“The Enemy Within”, Part 102
This seemingly naive «restoration coup» failed miserably. Admiral Horthy refused to resign in Karl’s favor. He justified his refusal by pointing to the risk of war: the Small Entente states (an alliance formed in 1920 and 1921 by Czechoslovakia, Romania and Yugoslavia with the purpose of common defense against Hungarian revanchism and the prospect of a Habsburg restoration) would regard the return of the Habsburg monarch to the Hungarian throne as a cause for war. Karl thus returned to Szombathely having achieved nothing. He remained there together with a small group of sympathizers. Following protests by France and the states of the Small Entente Admiral Horthy officially denied supporting Karl, who initially remained in west Hungary, isolated and seriously ill.
On 5 April 1921 he was expelled from the country. He left Szombathely by special train, and, with short stops in Körmend, Csákánydoroszló and Szentgotthárd, arrived at the last Hungarian railway station, Gyanafalva (now Jennersdorf). Bishop János Mikes from Szombathely accompanied him on his way. The king and his entourage had to wait here for several hours for permission from Vienna to enter Austria.
Photo: The last Hungarian king dressed in the uniform of a Hungarian Marshal, in the company of
János Mikes, Bishop of Szombathely County
Photo: Karl is waiting with his own Hofzug (Imperial Train) at the
Gyanafalva railway station, surrounded by the crowd celebrating him. Next to the king, the firefighting section of Gyanafalva was lined up to the left, and to the right,
Count Tamás Erdődy, the king's childhood friend
The king was warmly received at the station, gypsies played music, firefighters marched, and the Hungarian cabbage stew and cottage cheese strudel was brought to the king from the Raffel inn, as he was not allowed to leave the station area.
Upon receipt of the entry permit to Austria
a small crowd waved farewell to him and he was, accompanied by Entente officers, transported back in his train to Switzerland through Austria (his last visit to the country).
His transport escorts in Austria had been assembled in the morning: National Councilor Sever as a steward for the Social Democratic Party, member of the Landtag Müller as steward for the railway workers,
Police Commissioner Otto Steinhäusl as political transport manager, Oberkommissär Hedrich, Konsul Strauß, and also Colonel Charles W. Selby, the representative of the English government, Colonel F. Hinaux, the representative of the French government, Lieutnant-Colonel Count Giovanni Franchini-Stappo, the representative of the Italian government; finally four English, two French, six Italian soldiers, six Austrian detective officers, six Austrian security officers, Lieutenant Colonel Schuh and Lieutenant Mederer appointed by Minister of Army Glanz, Major Mayer and Lieutenant Fuchs appointed by Parliamentary Commissioner Deutsch, and the following twelve militias: deputy officer Schneidler, guardsman Ruzicka , platoon leader Navratil, swarm leaders Mantlburger and Dorrer, and the militia men Rohrer, Grubek, Scheda, Gasparek, Neuwirth and Kapp.
Arriving in Switzerland at Buchs on the evening of 6 April 1921 he was received by two Swiss officers, Lieutenant Colonel Walter Kissling and Captain Trüb, in the name of Switzerland, the ex-Empress was waiting on the platform.
Together with her
lady in waiting Agnes Schönborn (later married Boroviczény, see below), the adjutant Schonta and secretary Werkmann she had left Prangins at 03:00 by car to meet her husband. They were informed that they would not be able to go back to Prangins, as the government of Vaud refused to take them back. Instead they were taken to Lucerne, where the train arrived shortly before midnight,
and brought into the
Grand Hotel National.
Oberstdivisionär Hans Pfyffer von Altishofen, also the manager of the hotel, as the messenger of the Federal Government, informed the verbatim ex-emperor that he was no longer wanted in Switzerland, and the ex-emperor burst into tears. England, France, Spain and Sweden were also unwilling to host the Habsburgs.