Constantinople in the spring of 1526 with a mighty host, which came
nearer and nearer to Hungary like the "wasting levin." King Louis lost
his army and his life at the battle of Mohacks, leaving the Turks to
pursue their way into the heart of the country, slaughtering upwards of
200,000 of its inhabitants. To this calamity, as we all know, succeeded
an internal civil war, resulting from the rival claims of John Zapolya
and the Archduke Ferdinand of Austria for the crown of Hungary.
Transylvania took advantage of this critical time to achieve her
independence under Zapolya, consenting to pay tribute to the Porte on
condition of _receiving assistance against the tyranny of Austria_. Thus
it came about that the infidel Turks helped to preserve the Reformation
in this part of Europe: they became the defenders of Protestant
Transylvania against the tyranny of Roman Catholic Austria. "Sell what
thou hast and depart into Transylvania, where thou wilt have liberty to
profess the truth," were the words spoken by King Ferdinand himself to
Stephen Szantai, a zealous preacher of the gospel in Upper Hungary, whom
he desired to defend.

It is said that the first printing-press set up in Hungary was the gift
of Count Nadasdy to Matthias Devay, who was devoted to the education of
youth; and the first work that was issued from the press was a book for
children, teaching the rudiments of the gospel in the language of the
country. The same Protestant nobleman aided the publication in 1541 of
an edition of the New Testament in the Magyar tongue. "It is a
remarkable fact," says Mr Patterson,[16] "connected with the history of
Protestantism, that all its converts were made within the pale of
_Latin_ Christianity. In the nationalities of Hungary there belonged to
Latin Christianity the Magyars, the Slovacks, and the Germans."

In Transylvania the progress of Protestantism was secured. In 1553 the
Diet declared in favour of the Reformation by a majority of votes, and
while the province was governed by Petrovich, during the minority of
Zapolya's infant son, he freed the whole of Transylvania from the
jurisdiction of the Roman hierarchy.

When the Turks were finally expelled from Hungary by the second battle
of Mohacks in 1686, Protestantism had grown strong enough in
Transylvania to extract from the house of Hapsburg the celebrated
_Diploma Leopoldium_ (their Magna Charta), which secured to them
religious liberty once and for ever.

[Foot