Minister of Defence (Hungary)

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Minister of Defence of Hungary
Magyarország honvédelmi minisztere
Incumbent
Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky
since 24 May 2022
Ministry of Defence
TypeMinister
Member ofHungarian cabinet
Formation7 April 1848
First holderLajos Batthyány
WebsiteOfficial website

The minister of defence of Hungary (Hungarian: Magyarország honvédelmi minisztere) is a member of the Hungarian cabinet and the head of the Ministry of Defence. The defence minister appoints the Chief of General Staff of the Hungarian Defence Forces. The current minister is Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky.

The position was called People's Commissar of War (Hungarian: hadügyi népbiztos) during the Hungarian Soviet Republic in 1919 and Minister of War (Hungarian: hadügyminiszter) during two short periods of Hungarian history: at the time of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 and during a very short chaotic term (less than two years) after World War I, when three political transformations took place.

Ministers of war (1848–1849)[edit]

Hungarian Kingdom (1848–1849)[edit]

Parties   Opposition Party   Peace Party   Military

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Term of office Political party Cabinet Assembly
(Election)
Lajos Batthyány
(1807–1849)
acting
7 April 1848 23 May 1848 Opposition Party Batthyány Last Diet
1 Lázár Mészáros
(1796–1858)
23 May 1848 2 October 1848 Military
1 (1848)
(1) 2 October 1848 14 April 1849 Peace Party Committee of National Defence

Hungarian State (1849)[edit]

Parties   Peace Party   Military

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Term of office Political party Cabinet Assembly
(Election)
(1) Lázár Mészáros
(1796–1858)
acting
14 April 1849 1 May 1849 Peace Party Committee of National Defence 1 (1848)
1 May 1849 6 May 1849 Szemere
2 Artúr Görgei
(1818–1916)
7 May 1849 7 July 1849 Military
3 Lajos Aulich
(1793–1849)
14 July 1849 11 August 1849 Military

After the collapse of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, the Hungarian Kingdom became an integral part of the Austrian Empire until 1867, when dual Austro-Hungarian Monarchy was created.

Ministers of defence (1867–1918)[edit]

From 1867 to 1918 there was a Honvédministerium responsible for the military of the Hungarian half of Austria-Hungary and a Ministry of Defence for the military of the Austrian half, along with a Ministry of War with responsibility for Austria-Hungary as a whole.

Hungarian Kingdom (1867–1918)[edit]

Parties   Deák Party/Liberal Party/National Party of Work   National Constitution Party   FÜG48–Károlyi   Independent

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Term of office Political party Cabinet Assembly
(Election)
1 Gyula Andrássy
(1823–1890)
17 February 1867 14 November 1871 Deák Party Andrássy
DP
3 (1865)
4 (1869)
2 Menyhért Lónyay
(1822–1884)
14 November 1871 4 December 1872 Deák Party Lónyay
DP
5 (1872)
3 József Szlávy
(1818–1900)
acting
4 December 1872 15 December 1872 Deák Party Szlávy
DP
4 Béla Szende
(1823–1882)
15 December 1872 21 March 1874 Independent
21 March 1874 2 March 1875 Bittó
DPBK
2 March 1875 20 October 1875 Wenckheim
SZP
20 October 1875 18 August 1882
(died in office)
K. Tisza
SZP
6 (1875)
7 (1878)
8 (1881)
5 Gedeon Ráday
(1841–1883)
19 August 1882 26 December 1883
(died in office)
Liberal Party
Béla Orczy
(1822–1917)
acting
2 January 1884 28 October 1884 Liberal Party
9 (1884)
6 Géza Fejérváry
(1833–1914)
28 October 1884 13 March 1890 Independent
10 (1887)
13 March 1890 19 November 1892 Szapáry
SZP
11 (1892)
19 November 1892 15 January 1895 Wekerle I
SZP
15 January 1895 26 February 1899 Bánffy
SZP
12 (1896)
26 February 1899 27 June 1903 Széll
SZP
13 (1901)
7 Dezső Kolossváry
(1854–1919)
27 June 1903 3 November 1903 Independent Khuen-Héderváry I
SZP
8 Sándor Nyiri
(1854–1911)
3 November 1903 18 June 1905 Liberal Party I. Tisza I
SZP
9 Ferenc Bihar
(1847–1920)
18 June 1905 6 March 1906 Independent Fejérváry
SZP
14 (1905)
10 Béla Pap
(1845–1916)
6 March 1906 8 April 1906 Independent
Sándor Wekerle
(1848–1921)
acting
8 April 1906 14 April 1906 National Constitution Party Wekerle II
FÜG48OAP–KNP–PDP
11 Lajos Jekelfalussy
(1848–1911)
14 April 1906 17 January 1910 National Constitution Party
15 (1906)
12 Samu Hazai
(1851–1942)
17 January 1910 22 April 1912 National Party of Work Khuen-Héderváry II
NMP
16 (1910)
22 April 1912 10 June 1913 Lukács
NMP
10 June 1913 19 February 1917 I. Tisza II
NMP
13 Sándor Szurmay
(1860–1945)
19 February 1917 15 June 1917 Independent
15 June 1917 23 August 1917 Esterházy
NMPFÜG48OAP–PDP–KNP
23 August 1917 31 October 1918 Wekerle III
NMPFÜG48OAP–PDP–KNP

