Minister of Defence (Hungary)
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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)
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
Cabinet ministers
- Minister of Agriculture (Hungary)
- Minister of Civilian Intelligence Services (Hungary)
- Minister of Croatian Affairs of Hungary
- Minister of Education (Hungary)
- Minister of Finance (Hungary)
- Minister of Foreign Affairs (Hungary)
- Minister of the Interior (Hungary)
- Minister of Justice (Hungary)
- Minister of Public Works and Transport (Hungary)