Magdolna Purgly

Her Serene HighnessVitéz Magdolna Purgly
Spouseof theRegent of Hungary
Assumed role 1 March 1920 – 15 October 1944
Monarch	Vacant
Preceded by	Ilona Mezviczky(Spouse of the Head of State of Hungary)
Succeeded by	Gizella Lutz
Personal details
Born	Magdolna Vilma Benedikta Purgly de Jószáshely (1881-06-10)10 June 1881 Sofronya,Kingdom of Hungary,Austria-Hungary
Died	8 January 1959(1959-01-08)(aged 77) Estoril,Lisbon,Portugal
Spouse	Miklós Horthy ​ (m.1901)​
Children	4, includingIstvánandMiklós

Magdolna Vilma Benedikta Purgly de Jószáshely(10 June 1881 – 8 January 1959) was the wife of AdmiralMiklós Horthy.

Early life

She was born as the youngest daughter ofHungarian noblemanJanos Purgly de Jószáshelyi (1839-1911) and his wife Ilona Vásárhelyi de Kézdivásárhely (1841-1896). She was confined to talking with suitors until she was an adult by her parents. She met a fellow noblemanMiklós Horthy, who was 13 years her senior, when accompanying his brother-in-law who was a friend of her family. Horthy's military background and many experiences attracted Magdolna. The attraction was mutual.

They were married on 22 July 1901 atArad,her family's estate of Hejobába being not far away.Miklós and Magdolna spent their honeymoon inSemmering,Austria.After this, Mrs. Horthy lived the life of an officer's wife, accompanying her husband to his official stations. Between 1901 and 1908, Horthy was stationed inPola,where they built a new home, and where their children were born: Magdolna (1902), Paula (1903),István(1904) andMiklós(1907). In 1903 Horthy was given the command of the new battleshipSMSHabsburg,then the flagship of the Empire's Mediterranean Squadron. He was able to take his wife and daughter on the warship's courtesy cruise toSmyrna,in Turkey.Afterwards, he was in command ofSMSLacroma,the naval yacht of Commander of the Fleet Admiral Count RudolfMontecuccoli(1843-1922) and then became Captain of SMSTaurus,theEmbassyyacht in Constantinople, arriving there to take up his post on 8 June 1908. He was subsequently presented by the Austro-Hungarian Ambassador to the Ottoman Emperor, SultanAbdul Hamid II(1842-1918). The family resided there, for a year, in a villa at Yenikeul on the banks of theBosporus.In 1909 Horthy was appointed navalAide-de-Campto the EmperorFranz Josef Iat the Court inVienna,for five years, where Horthy and his wife and children had an official apartment in theHofburg.

World War I

Magdolna Horthy and her children spent the years ofThe Great Warback inPolaand as a result met with her husband rarely. By later 1918, it was clear that theAustro-Hungarian Monarchycould lose the war. Magdolna gleaned information about Horthy's appointment asrear-admiralonly from mutual acquaintances. At the end of October 1918 Horthy, Magdolna and the four children were forced to leavePolasince it had been ceded by the victorious Allies to theKingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes;brigands were roaming the streets as it had been announced that all Austrian and Hungarian property was to be confiscated and now belonged to the new State. Horthy records "we shut up the house in which we had spent so many happy years, the house which had seen the birth of my children, and left never to return. All the household goods, silver, carpets, pictures, were left behind."With Magdolna's family's lands in Arad having been in that part of Hungary were lost toRomania,Horthy, Magdolna and their children travelled toViennaand subsequently in November to Horthy's estate atKenderesin Hungary.

1919–1920

Horthy prepared for a more peaceful life in his family's estate, with his wife's approval.

CountGyula Károlyirequested Horthy to come toSzegedto take part in the counter-revolution against and elimination of thecommunistregime fromHungary.On 1 March 1920, Horthy was later elected Regent of Hungary by the National Parliament atBudapestand Magdolna became styled "Her Serene Highness" (Hungarian:Főméltóságú Asszony).

Under Horthy's Regency

The early years of the Regency

In the next few years, the foremost goal of her life was to provide a safe and calm home for Miklós Horthy. Madam Horthy appeared in public extremely rarely. In essence, the family had a modest life when taking into account Horthy's position; the highest point of it was the annual garden-party. Their residence was in theBuda Castlewhen they were inBudapestand they took up nine rooms (of 814 in total). The Horthy family's retreat was atKenderes Castle.

After 1935

After 1935, Mrs. Horthy appeared in public more frequently. Her goal was to ensure that Horthy would remain Regent. The greatest danger to his position came from extreme-right groups like theArrow Cross Partyled byFerenc Szálasi.She worked to support the nation and its independence with her personal prestige. In this period, such actions carried anti-Fascist implications. She did not directly participate in politics, but expressed herself in a way that befitted her position. She staunchly rejected every temptation to found a "HorthyDynasty".In 1938, she founded a charity with the purpose of trying to help the poor of the recently regained part ofFelvidék.

From 1940, she lived in perpetual anxiety and was not able shake off the thought that the Regency was threatened by events, and she feared to think how it might end. In private company, she often said: "we came to power in a decent way, through the door, but I fear that we will only get out of here through the window". Her concern did not materialize word for word, but it is true that the Horthy family left theCastle of Budaon 17 October 1944 after her husband's deposition by the Arrow Cross Party with Nazi assistance.

Post-War life

After the end of World War II, the family lived inWeilheim in Oberbayernfor four years. This period was unfavorable to Magdolna's health. Due to her son's diplomatic skill, the family managed to move toEstoril,Portugal,where she died in 1959, two years after her husband's death.

References

• Memoirs of Admiral Nicholas Horthyannotated by Andrew L. Simon, 2000, original manuscript copyright 1957 to Ilona Bowden.ISBN0-96657343-9
• História MagazineArchived14 August 2020 at theWayback Machine,issue 2000/02.