Ministers of war (1918–1919)[edit]

Hungarian Kingdom (1918)[edit]

Parties   Independent

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Term of office Political party Cabinet Assembly
(Election)
1 Béla Linder
(1876–1962)
31 October 1918 9 November 1918 Independent M. Károlyi
FÜG48–K–PRP–MSZDP
MNT (—)
2 Albert Bartha
(1877–1960)
9 November 1918 16 November 1918 Independent

Hungarian People's Republic (1918–1919)[edit]

Parties   FÜG48–Károlyi   MSZDP   Independent

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Term of office Political party Cabinet Assembly
(Election)
1 Albert Bartha
(1877–1960)
16 November 1918 12 December 1918 Independent M. Károlyi
FÜG48–K–PRP–MSZDP
MNT (—)
Mihály Károlyi
(1875–1955)
acting
(de jure)
12 December 1918 29 December 1918 FÜG48–Károlyi
Vilmos Böhm
(1880–1949)
acting
(de facto)
12 December 1918 29 December 1918 MSZDP
2 Sándor Festetics
(1882–1956)
29 December 1918 19 January 1919 Independent
3 Vilmos Böhm
(1880–1949)
19 January 1919 21 March 1919 MSZDP Berinkey
FÜG48–K–PRP–MSZDP–OKGFP

People's commissars of war (1919)[edit]

Hungarian Soviet Republic (1919)[edit]

Parties   MSZP/SZKMMP

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Term of office Political party Cabinet Assembly
(Election)
1 József Pogány
(1886–1938)
21 March 1919 3 April 1919 MSZP Central Executive Council
MSZP/SZKMMP
TOGY (—)
2 Béla Kun
(1886–1939)
serving with Vilmos Böhm, Rezső Fiedler,
József Haubrich and Béla Szántó
3 April 1919 24 June 1919 MSZP/SZKMMP
2 Vilmos Böhm
(1880–1949)
serving with Béla Kun, Rezső Fiedler,
József Haubrich and Béla Szántó
3 April 1919 24 June 1919 MSZP/SZKMMP
2 Rezső Fiedler
(1884–1939)
serving with Béla Kun, Vilmos Böhm,
József Haubrich and Béla Szántó
3 April 1919 24 June 1919 MSZP/SZKMMP
2 József Haubrich
(1883–1939)
serving with Béla Kun, Vilmos Böhm,
Rezső Fiedler and Béla Szántó
3 April 1919 24 June 1919 MSZP/SZKMMP
2 Béla Szántó
(1881–1951)
serving with Béla Kun, Vilmos Böhm,
Rezső Fiedler and József Haubrich
until 24 June 1919
3 April 1919 24 June 1919 MSZP/SZKMMP
3 24 June 1919 1 August 1919 SZKMMP

Counter-revolutionary governments (1919)[edit]

Parties   Independent

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Term of office Political party Cabinet Assembly
(Election)
Zoltán Szabó
(1858–1934)
5 May 1919 31 May 1919 Independent Arad
Miklós Horthy
(1868–1957)
31 May 1919 6 June 1919 Independent Szeged I
6 June 1919 12 July 1919 Szeged II
Sándor Belitska
(1872–1939)
12 July 1919 12 August 1919 Independent Szeged III

Ministers of war (1919–1920)[edit]

Hungarian People's Republic (1919)[edit]

