In 1353 the Ottoman Turks crossed the Hellespont from Asia Minor Within the next twenty years they had conquered southern Bulgaria, transferred their capital from Brusa fo Adrianople, won the battle of Taenarus which Jed them to the heart of old Servia. For the space of three centuries they were the terror of Europe and Hungary's history was heavily marked by Turkish invasions and humiliations to which gross incapacity in high places tragically contributed, especially in the carly part of the 16th century when the papal envoy, Antonio Burgio contemptuously remarked: "If this realm could be saved at the expense of three forms there is nota man here willing to make the sacrifice" But the high. spirits of the Magyar people were proof against misfortune. From Transylmania came inspiring leadership. the 17th century and at the end of sixteen years war the once formidable Turkish power was broken, the recapture of Buda marking the final stages in that liberation of Western culture, It is appropriate therefore that that victory should be specially remembered by Hungarians indeed by Europe—with feelings of gratitude. Budapest is formed as its ame suggests from the two towns of Buda and Pest. The German name, Ofen, for Buda has really the same meaning (stove) as Pest, the slavonic word. Pest was taken' and pillaged by the Turks in 1526. From 1541 to 1686 Buda was the seat of a Turkish pasha. It was founded by the Romans fu the second century and named Aquincum, ""rich waters:" 'The Romans left' in 376 when the invasion of Huns and Ostrogoths swept over the lund, followed later by the Avars fand Slavs. The Magyars began their: occupation in the 10th century and reserved the names Buda and Pest for the two sister towns—Buda on the right and Pest on the left bank of the Danube.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.