Erdödy succeeded in obtaining visas for himself and Karl, who passed
the frontier still disguised as a Portuguese. They stopped at the
town of Szombathely in Burgenland. Now Burgenland was a veritable
no-man's land between the Republic of Austria and Hungary. From
1919, the Austrians had demanded incorporation of Western Hungary into
their country by reason of its German-speaking (though not
German-conscious) populace. The Austrians made a small effort to include
the territory in 1920 by sending police there, even as Hungary struggled
with a white terror designed to eliminate everything to do with Bela
Kun's regime. To the shock of the Austrians, well-disciplined
Honved battalions attacked the Republic's presence and seized cities
such as Szombathely and Sopron, turning their occupied area into a
military camp filled with reactionary, pro-monarchist soldiery.
Here was to be found the sort of men needed for a putsch against the
government.
In Szombathely, they dined with the town's Bishop. Also visiting
that evening was Dr. Josef Vass, the Hungarian Minister for
Welfare. Upon Erdödy's proclamation of His Majesty's return, Dr.
Vass broke the silence of disbelief among the Bishop's houseguests by
asking Karl whether he had notified Budapest of his imminent
arrival. At this, Erdödy sarcastically inquired aloud as to
whether Colonel Anton Lehar was in town with his battalion.
Now, Lehar was quite the monarchist, ready and willing to turn his
soldiers over to the King's cause, should Karl have the need. He
already had a name for himself in the white terror, and had done service
against Hungary's enemies, including the Jugoslavian state and
"Red" Austria. He was prepared to march against the
Regent if the King ordered him to, the very Regent who had promoted him
for his earlier stunning work.
To counter this veiled threat, Vass announced that Premier Pal Teleki
was attending a hunt at a local country house. Karl at once
decided to visit him, but Erdödy thought it unwise for a King to call
on a Premier. By the mid-morning, Szombathely was treated to an
honour guard displaying its loyalty to the King. Premier Teleki
drove up in time to see this spectacle. He then took audience with
Karl, who read his manifesto: "Following the dictates of my heart,
I have re-entered my beloved country, to shoulder its government from
this day forth." Simple, yet straightforward. Teleki's
responded with a plea to forego a likely dangerous march on Budapest but
Karl would not be dissuaded by Teleki's warning. Mainly, the
Premier was concerned about the reactions from both the Great Entente
and the Little Entente, and warned Karl that, in spite of Horthy's
monarchist leanings, the Regent would not place Hungary in danger for
the sake of an ex-King.
Teleki tried to convince Karl of the foolishness of trying to take power
by surprise. Instead, the Premier wanted to dispatch a letter to
Horthy announcing the King's arrival. However, the plan was
scrapped over one simple problem: no-one knew how to properly
address the Regent. After sufficient time had been wasted on this,
Karl resolved to continue the march. Colonel Lehar interjected
that Horthy should be made to come to Szombathely as the King's servant,
rather than the King having to ring the Regent's doorbell like a
schoolboy. Barring this, the troops should march. However
grateful Karl was for having loyal soldiers at his side, he refused to
apply military force to regain his throne. He was not about to
take a throne, for he was not a usurper and the prospect of Magyars
shedding each others' blood was too heinous for him to think
about. In the end, Karl decided to visit Horthy alone, without
Lehar's troops, and without Erdödy, who had set him on this path.
It was Premier Teleki who sent Karl on his way to Budapest.
Prior to his mission, Karl attended Holy Mass presided over by the
Bishop of Szombathely. He was then driven by two of Lehar's fellow
officers. Along the road, Karl saw a disabled car, and wanted to
offer help, but the driver reminded him of his mission and suggested
another motorist would surely pass by soon. The King's automobile
rushed past the disabled vehicle; it's stranded passengers were Premier
Teleki and Dr. Vass, who had left earlier in the morning with the hope
of reaching Horthy before Karl.
The car drove straight to the Royal Palace in Budapest on a sunny but
chilly afternoon of 27 March 1921. While Karl waited in a
courtyard, his driver climbed the stairs and alerted Horthy's
Aide-de-Camp that the King had arrived. All though there was
disbelief, there was swift action. Upon interrupting Horthy's
lunch, the Regent dashed to his office and contacted his Ministers,
ordering them to the palace. The army was also alerted, just in
case of a military putsch.