Parties   MSZDP

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Term of office Political party Cabinet Assembly
(Election)
1 József Haubrich
(1883–1939)
1 August 1919 6 August 1919
(deposed)
MSZDP Peidl
MSZDP

Hungarian Republic (1919–1920)[edit]

Parties   KNEP   Independent

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Term of office Political party Cabinet Assembly
(Election)
1 Ferenc Schnetzer
(1867–1944)
15 August 1919 24 November 1919 Independent Friedrich
KNP/KNEP–OKGFP
2 István Friedrich
(1883–1951)
24 November 1919 29 February 1920 KNEP Huszár
KNEP–OKGFP–MSZDP–NDPP

Ministers of defence (1920–present)[edit]

Hungarian Kingdom (1920–1946)[edit]

Parties   KNEP   EPNEPMÉP   Independent

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Term of office Political party Cabinet Assembly
(Election)
1 István Friedrich
(1883–1951)
29 February 1920 15 March 1920 KNEP Huszár
KNEP–OKGFP–MSZDP–NDPP
2 Károly Soós
(1869–1953)
15 March 1920 19 July 1920 Independent Simonyi-Semadam
KNEP–OKGFP
17 (1920)
2 István Sréter
(1867–1942)
19 July 1920 16 December 1920 Independent Teleki I
KNEP–OKGFP
3 Sándor Belitska
(1872–1939)
16 December 1920 14 April 1921 Independent
14 April 1921 28 June 1923 Bethlen
(KNEP–OKGFP)→EP
18 (1922)
4 Károly Csáky
(1873–1945)
28 June 1923 10 October 1929 Independent
19 (1926)
5 Gyula Gömbös
(1886–1936)
10 November 1929 24 August 1931 EP
20 (1931)
24 August 1931 1 October 1932 G. Károlyi
EPKGSZP
1 October 1932 2 September 1936 NEP Gömbös
NEP
21 (1935)
Miklós Kozma
(1884–1941)
acting for Gyula Gömbös
14 May 1936 7 August 1936 NEP
6 József Somkuthy
(1883–1961)
2 September 1936 6 October 1936 NEP
7 Vilmos Rőder
(1881–1969)
12 October 1936 14 May 1938 NEP Darányi
NEP
8 Jenő Rátz
(1882–1949)
14 May 1938 15 November 1938 NEP Imrédy
NEP
9 Károly Bartha
(1884–1964)
15 November 1938 16 February 1939 Independent
16 February 1939 3 April 1941 Teleki II
MÉP
22 (1939)
3 April 1941 9 March 1942 Bárdossy
MÉP
9 March 1942 24 September 1942 Kállay
MÉP
10 Vilmos Nagy
(1884–1976)
24 September 1942 12 June 1943 Independent
11 Lajos Csatay
(1886–1944)
12 June 1943 22 March 1944
(deposed)
Independent
22 March 1944 29 August 1944 Sztójay
MÉP–MMP
29 August 1944 16 October 1944
(deposed)
Lakatos
MÉP

Government of National Unity (1944–1945)[edit]

Parties   Independent

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Term of office Political party Cabinet Assembly
(Election)
1 Károly Beregfy
(1888–1946)
16 October 1944 28 March 1945 Independent Szálasi
NYKP–MMP

Soviet-backed provisional governments (1944–1946)[edit]

Parties   Independent

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Term of office Political party Cabinet Assembly
(Election)
1 János Vörös
(1891–1968)
22 December 1944 15 November 1945 Independent Provisional National Government
FKGPMKPMSZDPNPPPDP
INGY (1944)
2 Jenő Tombor
(1880–1946)
15 November 1945 1 February 1946 Independent Tildy
FKGPMKPMSZDPNPP
23 (1945)

Hungarian Republic (1946–1949)[edit]

Parties   FKGP   NPP   MKP-MDP

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Term of office Political party Cabinet Assembly
(Election)
1 Jenő Tombor
(1880–1946)
1 February 1946 4 February 1946 Independent Tildy
FKGPMKPMSZDPNPP
23 (1945)
4 February 1946 25 July 1946
(died in office)
F. Nagy
FKGPMKPMSZDPNPP
Ferenc Nagy
(1903–1979)
acting
9 August 1946 21 August 1946 FKGP
2 Albert Bartha
(1877–1960)
21 August 1946 14 March 1947 Independent
Lajos Dinnyés
(1901–1961)
acting
14 March 1947 31 May 1947 FKGP
31 May 1947 24 September 1947 Dinnyés
MKPFKGPMSZDPNPP
24 (1947)
3 Péter Veres
(1897–1970)
24 September 1947 9 September 1948 NPP
4 Mihály Farkas
(1904–1965)
9 September 1948 10 December 1948 MDP Dinnyés
MDPFKGPNPP
10 December 1948 20 August 1949 Dobi
MDPFKGPNPP
25 (1949)

