Béla Vilmos Mihalik
@mbeco84.bsky.social
Early modern church and social history of Hungary and Transylvania, especially parish politics, popular sociability and late Catholic confessionalization. And everything with genealogy and family history 🙈
🏡 Budapest, Hungary
❤️ Vienna, Austria
🏡 Budapest, Hungary
❤️ Vienna, Austria
An unlikely place to find my late grandfather’s second cousine, Renata Baldauf’s grave, and also meet her wonderful family, incl. my fourth cousins. A complex Eastern European family history from the small Hungarian town of Békéscsaba through Transylvania to Schöneiche bei Berlin. #familyhistory
November 16, 2025 at 3:18 PM
An unlikely place to find my late grandfather’s second cousine, Renata Baldauf’s grave, and also meet her wonderful family, incl. my fourth cousins. A complex Eastern European family history from the small Hungarian town of Békéscsaba through Transylvania to Schöneiche bei Berlin. #familyhistory
Ready for a German-American(-Hungarian) family reunion in Berlin this weekend
November 12, 2025 at 7:44 PM
Ready for a German-American(-Hungarian) family reunion in Berlin this weekend
A precious addition to my private archive: a kind note of appreciation from Arturo Sosa, Superior General of the Jesuits, regarding my book on the Hungarian Jesuits. I was genuinely touched — it really meant a lot to me.
November 11, 2025 at 6:11 PM
A precious addition to my private archive: a kind note of appreciation from Arturo Sosa, Superior General of the Jesuits, regarding my book on the Hungarian Jesuits. I was genuinely touched — it really meant a lot to me.
Finally I have my own copy from the book, which was so inspiring for me. #earlymodern
November 6, 2025 at 10:00 AM
Finally I have my own copy from the book, which was so inspiring for me. #earlymodern
My new book“The Court of Chameleons” has been published this summer. It explores the transformation of Holy See–Habsburg diplomatic relations during the papacy of Innocent XII (1691–1700) and the liberation of Hungary from the Ottoman rule – for now, only in Hungarian.
#earlymodern
#earlymodern
October 12, 2025 at 10:12 AM
My new book“The Court of Chameleons” has been published this summer. It explores the transformation of Holy See–Habsburg diplomatic relations during the papacy of Innocent XII (1691–1700) and the liberation of Hungary from the Ottoman rule – for now, only in Hungarian.
#earlymodern
#earlymodern
Speaking about parish politics is 18th-century Hungary at the Central European History Convention on this Wednesday in Vienna #earlymodern #habsburgs #parishes #vienna
July 20, 2025 at 11:05 AM
Speaking about parish politics is 18th-century Hungary at the Central European History Convention on this Wednesday in Vienna #earlymodern #habsburgs #parishes #vienna
In 2013 in Rome, the Pentecost Mass.
Requiescat in pace, Papa Franciscus!
Requiescat in pace, Papa Franciscus!
April 21, 2025 at 9:46 AM
In 2013 in Rome, the Pentecost Mass.
Requiescat in pace, Papa Franciscus!
Requiescat in pace, Papa Franciscus!
One of the highlights from my first trip to Belgium: Brugge and the tombs of Charles the Bold and his daughter, Mary of Burgundy.
April 13, 2025 at 10:19 AM
One of the highlights from my first trip to Belgium: Brugge and the tombs of Charles the Bold and his daughter, Mary of Burgundy.
Ágnes Keleti, the world's oldest living Olympic champion, #Holocaust survivor and a magical person, has died at the age of 104. In 1952 (Helsinki) and 1956 (Melbourne) she won 5 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze medals in #gymnastics for #Hungary.
May her memory be blessed!
May her memory be blessed!
January 2, 2025 at 8:07 AM
Ágnes Keleti, the world's oldest living Olympic champion, #Holocaust survivor and a magical person, has died at the age of 104. In 1952 (Helsinki) and 1956 (Melbourne) she won 5 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze medals in #gymnastics for #Hungary.
May her memory be blessed!
May her memory be blessed!
#OTD 75 yrs ago, 1 Jan 1950 Greater #Budapest was created after 16 villages and 7 towns were annexed to the capital city of #Hungary. #20thcentury
January 1, 2025 at 5:23 PM
#OTD 75 yrs ago, 1 Jan 1950 Greater #Budapest was created after 16 villages and 7 towns were annexed to the capital city of #Hungary. #20thcentury
Merry Christmas with Krtek, my childhood Czechoslovak hero mole!
December 24, 2024 at 8:39 AM
Merry Christmas with Krtek, my childhood Czechoslovak hero mole!
It was not easy to carve the tree into the hol der, but it’s finally done.
December 22, 2024 at 1:56 PM
It was not easy to carve the tree into the hol der, but it’s finally done.
One of the last monuments of the Ottoman conquest in Eger is the minaret, which is the northernmost early modern minaret and one of the northernmost monuments of the former Ottoman Empire. The mosque next to it served as a Catholic church in the 18th c., but was demolished in 1841.
