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since there was no work at home. They were the wanderers of
Europe in the 1960s. But the locals showed interest too, so I
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told them the story of Bánk bán. They were amazed to hear
the events of such an old century; even greater was their awe
when I hinted at the fact that the first English royal dynasty, the
Plantagenet dynasty had some Hungarian blood in them.
I told them that when the Danish king of the North Sea
and the Baltic Sea conquered Britain in 1016, thus becoming
the king there as well, the English princes, Edmund and
Edward, fled to and found refuge in the court of King Saint
Stephen, Stephen I of Hungary (997 – 1038). Agatha,
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Stephen’s daughter, married to one of them and returned to
Scotland in 1037. Their child, Saint Margaret, later became
queen; the lineage of the Plantagenet dynasty (which ruled
England for 335 years) goes back to Alfred the Great and Saint
Margaret (the granddaughter of Saint Stephen) joins in at one
point. Legends say that a high number of Hungarians
accompanied the couple to the British Isles and settled there.
Many Scottish families (e.g. Dortmund) acknowledged their
Hungarian origins for a long time. Maybe they still do, although
the sublime English-Hungarian relationship had long faded into
th
the past by the events of the 20 century.
They took me to a farm too to have afternoon tea. As we were
sitting around the table, the situation evoked a whole line of
memories about my childhood, about all those days spent at the
mansion at Baracska. The farm looked as if it was a beautiful
park instead of anything else, with asphalt roads and nice
buildings for the animals. Those working on the farm asked if I
had known whiskey. Sure, I said, and they gave me some in a
large cup. It was so strong and raspy, unlike any other kind I
had ever tasted by that time, that I hid the cup behind the curtain

25 The stage play, written by József Katona, on which the opera is based is one of the
th
quintessential Hungarian plays. It is set in the early 13 century and presents the
downfall of Bánk bán, one of the most trusted royal advisors, killing the Queen,
Gertrude, in the absence of the King.
26 The first monarch of Hungary, the founder of the state.

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