Hungarian People's Republic (1949–1989)[edit]

Parties   MDP-MSZMP   MSZP

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Term of office Political party Cabinet Assembly
(Election)
1 Mihály Farkas
(1904–1965)
20 August 1949 14 August 1952 MDP Dobi
MDP
25 (1949)
14 August 1952 4 July 1953 Rákosi
MDP
2 István Bata
(1910–1982)
4 July 1953 18 April 1955 MDP I. Nagy I
MDP
26 (1953)
18 April 1955 24 October 1956 Hegedüs
MDP
24 October 1956 26 October 1956 I. Nagy II
MDPMSZMPFKGP
3 Károly Janza
(1914–2001)
26 October 1956 3 November 1956 MDPMSZMP
4 Pál Maléter
(1917–1958)
3 November 1956 4 November 1956 MSZMP I. Nagy III
MSZMPFKGPMSZDPPP
5 Ferenc Münnich
(1886–1966)
12 November 1956 1 March 1957 MSZMP Kádár I
MSZMP
6 Géza Révész
(1902–1977)
1 March 1957 28 January 1958 MSZMP
28 January 1958 17 May 1960 Münnich
MSZMP
27 (1958)
7 Lajos Czinege
(1924–1998)
17 May 1960 13 September 1961 MSZMP
13 September 1961 30 June 1965 Kádár II
MSZMP
28 (1963)
30 June 1965 14 April 1967 Kállai
MSZMP
14 April 1967 15 May 1975 Fock
MSZMP
29 (1967)
30 (1971)
15 May 1975 6 December 1984 Lázár
MSZMP
31 (1975)
32 (1980)
8 István Oláh
(1926–1985)
6 December 1984 15 December 1985
(died in office)
MSZMP
33 (1985)
9 Ferenc Kárpáti
(1926–2013)
30 December 1985 25 June 1987 MSZMP
25 June 1987 24 November 1988 Grósz
MSZMP
24 November 1988 7 October 1989 Németh
(MSZMP)→MSZP
(9) 7 October 1989 23 October 1989 Independent

Hungarian Republic / Hungary (1989–present)[edit]

Parties   MSZP   Fidesz   MDF   KDNP   FKGP   Independent

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Term of office Political party Cabinet Assembly
(Election)
Ferenc Kárpáti
(1926–2013)
provisional
23 October 1989 23 May 1990 Independent Németh
MSZP
1 Lajos Für
(1930–2013)
23 May 1990 21 December 1993 MDF Antall
MDFFKGPKDNP
34 (1990)
21 December 1993 15 July 1994 Boross
MDF–EKGP–KDNP
2 György Keleti
(1946–2020)
15 July 1994 8 July 1998 MSZP Horn
MSZPSZDSZ
35 (1994)
3 János Szabó
(born 1941)
8 July 1998 27 May 2002 FKGP Orbán I
FideszFKGPMDF
36 (1998)
4 Ferenc Juhász
(born 1960)
27 May 2002 29 September 2004 MSZP Medgyessy
MSZPSZDSZ
37 (2002)
29 September 2004 9 June 2006 Gyurcsány I
MSZPSZDSZ
5 Imre Szekeres
(born 1950)
9 June 2006 14 April 2009 MSZP Gyurcsány II
MSZPSZDSZ
38 (2006)
14 April 2009 29 May 2010 Bajnai
MSZP
6 Csaba Hende
(born 1960)
29 May 2010 6 June 2014 Fidesz Orbán II
FideszKDNP
39 (2010)
6 June 2014 9 September 2015 Orbán III
FideszKDNP
40 (2014)
7 István Simicskó
(born 1961)
10 September 2015 18 May 2018 KDNP
8 Tibor Benkő
(born 1955)
18 May 2018 24 May 2022 Independent Orbán IV
FideszKDNP
41 (2018)
9 Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky
(born 1970)
24 May 2022 Incumbent Independent Orbán V
FideszKDNP
42 (2022)

See also[edit]

Cabinet ministers

References[edit]