The first thing Karl heard from his driver was "Horthy is against
us." Karl was led by the Aide-de-Camp up the stairs to
Horthy's office for a face-to-face meeting. However, Karl was met
by the obstinate servants of Horthy's office, who--unlike the soldiers
in the courtyard below--refused to salute their King. They were in
possession of a headstrong temperament, something for which their master
and Regent of Hungary was also known. After entering the Regent's
office and greetings were exchanged, Horthy suggested that Karl should
return to Switzerland without delay. Karl refused, reminding
Horthy that he had come to assume control of the office that the Regent
was guarding.
Horthy stated plainly the bare facts: both the Great Entente and
the Little Entente were aware of Karl's return and they were completely
hostile to a Habsburg on the throne of Hungary. He even mentioned
Czechoslovakia's military preparations. Karl denounced such things
as rumours. He told Horthy about his guarantee from M. Briand.
Horthy was unamused, particularly since there was no written guarantee;
the Great Entente would never fight their small allies, even if they had
given a guarantee. Horthy advised Karl that his timing was poor,
and Hungary was in danger. His tone grew more condescending:
"Switzerland, by the next train--that is the only solution."
Karl made a prepared speech to Horthy regarding the inviolability of the
crown of St. Stefan and a eulogy describing the many war-time feats and
loyal services of the Regent during his reign. Then, as Zita had
insisted, he conferred the title of Duke on Horthy as payment for his
trust. But the Regent was now displeased--he told the Karl he had
not accepted the post of Regent for titles, and advised the King to
leave. Karl offered to make the Regent chief of the army and navy,
but Horthy reminded the King that the army was negligible and the navy
belong to Jugoslavia. The final attempt by Karl backfired the
worst. He offered Horthy a knighthood in the Order of the Golden
Fleece. The Regent replied that he was a Protestant; truly a
Catholic award was not a prize to him.
Karl had arrived in Budapest a little after noon on 27 March 1921.
His meeting with Horthy ended in abysmal failure and he took leave of
the city before six. Teleki accompanied him for some distance,
until the city limits at least. Karl came down with influenza on
the next day, probably as a result of his insomnia during the past two
days mixed with severe depression. Horthy had meantime reported to
the diplomatic corps that the King had in fact arrived in Budapest but
was ushered out just as quickly. He was to be expelled from the
country within 24 hours. Karl's illness meant that he was
bed-ridden in the Bishop's house in Szombathely. The Czechs did
not believe the stories of Karl's illness and demanded his expulsion
immediately. Incensed by this, Horthy refused to comply but
instead sent a delegation of important men to Karl's bed--men such as Gyula
Andrassy, Istvan Bethlen, Dr. Gustav Gratz, and General (later Field
Marshal) Hegedüs. (All of these men would come to play major
roles in the events of later that year.)
In spite of the gentlemen's insistence that Karl's illness was based in
truth, and the suggestion of an American doctor that surgery in Budapest
should not be discounted, it was Karl who decided that he should leave
Hungary. On 5 April, a special train was sent from Budapest, and
the severely weak King was preparing to depart. The conspirators
meanwhile rallied a vast crowd of townspeople who mobbed the Bishop's
house. Soon enough, his loyal magnates and Colonel Lehar appeared
in full regalia, urging a military putsch against Horthy. Karl was
aware of the Little Entente, and this was the reason for his
departure. Had he not heard of Czech mobilisations and Rumanian
sabre-rattling, then no power could have moved him from Hungarian
soil.
But the train had a full head of steam, and had orders to pull out of
the station upon Karl's arrival. The train proceeded into Austrian
territory, where the Austrian President had a special sealed train
placed at the King's disposal. Vienna had no intention of letting
the population know of Karl's presence on their soil. It might
spark the sort of monarchist sentiment that had caused Hungary such
trouble. By the evening of 6 April, the train pulled into the
station at Luzern, Switzerland. The immigration authorities took
custody of the ill passenger and escorted him to a hotel in town,
pending new visas for the entire family. Switzerland, which had
given him asylum following his flight from Austria in 1918, was not
pleased with his disappearing act in March. It was a violation of
their good will, and they were not disposed to grant any more.
Karl and his family returned to Schloss Hertenstein near Zürich.
Erdödy returned to Vienna, and swore off any more political
intrigues. Colonel Lehar returned to power-games in Burgenland.
The others sat by and wondered at the failure of the King's putsch. justice? |
