can take months or years.

I attended a church service recently where the minister was talking about "What would Jesus do?"  Wasn't it Jesus who said the way we treat THE LEAST OF OUR BROTHERS is the way we treat Him?  If this is so, then the criminalization of homeless in Hungary is not the act of a Christian or a Christian Country.  Please think about this for one hour this week, the hour you might devote to church going or not.

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EASTER EGG

MAGYAR AMERICAN BLOGSPOT - MY GENEALOGY - RELIGION - HISTORY and CULTURE of HUNGARY

This Easter Week has been and is exceptional for me because I'm volunteering at an small, informal, ecumenical and inclusive Christian church that has events all Holy Week, including the Washing of the Feet, The Solemn Good Friday, and culminating in an uplifting Easter celebration that includes a community meal and Easter Egg hunt for the children. This is the first time in years that I've been involved, and to be honest, I'm not too religious, but essentially I believe in the message of Jesus Christ, though not necessarily that being Christian is the only way to eternal life.

A question of the religion of my ancestors is also part of my genealogy research.

For a long time I've been searching for the marriage of my great great grandfather and great great grandmother, whose location, age, and religion at marriage is unknown.  

During the upheaval period of 1847-1849 (approx) my great grandfather was born in "Geres," and I've wondered if perhaps the family was moving about or effected or involved in this crisis. I learned that though the location probably was the Kis and Nagy Geres of Zemplen County, there was also a place called Geres in Szatmar County.  Could it be that they were just passing through?

I revisited the ongoing and wonderful work of Nick Gombas over at HUNGARY EXCHANGE (He needs volunteers!) the other day and am very excited about the searchable databases.

Recently I found there has been a connection between Nagy and Kis Geres and the other town where his son married twice and worked with a particular noble family and so I wonder if perhaps there has been a link between families into other counties such as Szatmar.

Years ago I talked to a man from the town my grandfather left. He expressed to me that though his family were devout Catholics (and it was the Church records from there, available at LDS, that I discovered so much), but overall he felt Hungarians had been through so many changes with religion that they were not especially devout overall.  I've wondered if this is part of my inability to be devout and my dislike of the Catholic versus Protestant divides.

I want to mention that I've been reviewing my genealogy oriented posts and links and want my readers to understand the focus of MAGYAR-AMERICAN BLOGSPOT.  Very basically, I know many of you Hungarian-Americans are doing genealogy research into your Hungarian (and often Slovak, German, Romanian, or other ethnicities originating in Hungary (with all those border changes).  At the same time, I believe that understanding Hungarian history, culture - in the past and present - is important to your understanding, your quest.

For me it's exciting to find the evidence for another ancestor - be it direct blood-line or families related - but these people are not just names on databases (or the more juicy original documents) but people who lived in a different time in history, who were more influenced by what we might call "folk culture."  I want to understand their work, how they dressed, and what they might have eaten, what influenced their choices when it came to marriage, and just how much if any freedom they had. This research leads me into town and county and country histories, collections of clothing and needlework, and so much else.

Beginning with the Hungarian language (which everyone I've ever met has mentioned as "most difficult")  and Hollywood and other stereotypes of Hungarian people (and people of Central and Eastern Europe), I believe there is much to learn and UNlearn about Hungarian people as individuals and as in groups.

By researching and writing this blog, I've learned so much about my unknown or forgotten heritage and have "owned" my own Hungarianess. When I was growing up, it was only the difficulty of my surname that informed me that I was perceived as different, and I was an adult before I learned the meaning of my surname.  (Now as people stumble over it, I explain it is Hungarian and what it translates to.)  

And so here you will find some of my own musings, my own life as a citizen of the United States of America, as well as that heritage.


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All Rights Reserved including Internet and International Rights

INFLUENCE OF ITALY : HUNGARIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM - HISTORY OF HUNGARY PERMANENT EXHIBIT

HUNGARIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM - HISTORY OF HUNGARY
Browse through the photos of the permanent collection and note the influence of the Italian Renaissance on Hungary (the first country to be influenced) : architecture, art, fashion.


Search for these words: ...the townsmen involved with long-distance trade were overwhelmingly of German or Italian descent and had family connections with many towns...  However, this tapestry commissioned by King Matthias Corvinus and considered a masterpiece of Ittalian textile art, was made specifically for secular use.



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KISSING A WOMAN'S HAND WHILE LOOKING IN HER EYES - HUNGARIAN MEN FLIRTING?

One day years ago I went out to lunch with my boss and some people from the office.  My boss was once a refugee from Croatia or Italy - somewhere like that.  At the restaurant his good friend, a Hungarian who had come to the United States as a refugee showed up.  I was introduced and upon hearing my Hungarian surname, the man grabbed my hand, bent his head to kiss it, all the while smiling and looking deeply into my eyes.  I have to admit I thought it was weird.

I was told that this is how Hungarian men do it.

Hey, I thought, Hands can be dirty and smelly.

Someone said, but this avoids the lips!

It's true that I would have considered it entirely inappropriate if this man or any man I was just introduced to anywhere made a dive for my lips with his.

This man made a joke - I wish I could remember it - that gave me the impression this hand kissing could be considered obscene too.

So what I'm wondering is - what's the history of hand kissing?
Is it something men are still doing in Hungary?
If a woman reacts by removing her hand from a man's lips, is he dishonored?