The Magisterial House is deeply sorry to inform all Knights and Dames of our Sovereign Order and State, of the decease, on the 04th of July in the city of Budapest, of our brother Dr. Sir Béla Király, Knight of Grand Cross of the Order of Cyprus.

After a long and tumultuous life, full of danger, risk and courage fighting for the firm and intransigent defense of his high moral principles and of the right of his country and of his people to Freedom, Progress and Democracy, Dr. Sir Béla Király passed away peacefully during his sleep at the age of 97.

Dr Sir Béla Király was a well-known military historian, author, politician and a legendary Hungarian resistance fighter and hero during World War II.

Born in Kaposvár, Hungary on the 14th of April 1912, at the age of 23 Dr. Sir Béla Király was commissioned as a second lieutenant of the Hungarian Army in 1935, he fought actively in World War II.

After the World War II Dr. Sir Béla joined the Communist Party and rose to the rank of major general in the Hungarian army but in 1951, he was arrested on false charges and sentenced to death, whoever, after an appeal, the death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. Nevertheless, only 5 years later, in September 1956, he was released from prison.

In 1956 Dr. Sir Béla joined the Hungarian Revolution against the Communists and was appointed commander-in-chief of the Military Guard and also Military Commander of the city of Budapest. After the revolution, he escaped first to Austria and after to the United States of America.

In New York he attended the Columbia University and in 1962 received his doctorate in History. Then he become a Professor of Military History at Brooklyn College, until he retired with the title of Professor Emeritus. Being a very active person Dr. Sir Béla Király was at the same time also appointed as director of the Society In Change Program on East Central Europe, supervised Brooklyn College Press (the College's Publishing House), and served as the advisor to the Brooklyn College Military History Club.

He returned to his motherland Hungary after the collapse of the Soviet Bloc and from 1990 to 1994 became an independent member of the Hungarian Parliament, and later on was appointed as government adviser.

Dr. Sir Béla Király was author of books of great interest and, as editor-in-chief, promoted the publication of many books about history with special focus on the Hungarian History. In 2004 he become associate member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

In April 2009 Dr. Sir Béla Király was Knighted, having as godfather His Grace the Lieutenant General and Prime Minister of the Federation. On this occasion, one of the last public homage's and tributes that he received in life, His Eminent Highness the Grand Master bestowed upon him the insignias of Knight of the Grand Cross of the Sovereign Order of Cyprus. ( This Order, also known as the Knights of the Sword and Silence, federated and an integrant member of The Federation of Autonomous Priories, in the fulfillment of its historical mission and under its ancient motto " Securitas Regni ", has in his ranks only highly reputed personalities dedicated to Military and Security affairs, and as such it fulfils the historical military mission of our Sovereign Order and of our State ).

The Grand Master, on behalf of all the Knights and Dames presents to the family of Dr. Sir Béla Király GCC, on this moment of grief, the most sincere condolences.

Requiescat in Pace

7th July 2009