The Turkish World in Hungary (1853)

Mór Jókai’s The Turkish World in Hungary is a historical novel set in the Principality of Transylvania in the final decades of its semi-independence — between the Battle of St Gotthard (1664) and the death of Chancellor Mihály Teleki at the Battle of Zernest (1690).

The main historical theme of the novel is the political struggle to maintain independence of Transylvania and Hungary between the Ottoman and Habsburg empires.
 
Its main historical characters — Reigning Prince MihályApafi I, his chief counselor County Mihály Teleki, Pál Béldi the General of the Szekler army, and the young Count Imre Thököly — compete with each other to maintain independence according to their own ideas. Clashes end in tragedy one after the other.

Jókai, the master story-teller, shares history and culture of 17th century Transylvania, with historical and fictional Szeklers, Saxons, Vlachs, Hungarians, and Turks together with bandits, superstitions, harems, Ottoman pashas and viziers, rustic characters, and heroism. Turkish World is also a romantic novel with plenty of passion, intrigue, and betrayal; a swashbuckler with duels and battles; and a comedy with ribald humor and subtle satire.

Originally published in three volumes in Pest, 1853, under the title Török világ Magyarországon. This modern and faithful translation is based on the 1894 Hungarian edition and includes illustrations and annotations.

The Turkish World in Hungary, available on Amazon.