Minister of Defence (Hungary)
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 Commander of the Hungarian Defence Forces. The current minister is Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky.
Minister of Defence of Hungary | |
---|---|
Magyarország honvédelmi minisztere | |
Ministry of Defence | |
Type | Minister |
Member of | Hungarian cabinet |
Formation | 7 April 1848 |
First holder | Lajos Batthyány |
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.
This page is a list of Ministers of Defence of Hungary.
Ministers of War (1848–1849)
Hungarian Kingdom (1848–1849)
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)
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)
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)
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 DP–BK | |||||
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 FÜG48–OAP–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 NMP–FÜG48–OAP–PDP–KNP | |||||
23 August 1917 | 31 October 1918 | Wekerle III NMP–FÜG48–OAP–PDP–KNP |
Ministers of War (1918–1919)
Hungarian Kingdom (1918)
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)
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)
Hungarian Soviet Republic (1919)
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)
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)
Hungarian People's Republic (1919)
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)
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)
Hungarian Kingdom (1920–1946)
Parties KNEP EP–NEP–MÉP 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 EP–KGSZP | |||||
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)
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)
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 FKGP–MKP–MSZDP–NPP–PDP | INGY (1944) | |
2 | Jenő Tombor (1880–1946) | 15 November 1945 | 1 February 1946 | Independent | Tildy FKGP–MKP–MSZDP–NPP | 23 (1945) |
Hungarian Republic (1946–1949)
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 FKGP–MKP–MSZDP–NPP | 23 (1945) | |
4 February 1946 | 25 July 1946 (died in office) | F. Nagy FKGP–MKP–MSZDP–NPP | |||||
— | 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 MKP–FKGP–MSZDP–NPP | |||||
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 MDP–FKGP–NPP | ||
10 December 1948 | 20 August 1949 | Dobi MDP–FKGP–NPP | |||||
25 (1949) |
Hungarian People's Republic (1949–1989)
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 MDP→MSZMP–FKGP | |||||
3 | Károly Janza (1914–2001) | 26 October 1956 | 3 November 1956 | MDP→MSZMP | |||
4 | Pál Maléter (1917–1958) | 3 November 1956 | 4 November 1956 | MSZMP | I. Nagy III MSZMP–FKGP–MSZDP–PP | ||
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)
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 MDF–FKGP–KDNP | 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 MSZP–SZDSZ | 35 (1994) | |
3 | János Szabó (born 1941) | 8 July 1998 | 27 May 2002 | FKGP | Orbán I Fidesz–FKGP–MDF | 36 (1998) | |
4 | Ferenc Juhász (born 1960) | 27 May 2002 | 29 September 2004 | MSZP | Medgyessy MSZP–SZDSZ | 37 (2002) | |
29 September 2004 | 9 June 2006 | Gyurcsány I MSZP–SZDSZ | |||||
5 | Imre Szekeres (born 1950) | 9 June 2006 | 14 April 2009 | MSZP | Gyurcsány II MSZP–SZDSZ | 38 (2006) | |
14 April 2009 | 29 May 2010 | Bajnai MSZP | |||||
6 | Csaba Hende (born 1960) | 29 May 2010 | 6 June 2014 | Fidesz | Orbán II Fidesz–KDNP | 39 (2010) | |
6 June 2014 | 9 September 2015 | Orbán III Fidesz–KDNP | 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 Fidesz–KDNP | 41 (2018) | |
9 | Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky (born 1970) | 24 May 2022 | Incumbent | Independent | Orbán V Fidesz–KDNP | 42 (2022) |
See also
- List of heads of state of Hungary
- List of prime ministers of Hungary
- List of Ministers of Agriculture of Hungary
- List of Ministers of Civilian Intelligence Services of Hungary
- List of Ministers of Croatian Affairs of Hungary
- List of Ministers of Education of Hungary
- List of Ministers of Finance of Hungary
- List of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Hungary
- List of Ministers of Interior of Hungary
- List of Ministers of Justice of Hungary
- List of Ministers of Public Works and Transport of Hungary
- Politics of Hungary