November 22, 2024 at 12:51 AM
One of the last monuments of the Ottoman conquest in Eger is the minaret, which is the northernmost early modern minaret and one of the northernmost monuments of the former Ottoman Empire. The mosque next to it served as a Catholic church in the 18th c., but was demolished in 1841.
Eger fell to the Ottomans in 1596, but by then Upper Hungary had already been fortified with new castles. Eger was liberated by Christian troops during the Great Turkish War in 1687. The baroque town was built in the 18th century. The castle still towers over the town today.
November 22, 2024 at 12:51 AM
Eger fell to the Ottomans in 1596, but by then Upper Hungary had already been fortified with new castles. Eger was liberated by Christian troops during the Great Turkish War in 1687. The baroque town was built in the 18th century. The castle still towers over the town today.
After the siege, Ferdinand I appointed Dobó Viceroy of Transylvania. Dobó became the patron of the Calvinist Gáspár Károli, the translator of the first Hungarian-language Bible. However, Dobó was later imprisoned on the complaint of his opponents and died shortly after his release in 1572.
November 22, 2024 at 12:51 AM
After the siege, Ferdinand I appointed Dobó Viceroy of Transylvania. Dobó became the patron of the Calvinist Gáspár Károli, the translator of the first Hungarian-language Bible. However, Dobó was later imprisoned on the complaint of his opponents and died shortly after his release in 1572.
The Ottoman campaign reached Eger in September 1552. 2300 Hungarian defenders faced 30-40 thousand Ottomans. During a siege lasting nearly 40 days, the Ottomans were held back and the rich towns of Upper Hungary were saved.
November 22, 2024 at 12:51 AM
The Ottoman campaign reached Eger in September 1552. 2300 Hungarian defenders faced 30-40 thousand Ottomans. During a siege lasting nearly 40 days, the Ottomans were held back and the rich towns of Upper Hungary were saved.
Eger was a medieval bishopric seat and seat of Heves co., & by the 1550s became an important frontier fortress. Part of the Renaissance bishop's palace still exists today. Its captain was István Dobó, and Gergely Bornemissza served there. His wife, Eva Cecey, is a fictional character in the novel.
November 22, 2024 at 12:51 AM
Eger was a medieval bishopric seat and seat of Heves co., & by the 1550s became an important frontier fortress. Part of the Renaissance bishop's palace still exists today. Its captain was István Dobó, and Gergely Bornemissza served there. His wife, Eva Cecey, is a fictional character in the novel.
After learning to read in the 1st grade of primary school, this was the 1st novel I read at the age of 7. Every Hungarian family has the novel at home, and in 2005 it was voted Hungary's best-loved novel by more than 400.000 votes. It is still a required reading for Hungarian students.
November 22, 2024 at 12:51 AM
After learning to read in the 1st grade of primary school, this was the 1st novel I read at the age of 7. Every Hungarian family has the novel at home, and in 2005 it was voted Hungary's best-loved novel by more than 400.000 votes. It is still a required reading for Hungarian students.
A long thread abt the novel "Eclipse of the Crescent Moon" by Géza Gárdonyi. In age 4-5 I got the colouring version, which had a huge impact on me. Not only did I become obsessed w/ drawing the siege of the castle over and over again, but it also awakened my interest in history. #earlymodern #novel
November 22, 2024 at 12:51 AM
A long thread abt the novel "Eclipse of the Crescent Moon" by Géza Gárdonyi. In age 4-5 I got the colouring version, which had a huge impact on me. Not only did I become obsessed w/ drawing the siege of the castle over and over again, but it also awakened my interest in history. #earlymodern #novel
Filtering the wine in the cellar with my 17yo nephew, under the supervision of my great-aunt.
November 14, 2024 at 2:36 PM
Filtering the wine in the cellar with my 17yo nephew, under the supervision of my great-aunt.
Generation after generation: the #garden with a small vineyard was bought by my gr-grandparents in the 60s (pic of my gr-grandfather&his sister abt 1970). As a child, I joined the harvest regularly. Now, my 17yo nephew and I are filtering the new wine under the supervision of my 92yo gr-aunt. 🍇🌳
November 14, 2024 at 2:34 PM
Generation after generation: the #garden with a small vineyard was bought by my gr-grandparents in the 60s (pic of my gr-grandfather&his sister abt 1970). As a child, I joined the harvest regularly. Now, my 17yo nephew and I are filtering the new wine under the supervision of my 92yo gr-aunt. 🍇🌳
Yes exactly, in Hungarian historiography we usually talk about the short-18th century, from the Treaty of Szatmár (1711) to the end of Joseph II’s reign (1790). But it is still enough long for so many interesting research topics! 😀
November 10, 2024 at 11:17 PM
Yes exactly, in Hungarian historiography we usually talk about the short-18th century, from the Treaty of Szatmár (1711) to the end of Joseph II’s reign (1790). But it is still enough long for so many interesting research topics! 😀
November 7, 2024 at 11:45 PM